Us divers twin Al80's with Solid bar Manifold.

[Flyingobject]

hey,

Just bought a old Us divers twin Al80's with Solid bar Manifold unit but it is in Perfect condition with new hydro, vip, and vissual eddy test for $220.

Afew questions.

-Did i get a good deal?

-Is there any concerns when filling with this type of manifold.

-Is there any type of concerns when diving with this manifold? its pretty basic.

-and lastly will a Scubapro Knighthawk BCD work well with this set up?

Thank you

 

[scubapeter]

If you are speaking of the latest version of the us divers manifold, that has a j reserve and a shiny chrome finish than I would say that you got a good deal. There are not special concerns for filling this type of manifold, but I think it may be difficult to O2 clean properly. This is the same manifold that is used by the u.s. navy.

 

[Scared Silly]

Without knowing the born dates on the cylinders it is hard to judge. But given your description (visual eddy) I am guessing that the cylinders were made before 1989. As such, I would say no you did not get a good deal. If fact, if the cylinder truly are old Luxfers I would say you got ripped off. Do a search on 6351 and you will understand why - just too many hassles any more.

http://www.ctcseminars.com/Files/Technical/3al_advisory.pdf

BTW if these cylinders are 6351 the visual eddy done by a dive shop does not mean squat as the visual eddy needs to be done by the hydro shop. Further, if the hydro date is not followed by VE then legally these cylinders can not be filled as they were not properly requalified.

As for using twins with that particular BCD, a quick glance would be no.

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

Just bought a old Us divers twin Al80's with Solid bar Manifold unit but it is in Perfect condition with new hydro, vip, and visual eddy test for $220.

A Few questions.
-Did i get a good deal? Probably not because of the problems with the older Luxfer tanks. Majority of shops won't fill them. What's the original Hydro date?

-Is there any concerns when filling with this type of manifold. No concerns filling.

-Is there any type of concerns when diving with this manifold?its pretty basic Not ideal for doubles, should have an isolator so that you have redundancy.

-and lastly will a Scubapro Knighthawk BCD work well with this set up? NO. need a harness style BC. Either a soft pack style like a DiveRite Transpac or a BP&W like a Halcyon Evolve System.

 

[Flyingobject]

Thanks so much for all the help guys!

the original hydro is 10/85 CTC/DOT 3AL 3000 S80 P211797 Luxfer

new hydro look like this 12(bo/27)09 VE

and yes the manifold is shiny chrome but not sure if it is a j valve i beleive how it works is i use one tank and pull the vale down and it then uses then opens the next tank and both will equalize.

anyways thanks for the help let me know what you think about the set up with these new hydro dates and stuff.

 

[captain]

The J reserve lever has to be in the reserve open (lever down) position or else the left tank will not get filled. The reserve holds back 500 psi in the left tank and it equalizes to 250 in both tanks when the reserve is activated. In this day and time just leave the lever down at all times, you have an SPG.

Unfortunately the tanks are the old alloy but as long as you can get them filled it isn't an issue.

 

[Graeme Tolton]

I suppose you should be okay going to who ever did the vip on the tanks to fill them. Seems that they don't have a problem with it. It sounds like this was a spur of the moment purchase. Next time, do more research into these things. This would not be considered modern equipment. Also, what type of bands are on the tanks? Do they have a rounded section that would fit into an old backpack style harness?

 

[BeachBumin808]

Well people have given you a little bit of bogus information. As far as a deal it's up to you on what you consider a deal. The manifold and tanks new with the set-up you have runs about $750-900 depending on the shop. The tanks however are probably Luxfer 6351. If they have been VIP'd/Hydro/VE then you should be good 2 go as long as you have a scuba store that will fill them. Because of the ruptures that generally happen during filling some commercial shops insurance won’t let them fill these tanks. So it may be a pain. I have a couple 6351 tanks and some of the Navy dive units still use them with no problems. As far as the BC you have one of the few BC's that you can dive twins on. The Knighthawk BCD is extensively utilized in the Navy because of its ruggedness and capability to use single or double tanks. However, you will need to buy a separate back plate for the doubles that will change out the single back plate in the Knighthawk. Or you can simply get a a harness and horse collar type BC. Hope that helps.