Should I veto the 'free' boots that come w/tank?

[dlwalke]

I'm going to buy my first cylinders (Pressed Steel). The place I am going to buy them from puts boots on at no additional charge. Should I ask them not to? I hear they interfere with cleaning off the tank, possibly leading to corrosion. Personally, I'm not crazy about their appearance. And my pu truck bed has longitudinal grooves that I think would prevent the tanks from rolling (plus I could get one of those rack things). Do any dive boats insist that tanks have boots for cushioning purposes? How easy is it to remove and install boots? I am thinking about asking to ship but not attach them.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[downunderjenn]

The tank boots come off, so the corrosion comment is for the lazy.
Plus, at our shop, we take the boots off for the customer when conducting visuals and sending in to hydro, also stickers come off.

The boot will protect from scratching or hurting the bottom, plus if it is an octoganal boot, it will help prevent rolling (useful for on docks, boats, other places). I prefer the hard plastic boot.

Steels must have a boot, as they have round bottoms.

 

[Ontario Diver]

I'm going to buy my first cylinders (Pressed Steel). The place I am going to buy them from puts boots on at no additional charge. Should I ask them not to? I hear they interfere with cleaning off the tank, possibly leading to corrosion. Personally, I'm not crazy about their appearance. And my pu truck bed has longitudinal grooves that I think would prevent the tanks from rolling (plus I could get one of those rack things). Do any dive boats insist that tanks have boots for cushioning purposes? How easy is it to remove and install boots? I am thinking about asking to ship but not attach them.

Thanks,
Dave

Get them. Make sure they are the hard plastic octag ones for the reasons above and make sure that they have drain holes so that water doesn;t sit in them. Removing the boots is easy if they are the plastic ones. Just give them a couple of whacks on alternating sides with a non-marring mallet. They'll just pop right off. To put them back on, put them on the floor and set the tank into the top of the boot. Lift the tank and boot off the floor by about 2 inches and drop it to tap the boot onto the tank.

You'll find the boots will allow the tanks to stand up, protect the floor (especially tiles) from breakage and stop the durn things from rolling around.

But stay far away from the rubber versions.

 

[MechDiver]

Steels must have a boot, as they have round bottoms.

 

[Wendy]

they are not needed. I always lay a tank down whether it is al or stel, as I was taught never to leave a tank standing upright, unattended.

If you do get them and change your mind later and want them removed, just take a rubber mallot to them and knock them off, and then you can make lovely flower pots out of them or a party hat on a drunken night.

 

[TwoTanks]

You should get them

My feeling is that they will help protect the finish on the tanks. Just take them off from time to time and check for problems.

Even if you don't use them, free flower pots are still hard to come by.

TT

 

[Mo2vation]

Single tank, right?

Get the boots.

I always stand my tank on a wall or a bench to don and doff it when diving the dive park, or on most dive boats. Likewise, I stand it up when putting the BP/W on the thing... the tank stands up, the wetted BP/W slides on. I even store them in the garage standing up. Had my 130 for about a year, and my HP100 for 5 years... Never a tip over, a knock over or a careless accident. I don't get all the hoopla.

The rigid "lay it down or you owe me a beer" stuff is so much Instructor hydration, IMO. Brought to you by the same crowd that says wearing your mask on your forehead is gonna make you go blind.

Be careful, be smart and you won't have a tip over incident (the tank, not the beer...)

K

 

[OE2X]

If memory serves on all my PST tanks the boots came with them from the factory. I'm not sure that your LDS is doing you any favors by adding another one.

 

[bridgediver]

they're not necessary. The arguement for protection, standing them up and so forth are the usual marketing hype the LDS uses to get you to buy them

 

[rje634]

There some boat captains that don't like it when you don't have boots on your tanks it damages the decks.