What do I need to consider when buying new steel tanks?

[fishdelasol]

Santa was very good to us this year and we are planning on getting steel tanks! When I read the threads regarding steel tanks and general tank info, it leaves me wondering what I need to look for when I pick them out... FYI--We are typically warm water, tropical shore divers. Sorry in advance for the length of this post!

We are looking at the Blue Steel FX100--does anybody have any opinions on these? 3442PSI means they are high pressure, correct? (the dive store carries these and it is where our gift certs are for...)

Since they have a white (painted?) exterior...do I have to worry about chipping and then rust? Is this repairable? What about visual inspections...why would they come this way if they fail for having a painted exterior?

What is the "clean interior" that I read about? How do I know if it is clean? We are not Nitrox certified, but that is in our future plans. Will we be able to switch from air to nitrox on the same tank?

What about the hydro date on the tank? What do I need to consider about it when I pick out my tanks?

Thanks in advance!

 

[TwoBitTxn]

Nothing wrong with the white painted exterior. It will not cause it to fail VIP.

VIP's are done every year. Hydro's every five. If you can get the most recent MFR date, do so. Some places will offer a discount on last years cylinders.

If you want to put nitrox in these go ahead and get them O2 cleaned. Keep them that way as best as you can.

TwoBit

 

[Tienuts]

Since you're in Ft Lauderdale, go up to Fill Express and talk with them. Even if you don't buy tanks from them, they will help you out and give you a master's course in cylinders.

 

[scubaskipper]

I finally changed out the last of the painted tanks on the boat in favor of the hot dipped galv. tanks. (I think they're all Worthington now.) We deal with 45 tanks, keeping up on all the chips and scratches was a pain. In salt water they turn into rust spots pretty quick. I also noticed the painted tanks were alot more slippery. Look close at the date of manufacture. Shops get a deal on tanks from the distributor that are older than 2 years into their hydro. Make sure they pass that savings on to you, or take off the price of the first hydro. Most of the local shops will also give you free air for a year.

 

[Jimmer]

Well I can't comment on their use in salt water, but I own 2 Faber white painted tanks, that are now 11 years old, and they're holding up just fine to lots of extended and repeated use. I wouldn't be too worried about that finish. Keep in mind that you own your tanks and have the ability to keep them a little better taken care of than the average rental tank.

 

[mike_s]

We are looking at the Blue Steel FX100--does anybody have any opinions on these? 3442PSI means they are high pressure, correct? (the dive store carries these and it is where our gift certs are for...)

What is the "clean interior" that I read about? How do I know if it is clean? We are not Nitrox certified, but that is in our future plans. Will we be able to switch from air to nitrox on the same tank?

What about the hydro date on the tank? What do I need to consider about it when I pick out my tanks?

I've got a set of the Blue Steel FX100 tanks and have been very happy with them.

They came with a Blue Steel valve (made by San-o-sub) that was Yoke/convertible-DIN. I'd suggest any steel tank you get have a convertible valve (3442psi or under) as it makes the tank more appealing later if you ever sell it. The san-o-sub valve are ok, but I still perfer the Thermo Pro valves, but it's not enough to make me want to change them out (at great expense).

the 3442 means high pressure like you said, but it still is supported my most YOKE regulators also, so unless your regulator is over 10 or 15 years old, you can still use its yoke connection (if you don't have DIN).


As for interior cleaning, you need to check ANY tank you buy to see if it's clean inside before you use it. especially a steel tank as rust is a common problem with them. The reason I say check any tank is that the Blue Steel tanks we got were brand new, but they were filthy inside. I mean FILTHY. Blue Steel replaced them as we couldn't get them clean, but the new tanks still had some sort of oil residue in the threads (which apparently is common with tank manufacturers). So if they are dirty in any way, you'll want to clean them. If you're going to partial-pressure-fill Nitrox in them, you'll want to o2 clean them.

As for hydro date, the newer the hydro stamp the better. But chances of getting one stamped this month/year is pretty rare. Most new tanks you can expect the date to be up to 6 months old. However, Blue Steel has an overstock of tanks and often puts them on special with stores like Divers Direct selling "last years hydro stamp tanks". Don't let this worry you, but just be aware is all. Nothing wrong with buying a tank that is 1 year old but still new. It just means you have to get it re-hydro'd sooner. But if you're saving $100 bucks off the cost of a Worthington with a new stamp, it's well worth it. example: average hydro is $25 bucks and required every 5 years. 1/5 that price for taking off one year is $5 bucks of hydro cost. So no big deal.


Hope all this helps. Ask here or PM if you have more questions about them.

mike.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I'll second Jimmer's experience with white painted Fabers. I am not sure what they paint them with but it is very tough stuff and after 10 years use on 4 tanks, there are some smears and smudges on some of them, but no chipped paint.

On the other hand, I have galvanized steel 72's that are pushing 40 real hard that are still in great shape and totally rust free, so the nod still goes to a hot dipped galvanized finish.

Size/weight/bouyancy wise the PST E7-100 and Worthington X7-100 are nearly identical and I think the Faber FX-100 is very similar. The end result with any of the three is that you get a tank that weighs the same as an AL80 and is the same diameter as an AL80 but is about 5 inches shorter and holds 23 more cu ft of gas at 3442 psi.

3442 psi tanks are are often critised for the potential to get a "short fill" in the event the shop's compressor cannot wheeze all the way up to 3442 psi. However that reasoning ignores one important point:

In a 3442 psi 100 cu ft tank,

3442 psi = 100 cu ft
3000 psi = 87.2 cu ft
2800 psi = 81.3 cu ft
2640 psi = 76.7 cu ft

Consequently, even when filled to only 2640 psi the X/E/FX series 100 still holds the same amount of gas as a full AL80, which holds 77 cu ft at 3000 psi. If they marketed the X7-100 as an LP 80 with a 2640 psi fill pressure, the same divers who knock it would be thrilled as they could be assured of always getting good fills and in some locations would be able to potentially get overfills to 3500 psi or so. So it is ironic that the same tank that is in essence approved for "overfills" to 3442 psi where it holds 100 cu ft of gas is looked donw upon do to fears the shop will only be able to get them to 3000 psi or so.

Put another way, the E/X/FX series 3442 psi 100 cu ft tanks have the same tank factor as the old 2250 psi steel 72 and hold the same amount of gas at the same fill pressure.

All in all, the 3442 psi 100 cu ft tank is a superb choice for rec or tech diving and if the industry could only have one tank, it would get my vote.

Regarding O2 cleaning. Whether you need it depends on how the nitrox you will be using is mixed. If it is done with partial pressure blending, the tank needs to be O2 cleaned as it will see O2 percentages over 40%. If the blending is done via stick or membrane, then the tank does not see any O2 percentage higher than the nitrox being mixed and O2 cleaning is generally not needed - although the policies of individual shops may vary.

 

[mike_s]

I'll second Jimmer's experience with white painted Fabers. I am not sure what they paint them with but it is very tough stuff and after 10 years use on 4 tanks, there are some smears and smudges on some of them, but no chipped paint.

On the other hand, I have galvanized steel 72's that are pushing 40 real hard that are still in great shape and totally rust free, so the nod still goes to a hot dipped galvanized finish.

I agree with this. The Hot Dip galvanized is a much better finish if you have to pay comparible prices to the Faber/Blue Steel as you would for a Worthington. So if the price is very close, buy the hot-dipped Worthington, but if you can get it for $100 cheaper, I'd go with Faber. (Which is what I did).

3442 psi tanks are are often critised for the potential to get a "short fill" in the event the shop's compressor cannot wheeze all the way up to 3442 psi.

While you're right they are often critised for short fills, I don't think it's fair to "blame the tank" for the shops compresser or bank-systems shortcomings.....

A good shop will have a compressor/bank system that is capable of filling a HP tank.

All in all, the 3442 psi 100 cu ft tank is a superb choice for rec or tech diving and if the industry could only have one tank, it would get my vote.
.

I agree. This is a good all around tank for the industry.

 

[Jimmer]

*Hijack alert*

DA what sort of depth do you take your hp100's to when tech diving? I have my lp108's, but I've been toying with the idea of selling them off and making room for hp100's for my deco class in the spring.

Jim

 

[J.A.S.]

Santa was very good to us this year and we are planning on getting steel tanks! When I read the threads regarding steel tanks and general tank info, it leaves me wondering what I need to look for when I pick them out... FYI--We are typically warm water, tropical shore divers. Sorry in advance for the length of this post!

We are looking at the Blue Steel FX100--does anybody have any opinions on these? 3442PSI means they are high pressure, correct? (the dive store carries these and it is where our gift certs are for...)

Since they have a white (painted?) exterior...do I have to worry about chipping and then rust? Is this repairable? What about visual inspections...why would they come this way if they fail for having a painted exterior?

What is the "clean interior" that I read about? How do I know if it is clean? We are not Nitrox certified, but that is in our future plans. Will we be able to switch from air to nitrox on the same tank?

What about the hydro date on the tank? What do I need to consider about it when I pick out my tanks?

Thanks in advance!

in agreement with what has been said, but the steel tanks are usually favored for the bouyancy characteristics in a cold water environment. yes they are great tanks and worth the investment, but you stated you are warm water divers.



Al 100s are cheaper and may fit your needs as ( i believe ) made neutrally bouyant. althought the characteristics of a steel 100 make it a better investment ( shorter and -3#s neg ) but also 150 bucks or so more...

things to ask... are you a beach diver or boat diver. or a traveling diver.. do you and your buddy have strong backs ... beach diver : 100 is nice, maybe on a boat dive you want more air so why not a 120 tank. not much bigger and get 20 cu more...

as mentioned, some boats don't fill over 3000psi, so maybe consider an LP tank, lp95 or 104...

personally, for my type of diving with mostly beach diving, i use the 100s.

hope this helps