Scuba Tanks.. What kind/type to buy?

[Pedro Burrito]

Regarding new v used:

New tanks should come with pro-valves (yoke and din), be O² clean, have at least 11 months left before the next VIP and have about five years left before the next hydro. Don't pick up a "new" tank that's been sitting around for a year or more. You should be able to have your LDS slap a NITROX sticker on it and dive Nitrox without any O² cleaning/VIP/hydro.

Used tanks, however, can cost lots of money before you can use them. Never buy one that's out of hydro, you don't know if it will pass and then you will lose all the money you paid for the tank. Never buy an aluminum tank that was made before 1990. Yes, there is just one alloy that caused problems but many LDS's will not fill a pre-1990 aluminum tank. Nor will they VIP them or send them out for hydro. If you want to use a used tank for Nitrox then you might have to get the used tank O² cleaned and VIP'ed. That will cost up to $100 per tank and it will cost $100 per tank every year to keep the tank O² clean and VIP'ed.

That's why you will see so many tanks for sale on Craigslist and ebay. People don't want to spend the money to maintain them. You cannot just stuff them in a closet or garage and expect them to be fillable in a few years. The LDS that I spend the most time in has an unrepaired hole in the wall from a tank breaking under pressure as a reminder of how dangerous it could be to fill a tank.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Most of my tanks (15 now) were bought used and I had no issues with any of them. Even with new hydros and a vis I still spent less than new. Unless I get a really good deal on some thing else any more tanks I buy will be used ones. Hopefully used LP 72's. These are great tanks and for a person with good air consumption you'd get as much out of them as someone else on an al80. Good fills are easy to get as they only require 2425psi for a full fill and if you get a good shop they may pump them to 2600-2700 and you'd have 80 cu ft of gas in a tank with a smaller profile, better buoyancy characteristics, and one hell of a long lifespan. I have two 72's from 1953 and 54 respectively and my others are from 1970 and 1971. They just passed hydro again. Many places will no longer even hydro an al tank more than 15 years old. But 40, 50, and even 60 year old steel 72's are hydro'd and filled all the time. You can pick them up for as little as $50. Hydro and vis add around here $30-35 and you have a great tank for less than 100 bucks that your grandkids will likely be using.

 

[chrpai]

Many places will no longer even hydro an al tank more than 15 years old.

Define "many places". You mean the LDS acting as the middle man for the RIN facility? If so, that's an easy problem to solve. I just Hydro'd and VIP'd a 21 year old tank the other day no problem.

 

[scubadiver888]

If you want to do the math, you said you could find AL80 tanks for $210. To rent a tank is $12 but I assume it comes with air in it. To fill a tank is $7. So essentially, renting a tank is $5 plus an air fill.

If the tank costs $210 and renting is $5 a day then you need to dive 43 times and buying a tank is cheaper. HOWEVER... you have to have the tank visually inspected every year and hydrostatically tested every fifth year. A visual inspection is $20 (or 4 rentals) and hydrostatic testing is $45 (9 rentals). So in a 5 year period you need to use them 25 times (4+4+4+4+9) on average 5 times a year to cover testing and maintenance. How often do you plan to dive each year? maybe 20 times a year (5 covers testing and 15 covers cost of tank)? If you can do 20 times a year, you'll be saving money in less than 3 years. If 10 times a year (5 covers testing and 5 covers cost of tank), you'll be saving money after 9 years.

My first few years as a diver I did maybe 6 dives a year. Renting made more sense. Now I dive all the time, I have multiple tanks but I also work at a dive shop and get free air fills.

What if you buy new tanks and have years when you don't dive at all? Or what if you give up on diving because of life changes? You can probably sell the tanks but you aren't going to get $210 for them. Maybe you'll get $100 to $150 for them.

I'd say wait and see what you like. You'll probably save money until you start diving 10 or more times a year.

Oh, if you look at steel tanks they are typically double the price of aluminum tanks. You have to dive maybe 20 or more times a year to make it worth while.

Also, when you buy a tank see if the shop will give you a certain number of air fills for free or a discount for the next year (half price).

Finally, used tanks could be a problem. You really have to know what you are buying. Some tanks might not be usable. You could find yourself buying a tank, bringing it to a shop only to find out the tank has to be condemned.

Poke around on the board. There are more threads about buying tanks (search for "buy tanks").

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Define "many places". You mean the LDS acting as the middle man for the RIN facility? If so, that's an easy problem to solve. I just Hydro'd and VIP'd a 21 year old tank the other day no problem.

At least in thus area. Three hydro places will not touch any al tank more than 15 years old regardless of make. Not saying it's right but their facility, their rules. The one that will do it is good about doing them but it's a haul to his place. Steels are no issue and a better value in the long term anyway.

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[dumpsterDiver]

around here they will not fill any old steel tanks regardless of hydro, vip or condition..

 

[stairman]

Aluminum 80's are the most popular but I prefer a steel 85 or HP 100. Same size and more gas than an 80.

 

[socaljohn]

Dumpsterdiver did you mean they won't fill old AL, you said steel...?

 

[bjf123]

Never buy an aluminum tank that was made before 1990. Yes, there is just one alloy that caused problems but many LDS's will not fill a pre-1990 aluminum tank. Nor will they VIP them or send them out for hydro.

Can someone tell me why so many. LDSs, especially in FL, are making this unilateral decision? Is their insurance company putting in that requirement, or are they just being overly cautious? We've had customers rent tanks to take to FL only to find they can't get them filled. We've talked to the facility we use to hydro tanks and also a company that trains on proper VIP testing and procedures. Both say an aluminum tank that passes hydro, VIP, and the electric current eddy test, regardless of age, are safe to fill and use. The exception to this are those tanks made of the problematic alloy.




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[redacted]

For some folks 1990 is a full knowledge load. Each added knowledge increment is only a partial correction and may rapidly approach a knowledge overload. It would seem to me that after the first customer had a problem you would correct your rental policy.

Can someone tell me why so many. LDSs, especially in FL, are making this unilateral decision? Is their insurance company putting in that requirement, or are they just being overly cautious? We've had customers rent tanks to take to FL only to find they can't get them filled. We've talked to the facility we use to hydro tanks and also a company that trains on proper VIP testing and procedures. Both say an aluminum tank that passes hydro, VIP, and the electric current eddy test, regardless of age, are safe to fill and use. The exception to this are those tanks made of the problematic alloy.




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