Sea water in tank?

[DA Aquamaster]

Was it a J or H valve? We used to run our J valves dry all of the time. Heck, the dive was ended when you ran out of air!!! We always seemed to get water in our tanks.

Really? I never got any water in a tank through a J valve even when breathing the tank dry. To accomplish that you would have to depress the purge on the scond stage with the empty tank/reg combination and then descend substantially to force the water in through the open system.

I did however on occassion get water in tanks through compressors with less than wonderful filtering and separating systems. Compressors on average are a lot better today.

 

[The Chairman]

I will gladly amend this to say that I never tried to figure out where the water came from... and it could have been compressor condensate at that. But I remember at least one tank where we knew we got water into it after we ran it slap out of air... but since that was in the 70s, I really can't remember many of the details.

I do know that with the advent of the SPG and me NOT running out of air any more, that I can't remember the last time I had water in my tanks.

 

[pasley]

My bet is the tank lived on a dive boat. One of those operations that supplies the tank and weights. Spent all of its days getting fills with nice moist salt air from a poorly maintained compressor on the boat. As such it may not have had its VIS or Hydro on a regular basis so you could be looking at years of moisture build up. I note there is no mention of if it was in hydro or how old the last hydro was, only that it had only one hydro. In any case with 1000 PSI I too doubt the water got in after the last fill.

 

[redacted]

Sealed tank taken to about 2200 ft and the valve then opened. After reclosing the valve, tank was returned to surface.

OK. I guess Pete's explaination is a bit more reasonable.

 

[pescador775]

Netdoc had it right
The tank may have been used as a stage bottle or spare. It emptied and backdrafted some sea water; subsequently it had air pumped into it. Later, it was found on the beach. Simple. There is no way that a compressor or dive shop was responsible.

 

[Don Burke]

I'm guessing they meant the bottom inch of the tank had a lot of salt on it. A one inch cake of salt would be just too weird.

It likely some shoestring individual or outfit with a compressor lost track of this tank.

Those 20-tank-a-day lobster divers I keep hearing about would fit the bill. That would explain both running the tank empty so water could get in and filling it with water sloshing around inside.

 

[The Chairman]

It probably was not salt, but aluminum oxide. They are both white and grainy. Salt water in an AL tank at an increased pressure should accelerate the process. But if it passed VIP and hydro, than cool.

 

[Optik]

Wow, this threat is cool now. Ok i think i will break it down again, i swear this is not a riddle post

1. tank was found on the beach, regular old AL 80

2. tank was found with the K-valve broke (the knob)

3. tank had one hydro 92

4. tank was taken in for a new hydro

5. upon inspection, the tank contained 1000 psi or so. and with that about a quarter of the tank contained SEA water, in a brownish red looking state.

6. water was removed and upon further inspection, salt in the form of one large solid mass had collected at the bottom of the tank.

7. tank was then pressure washed and all the salt removed, passed hydro just fine and had a new valve put in.

8. All for 50 bucks, i highly recomend Twin Dolphins in Puerto vallarta, good people.


wow, this does look like a riddle post... :54:

 

[The Chairman]

It was the NAUI diver in the kitchen with the lead pipe.