markmantei
Contributor
Depends on the diving, the 2 HP130's equal about 3 seasons of air fills, but not very many trimix fills.
Tank Questions
- Thread starter MaverickNH
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
I bought a couple of nice Catalina tanks some years ago. I had them hydroed, inspected and filled. I stored them in my bedroom closet where they have been since I bought them. Considering that I travel by air to go diving and that the cost to fly tanks is usually about a hundred each way, two hundred each way for two, and that they have to be empty and disassembled, along with the fact that you have to pay to have them refilled each dive anyway, I don't really see the economy in travelling with tanks. Now if you are diving locally and travelling by car and don't mind waiting around to have your tanks filled at the dive site or have a portable compressor, that's another story altogether.
Bob DBF
Contributor
Do the research, you might find it interesting.
The reason shops don't fill pre '90s AL tanks is that the tank monkies can't read tank stamps and can read a date.
A 6351 alloy tank, as well as a AL tank pre '90, can pass hydro and viz if taken to a hydro facility rather than a dive shop which will not deal with them. However, if the shops won't fill them you are stuck with paperweights unless you have a compresser.
The 6351 alloy tanks got an overly bad rap and got a lot of AL tanks recycled prematurely. Wonder who made the money on this one?
Bob
------------------------------------------
I may be old, but Im not dead yet.
Tanks are a fraction of the cost of lights, drysuits, computers, and lots of other equipment that frankly gets replaced a whole lot more often. I wasn't even thinking of the cost of fills...
markmantei
Contributor
While I'd agree with the drysuits (which may not be required, although it is for me), what your talking about is really canister lights that are indeed expensive but not required for most diving and computers which are not required at all, and can easily be picked up inexpensively. Sure you CAN spend alot on the other items, but in most cases you don't NEED to. Alot of recreational gear can be picked up for very reasonable prices, tech is another issue altogether. That said, I think we are kind of splitting hairs here, tanks are certainly cheap amortized over their useful life, but dropping the better part of a grand is not pocket change for all of us. Not whining here though, if you want a cheap sport, this certainly isn't it.
/Hijack
To the OP, while larger steels are certainly advisable for > 100', it doesn't hurt to have a AL80 or two hanging around for those shorter, shallower 2nd dives, pool time, etc. I sometimes regret selling my AL80's which can usually be picked up inexpensively on the used market.
Dive shops make peanuts off of AL tanks. But, watching a friend get blown apart from a bad alloy tank really set our policy in stone.
It has alot of variables that go in to that just like anything else. If your shed is not climate controlled for example and you fill them during the winter to have them ready for summer then when that 30 degrees outside becomes 105 in the summer you have now increased a 3000 lb tank to 3350 lbs. and it could go higher if its an aluminum shed. Also if you are say near the ocean where salt water is in the air from sea spray alot then that salt could make its way into the shed and onto the tank where it does become corrosive. Its more simple to look at it like you do a car. Which will be in better condition a car you occasionally drive and store in the garage when not in use or a car you occasionally drive and left under a car port to the changing elements?
Blue Sparkle
Contributor
Okay, fair enough, and I do understand the basic concept. I was just surprised that it would reduce the life of a steel tank from 50+ years to a few seasons, given that even a drafty shed will likely have a roof and walls keeping out sun and rain. I see a lot of steel tanks in Florida that I believe are decades old (for example old Scubapro Faber 95's), and to me, from boating experience, a hot, salty, sunny climate is one of the worst when it comes to metal. That said, I'm just getting into tank ownership, and looking at used tanks, hence why I'm reading the thread.
For the steel tanks we keep in New England, they are stored partially filled (at whatever level they were at after the last dive) through the winter in a shed for the reasons mentioned above. They're all more than a few seasons old.
Sheri SGR
Contributor
I personally would not buy used aluminums since new ones are so inexpensive. Steel tanks are great from a size and negative buoyancy factor, assuming price is not an issue I tell all my students go steel. here is an article that gives you more information on sizes, buoyancy, etc. you might find helpful
THE RIGHT TANK
Remember if you are beach diving you have to carry all your stuff in and out of the water and back to the car so sizeand weight becomes more important to consider.
THE RIGHT TANK
Remember if you are beach diving you have to carry all your stuff in and out of the water and back to the car so sizeand weight becomes more important to consider.
Similar threads
