Steel scuba tank rinsing post diving

[Aerobics111]

How many of you never take off the tank boot after fresh water rinsing? For steel tanks, do you see rust over time?

 

[Marie13]

I never take it off, but I also only ever dive fresh water. Boots get taken off at VIP time. Never any rust.

 

[formernuke]

I don't take the boots off and no issues so far

 

[Seaweed Doc]

I don't take off the boot, but squirt water from a hose into it. No rust to speak of....

 

[rx7diver]

Some boots (like those on my OMS and Faber cylinders, which are NOT galvanized) seem to hold water. I always remove these boots when I wash these cylinders.

I let everything air dry before I put things back together.

ETA: I wasn't careful with this, which led to the paint on one of my OMS/Faber LP46 cylinders to blister quite extensively under the boot. Fresh water diving only. I eventually took the cylinder to my local VoTech high school and had them blast off the paint completely. Then I painted it with some grey cold-galvanizing paint. I have not used this cylinder since I painted it, about 25 years ago.

rx7diver

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Mine are Worthington galvanized HP100s. I never remove the boots and have had zero rust on 4 tanks. I do rinse well under the boot with a hose & soak them in freshwater after each diving weekend.

 

[johndiver999]

I ALWAYS drill about 20 small drain holes in the bottom of the rubber boots on steel tanks. At the end of the day I shoot water down the edge of the boot and can see the tank sorta rise up and water shoots out the little holes. I also blast the valve pretty hard too. It makes a big difference in preventing rust under the boots if you dive in saltwater and store them in a hot damp garage.