Steel scubapro 95 question

[halocline]

Any competent hydro shop can find the REE number for those tanks. Or you can try contacting faber, there's an old thread where someone did that and got an email back quickly with the REE number. But the shop is supposed to get it directly from the manufacturer.

It's worth pressing the issue, just start calling hydro shops until you find one that says they will do it. It's an extra 10% of capacity and there definitely are shops that will only fill to rated pressure.

 

[Jondjames]

@rjgiddings
Just curious, why would you only use aluminum in the tropics?

Wouldn't I need to be concerned with determining the REE number before hydro if I want them plus rated?

Sorry I'm new to all of this

 

[WB2GLP]

Just curious, why would you only use aluminum in the tropics?

The cost of bringing your HP 120s on the plane is prohibitive. You dive with what's there which is typically aluminum.

 

[Jondjames]

Duh! That makes perfect sense. Should have figured that out on my own. I was thinking maybe it had something to do with the salt content of the water. Over thinking as usual.

So in other good news, I found a hydro facility near me who does them for $15 each. I brought up plus rating the tank and the lack of an REE number but also told him that I had contacted Faber hoping for that info, and he said if I came with a letterhead from Faber with the serial numbers and the REE number he would do would plus rate them! So now I'm just waiting on the reply from Faber. Hopefully it won't take long.!

 

[halocline]

Duh! That makes perfect sense. Should have figured that out on my own. I was thinking maybe it had something to do with the salt content of the water. Over thinking as usual.

There are reasons that AL tanks are used in the tropics. The climate is really hard on steel cylinders, and typically the dives are made with thin wetsuits (or no wetsuit) and as such, the negative buoyancy of steel tanks is not needed.

So you were on the right track.

 

[tbone1004]

There are reasons that AL tanks are used in the tropics. The climate is really hard on steel cylinders, and typically the dives are made with thin wetsuits (or no wetsuit) and as such, the negative buoyancy of steel tanks is not needed.

So you were on the right track.

I'd argue that's it's more because they are less than half the cost of steel cylinders and don't require tank boots to stand up. The buoyancy argument isn't valid though since basically everyone has to wear lead unless you are wearing a steel backplate, which the dive shops definitely don't factor in

 

[rjgiddings]

Halocline is correct- and so is WTBGLP - anywhere away from cold water- and the shops and rentals ops are all carrying AL80. They are everywhere. It's amazing. They are cheaper by far.

I stopped diving AL here in Seattle because at the last 1/3 of a dive- the buoyancy characteristics of those AL tanks was to cork me to the surface. It's that much of a weight shift on an AL tank when they start to get to about 1000 PSI. I was trying to hang on to large rocks on the bottom just to complete a safety stop. It was just ridiculous.

When I go to Hawaii I wear a 5 mil wetsuit, and an AL80 and maybe 16 lbs and it's fantastic. The gear is so much less to deal with. 75 degree water? Yes, please.

 

[Jondjames]

Still haven't received a reply from faber. I emailed them @ info@divefaber.com two days ago. I know that my request is the least of their concern but was wondering how long I should expect to wait for a reply?

 

[Jondjames]

Just an update for everyone. Finally got a reply back from faber and dropped the tanks off at the hydro facility. Received a call today saying that they would be ready for pick up this afternoon and unfortunately one of the tanks failed, specifically the one that I posted pictures of the lines down the side, and they used the lines as the reason. They said it failed the visual inspection because of that and I'm guessing they never actually hydroed it. Kinda of a bummer but it's oh well, one is better than none.

 

[rjgiddings]

Well...crumb. That sucks. I just wonder what those lines down the side are all about.