What pressure do you store tanks at for long(ish) term?

[KentB]

so with the weather getting nice here vis has gone to whale snot and whistler bike park just opened.
I may do a couple of dives by October but for the most part gear will be sitting longer term now.
I’m going to do a lake dive pretty quick here to really wash every thing throughly of saltwater. And then re wash at home

I’ve planned on pull batteries from computers and lights, cleaned gear really well.
Then I thought about tanks..... I have 3 HP steels and a alum pony.
what does everyone store them at for pressure? Is there any downside to storing them full?
Or 1000 PSI? Thoughts? Insights?
For what it’s worth all 3 steels are 2016 born and the pony I think is about 5 years old

 

[northernone]

I'd leave em full. In theory draining to ~1000psi might be better.

Can't imagine a practical difference though.

Cameron

 

[Seaweed Doc]

If I hadn't sucked them dry (i.e., there's still a few hundred PSI in them) I'd leave them with whatever was in them after the last dive. I'm too cheap to waste a filled tank though. It should be fine for 6 months if it happens to be full.

 

[KentB]

I'd leave em full. In theory draining to ~1000psi might be better.

Can't imagine a practical difference though.

Cameron

That was basically my thoughts are well but figured I’d ask anyways thanks!

If I hadn't sucked them dry (i.e., there's still a few hundred PSI in them) I'd leave them with whatever was in them after the last dive. I'm too cheap to waste a filled tank though. It should be fine for 6 months if it happens to be full.

I have a compressor “losing” a fill isn’t a big concern for me.
Cheers!

 

[Bob DBF]

I leave them with whatever I have in them. Since it's technically possible to dive year round here, I normally have a couple full just in case, sometimes they sit quite a while. In the summer, when I dive more, I fill as many as is convient at the time, as I have to drive a ways for a fill.



Bob

 

[mcpowell]

so with the weather getting nice here vis has gone to whale snot and whistler bike park just opened.

Sorry to hijack your thread, but you mentioned whistler. My avatar pic is from there. I’ve really enjoyed skiing at whistler the last few years. I noticed the crazy bike crowds in the lift line yesterday, or maybe the day before ( I stalk the Carleton Lodge webcam).

Okay, back to scuba. I used my scuba tank to fill bicycle and lawnmower tires for about 25 years while my scuba was on hold. It was an aluminum tank, but the air never went bad.

 

[NAM001]

I drop them to < 100. Thought behind it (right or wrong) the lower the PPO2 that slower the rusting if any.

 

[tbone1004]

aluminum are supposed to be stored below 300psi per Luxfer. No one really does that, but I tend to try to bring tanks back empty from wherever I'm diving and fill them right before I go.
I have not seen any manufacturer recommendations for steels, but again, I just don't fill them after I've gone diving

 

[npole]

How do you empty your tanks? I have heard (and I dunno if it's true or not) that just opening the valve without a first stage attached would form condense inside the tank (steel tanks) and so increasing the chance of them get rusty inside.

 

[tbone1004]

How do you empty your tanks? I have heard (and I dunno if it's true or not) that just opening the valve without a first stage attached would form condense inside the tank (steel tanks) and so increasing the chance of them get rusty inside.

depends on how dry your gas is before you dump in. That said, if you're concerned about it, then just breathe it on the couch while watching TV or better yet, go find a water hole nearby and go diving