Using Your Steel Tank on a SoCal Dive Boat, Any risk of rust?

[napDiver]

I'm going on a boat dive next Sun. We are diving on the Pacific Star in Southern California. I want to take a HP120 and a HP100 instead of the boat LP72.

I read boat fills are susceptible to giving you fills that will cause your tank to rust and need a tumble. Is this true? I would just use the LP72 if I have to get my tanks tumbled.

 

[lexvil]

There is always some risk, pacstar has not been an issue for me but it’s been a few years. You’ll generally end up with lower pressure fills on a boat so an LP 85 will give you a better fill, especially if they mistake it for an AL 80 and get it close to 3000. Are they using LP72’s?

the worry about rust is less of an issue, for me, than the short fills.

 

[StefinSB]

My HP100 and LP85 see boat fills for years and are spotless inside. Is there more risk filling on a boat on the ocean? Maybe. That’s diving.

 

[Rose Robinson]

I'm going on a boat dive next Sun. We are diving on the Pacific Star in Southern California. I want to take a HP120 and a HP100 instead of the boat LP72.

I read boat fills are susceptible to giving you fills that will cause your tank to rust and need a tumble. Is this true? I would just use the LP72 if I have to get my tanks tumbled.

napDiver,

Is this a single dive/two tank dive?

Your own tanks, filled at a shop of your choice pre-dive, will give you sufficient breathing gas for a single outing.

I'm not familiar with any single outing charters that offer onboard tank filling.

You breath what you bring.

Low pressure 72's are not going to give you much bottom time, or depth capability, especially single tank with no redundant bailout.

Rose.

 

[napDiver]

There is always some risk, pacstar has not been an issue for me but it’s been a few years. You’ll generally end up with lower pressure fills on a boat so an LP 85 will give you a better fill, especially if they mistake it for an AL 80 and get it close to 3000. Are they using LP72’s?

the worry about rust is less of an issue, for me, than the short fills.

Yea, I understand they can only provide up to 3000 PSI. That's why we are bringing 120 + 100 instead of our typical 100 + 80. Or are you saying I probably will get fills clloser to 2500?

 

[napDiver]

@lexvil @StefinSB that's reassuring. I'll just bring my tanks than.

napDiver,

Is this a single dive/two tank dive?

Your own tanks, filled at a shop of your choice pre-dive, will give you sufficient breathing gas for a single outing.

I'm not familiar with any single outing charters that offer onboard tank filling.

You breath what you bring.

Low pressure 72's are not going to give you much bottom time, or depth capability, especially single tank with no redundant bailout.

Rose.

It's a 3 tank dive actually. Yeah, I agree LP72s are too small especially since the dive site is bottomless.

 

[StefinSB]

Yea, I understand they can only provide up to 3000 PSI. That's why we are bringing 120 + 100 instead of our typical 100 + 80. Or are you saying I probably will get fills clloser to 2500?

The fills are usually quite hot and you end up with ~ 2500 once in the water

 

[lexvil]

Yea, I understand they can only provide up to 3000 PSI. That's why we are bringing 120 + 100 instead of our typical 100 + 80. Or are you saying I probably will get fills clloser to 2500?

It depends on how many tanks they need to fill, hot 3000 is more like 2800. As pointed out above you can bring your tanks full and get the most bottom time, is this an oil rig trip or Catalina? I usually bring one tank and take the included fills and adjust the dive to what it is.

 

[lexvil]

@lexvil @StefinSB that's reassuring. I'll just bring my tanks than.



It's a 3 tank dive actually. Yeah, I agree LP72s are too small especially since the dive site is bottomless.

Ok, oil rig, it’s not bottomless but it is 600feet

 

[Rose Robinson]

@lexvil @StefinSB that's reassuring. I'll just bring my tanks than.



It's a 3 tank dive actually. Yeah, I agree LP72s are too small especially since the dive site is bottomless.

napDiver,

Sounds to me like a deep wall dive, that you should not be diving without redundancy, and certainly not single 72's

If it was me, I'd take your two tanks pre-filled, and a dive shop rental tank pre-filled, for a total of three tanks.

If a third tank is not allowed due to space limitations, then I'd take two dive shop prefilled rental tanks, and have one refilled on the boat.

Personally, I'd be leery of single outing boat fills. All my tanks are cleaned for oxygen service, and I would not want them filled by anyone/anywhere that I was not completely familiar with.

With the little you've told us, I'm not liking this scenario.

Rose.