Tanks in cars question

[Savaaha]

Ok, I've been after my husband all week about this. He insists its fine leaving our 2 filled aluminum tanks in the back of my van. I have a honda odyssey and it has a well in the very back that the tanks lay perfectly in. Driving around with them in there is no problem as the well keeps them fixed in one spot.
My worry is the heats effects on the tanks. I live in south Mississippi and day time highs are now high 80s low 90s and it gets much hotter in that van. Is he right and its ok to leave them in there or am I right and they need to be taken out?
I know the o-rings could fail but I also worry about them exploding. Where is the best place to store filled tanks at when not in use and is it best to lay them over or stand them up?

Until last week we had not had tanks at home, we always rented. But we got a couple from my parents in law for our pool dives.

 

[knotical]

You might get some info from this thread:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/335436-scuba-tanks-my-car-trunk.html

 

[captain]

They won't explode from the heat. I would be more concerned that they could fly around if you are involved in an accident such as if you rear ended someone and they came flying to the front of the car.

 

[Teamcasa]

They won't explode from the heat. I would be more concerned that they could fly around if you are involved in an accident such as if you rear ended someone and they came flying to the front of the car.

Bingo!

 

[Savaaha]

Where they are at I would pretty much have to be rolled for them to end up in the front end of the van.The well drops them below the floorboard level of the rest of the vehicle. Its meant to fold the furthest back seat down into but I seldom ever fold it down unless Im hauling furniture or such.

 

[vjanelle]

The biggest issue will be from the burst disks getting some extra wear and tear, IIRC.

 

[apneadreams]

theyre fine.

 

[mongodives]

I stored 8 al 80's in the back of my van when I lived on Okinawa, tropical island temps in the 90-100's 8 months of the year. Never had a problem other than the occasional valve getting opened by accident, loud and a waste of a fill but not dangerous.

 

[fdog]

Just rough numbers off a napkin at lunch, but a cylinder that is 3000 psi at 60 degrees F will only be 3230 psi at 100 degrees F.

Since most Aluminum 80's are filled to 3200 - 3300 at the fill station (to allow for cooling), I wouldn't worry.


All the best, James

 

[Odhar]

I live in S Georgia and keep tanks in my tool box, on the back of my truck, all year long. Other than they are slightly hot to the touch I have not had any issues with them and have carried them like that since 1995. Only problem I had was the O ring being affected and I had to replace them once a year.

I also had some of the tank holders in there to keep them from banging around in case of sudden stops, or any impacts.

Happy Diving,