What size tank to get for cleaning regs at home?

[NAM001]

What????? So you are saying that if you say you are going to use the tank for your suspension you dont have to get anual vis's????
That dont sound right. The only Not for scuba aspect gets you air without a cert card. And then you have to dign a vaiver saying what use you are getting the air for.

Get a "Not for SCUBA" sticker and put on tank. All you will need is a hydro every five years.

 

[tbone1004]

and he's not using it for scuba is he? it's not a breathing air tank.... Gets treated like a paintball tank which some people actually use and I don't think those are subject to vip unless the shop wants it.

btw, I would consider your long term diving goals before you end up purchasing a bottle. Reason being that a 6/13 is only useful for a suit inflation bottle if you go CCR or are doing cold water diving where you would need independent inflation. Otherwise I'd recommend a 30/40cf bottle that you can use for deco use. You can rinse these regs under the sink and then just put in a rubbermaid bin filled with water with the tank cocked in there sideways, the weight of the bottle isn't going to hurt the regs. Get an H-valve and then you can soak both first stages.

 

[Rainer]

Just curious, how many cleaning cycles do you usually get from 1 6cf fill?

I'd be surprised if washing a reg used 50PSI.

 

[elgoog]

IMO, you're overthinking things, at least if your regs have sealed diaphragm 1st stages.
Around here, everyone dives their own gear, in saltwater. The normal cleaning procedure is a good rinse with a hose (outside and through the mouthpiece and vents of the 2nd stages, outside of the 1st stage), with the dust cap screwed on the 1st stage. Maybe a soak afterwards. Regs are serviced at a good shop every 2nd year (as recommended around here). Aside from the occasional 2nd stage free-slow upon surfacing in temps around or below freezing (which is quite undramatic and something you should be prepared for), I haven't seen or heard about any problems.

100% agree with you on that. The regs are new (well, they're used and from eBay but new to me) which is why I want to at least start off by doing all I can to take care of them. I'm new enough to diving that doing all the extra steps to take care of the equipment (essential or not) is still tons of fun. A couple of years and 100 dives later, I might end up doing exactly what you describe. I definitely want to get a tank at home for night-before check on the regs. All our diving is 1.5-2hr drive away and it wold suck to have something fudge up and we find out only after getting to the dive site/boat - I don't yet have any extra equipment I could use as spares. And since I'm getting a tank anyway, the initial plan is to also use it for cleaning.

I'd be surprised if washing a reg used 50PSI.

Cool, thanks. Even if I have to pay for a fill of whichever tank I get every 2-3 dive trips, I'm OK with that.

btw, I would consider your long term diving goals before you end up purchasing a bottle. Reason being that a 6/13 is only useful for a suit inflation bottle if you go CCR or are doing cold water diving where you would need independent inflation. Otherwise I'd recommend a 30/40cf bottle that you can use for deco use. You can rinse these regs under the sink and then just put in a rubbermaid bin filled with water with the tank cocked in there sideways, the weight of the bottle isn't going to hurt the regs. Get an H-valve and then you can soak both first stages.

Oooooh, didn't think of the 30s and 40s at all before. My main line of reasoning was based on using the smallest possible container to soak the regs in, given the limited space I have at home, but I'm rethinking this as well. Here are my thoughts, bear with me as I ramble.
1. Cost - Average cost difference between 6/13cf vs 30/40cf tanks is ~$40. Low enough to not be a factor for me. Also, fills would be less frequent with the 30/40.
2. Space - Original plan was to use a 5 or 10gal bucket to soak the regs in but a slightly larger Rubbermaid container would easily accommodate the larger tanks and might actually be more versatile as I could use it to store/transport the regs as well. I have rubber hoses which would be less tightly wound in the larger Rubbermaid, which I'm guessing is better (?)
3. Future use - I'm in NorCal and most of our dives are here. Drysuit diving is definitely our preference. I'm thinking that when the time comes that I need a separate drysuit bottle (assuming trimix for backgas) is also going to be when I start using deco/stage bottles. So, in theory, I would start using those 2 bottles at almost exactly the same time. One situation I can think of is diving nitrox and using O2 for deco in which case the 30/40 is more useful.
Slight digression - Would I swap out the H valve for a regular valve when I'm slinging the bottle? I'm not really sure if this would cause any issues. Also, assuming it's OK to sling and dive the 30/40 with an H valve, does it make a difference to get a left or right valve (DGX has both for the H valves)

Thanks,
elgoog

 

[NAM001]

The tanks use has nothing to do with is servicability or usability. The vip has little to do with breathing the contents and mostly to do with whether it is safe to put under presure. Every shop i have seen requires a current vip. The only thing that has been different is the requirement of a cert card if it was for non scuba purposes and then they had to fill in a form stating the intended use. I doubt ins providers have an exception for non breathing for when it comes to tank safety inspections.

and he's not using it for scuba is he? it's not a breathing air tank.... Gets treated like a paintball tank which some people actually use and I don't think those are subject to vip unless the shop wants it.

btw, I would consider your long term diving goals before you end up purchasing a bottle. Reason being that a 6/13 is only useful for a suit inflation bottle if you go CCR or are doing cold water diving where you would need independent inflation. Otherwise I'd recommend a 30/40cf bottle that you can use for deco use. You can rinse these regs under the sink and then just put in a rubbermaid bin filled with water with the tank cocked in there sideways, the weight of the bottle isn't going to hurt the regs. Get an H-valve and then you can soak both first stages.

 

[hroark2112]

I would just get a cheap AL80 off Craigslist. So many uses around the house...tire filling, blowing air to dry car parts, and the occasional jump in the water

 

[tbone1004]

cheap AL80's, or LP72's are also good options. You can flip it upside-down and just put it in a bucket.

With an H-valve when you go to use it for a deco bottle you just drain it at vip and put a plug in the end, same valves used for sidemount/doubles. Doesn't matter which side you get, they're the same for this purpose. For deco bottles it is personal preference, I like lefty valves on my O2 bottles because I follow the Right/Rich, Left/Lean philosophy, but it doesn't really matter. Also may be better long term to just grab a pair of 72's.

4 Steel scuba / dive tanks with Current Hydros
cheapies

Scuba tanks
set of 80's for $200, break them down and spend $10 for some plugs and you're good to go

2 Scuba Tanks - HP steel
these are short stubby little things, but are good to keep around for general maintenance, personally I'd get the double 80's, but if your wife is short, these little 80's are nifty.

 

[elgoog]

With an H-valve when you go to use it for a deco bottle you just drain it at vip and put a plug in the end, same valves used for sidemount/doubles.

Is putting and removing the plug only possible when the tank is drained and/or going through VIP? This is what I'm getting at - since the 80s and 72s are divable cylinders, can I use one of those tanks with an H valve to dive a singles rig (with the H valve side closed) and then take it home and hook up 2 reg sets to it for the soak (both valves open).
If I end up buying more than 1 tank, this would be moot as I would just hook one reg to one tank each on the regular valve during cleaning.

Also may be better long term to just grab a pair of 72's.

Could you elaborate?

 

[tbone1004]

yes, you can only change this when the tank is fully drained

Yes you can dive with only one side open if you choose to use backgas bottles for this purpose

If you get a pair of tanks so you and your wife each have one dedicated to this purpose, it is only an extra 5 gallon bucket or one $10 tub from Lowes or Costco *they're pretty heavy duty and black with yellow covers. They make really good gear bins too btw*, but if you each have you just lay the valve side in one corner of the bin and fill it, the regulators are certainly durable enough to have the tank sit on them like that.

The nice thing with this is the valves have to be soaked anyway when you go diving same as the regulators, so that helps streamline the cleaning. 72's are better than AL80's due to better gas/dryweight/buoyancy characteristics

 

[elgoog]

yes, you can only change this when the tank is fully drained

Yes you can dive with only one side open if you choose to use backgas bottles for this purpose

If you get a pair of tanks so you and your wife each have one dedicated to this purpose, it is only an extra 5 gallon bucket or one $10 tub from Lowes or Costco *they're pretty heavy duty and black with yellow covers. They make really good gear bins too btw*, but if you each have you just lay the valve side in one corner of the bin and fill it, the regulators are certainly durable enough to have the tank sit on them like that.

The nice thing with this is the valves have to be soaked anyway when you go diving same as the regulators, so that helps streamline the cleaning. 72's are better than AL80's due to better gas/dryweight/buoyancy characteristics

Perfect, exactly what I needed to know.