Tanks, Tanks and More Tanks

Posted on Jan, 2010 in Home/Reviews/Tanks, Tanks and More Tanks

One of the most common scuba diving tanks used today is the aluminum 80 scuba tank, in fact most divers have probably only used this tank. The thing is, in scuba diving equipment, there are so many tanks out on the market today that it is tough to decide which is the correct tank for each person, i decide rather to use each situation as a way to decide the proper tanks to choose.

Lets start with the two main materials that they make scuba diving tanks out of, Aluminum and Steel. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Both are extremely durable and if well maintained can last a long time. One of the biggest differences between the two is that most steel tanks will stay negatively buoyant for the entire dive, where many aluminum tanks tend to go positively buoyant at the end of the dive.

Next is size, not the actual size of the tank, rather the amount of air that can go into the tank. For instance, the aluminum 80 actually holds roughly 77 cubic feet of air, where a steel 80 holds an actual 80 cubic feet of air. With low pressure steel tanks they are given a 10 percent overfill to hold their true capacity, meaning a steel 95 that is filled to 2400 psi must be filled to 2640 psi to hold 95 cubic feet of air.

Now when choosing a tank, I find each situation calls for a different tank. If i am going into the Niagara River for just a drift dive i take a either an aluminum 80 or steel 80. For a weekend of diving in the 1000 islands i tend to take tanks that hold no less than 100 cubic feet of air.

One of the biggest problems with changing tanks all the times is that for each tank it requires a different amount of weight to sink. The problem with this is that when wearing different suits, different tanks, it requires memorizing a lot of different weight combinations.

So remember, when choosing tanks sometimes it might be worth investing in something a little different, that way you can have the right tank for a number of situations.

Till Next Time

Alex

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Tags: 1000 islands, aluminum tanks, Niagara River drift, scuba diving, scuba diving tank, scuba tank, steel tanks, tanks, weights, Wetsuits

One Response to “Tanks, Tanks and More Tanks”

  1. techdiver312

    07. Feb, 2010

    I have over 30 tanks in my collection of dive gear and have made my choices on based on specialized needs for the type of dives that I do. For most of my diving needs I prefer steel tanks and specifically HP100s. I have found that this size tank works perfectly for me. Compared to an AL80 they are a little shorter and that makes them easier to carry, they hold more air giving you a nice reserve over the AL80, they utilize a 300 Bar DIN tank valve with a captured O-ring that is more secure that the standard yoke type of valve (this is important if you are doing wreck penetrations), and they do not become positively bouyant at low air pressure allowing you to dive with les weight on your belt. The HP100 are the same diameter as an AL80 and when I swtich from steel to AL all I have to do is drop two 2 pound soft weights into the non-dumpable weight pockets on the back of my BC to offest the bouyancy and my trim stays the same. What about rust you may ask? Two of my HP100s were purchased used from a shops rental department about 15 years ago and I have since converted them to nitrox and they are still clean as new. You will not have a rust problem as long as you get good air from a reliable source.