Scuba Tank on board

[JBerger]

I keep a wetsuit and goggles on my Catalina 320, in case I have to check the prop or get something untangled. Since I am a scuba diver, I am considering keeping my BC and oxygen tank on board all the time. Are there any safety concerns with keeping a filled tank when sailing. -thanks,Jack

 

[Tim R.]

Really Jack?

I thought scuba divers breathe air not oxygen.I would think it safe as long as it is secured but I guarantee you will not want to breathe that air after a month or two. Store it upright and out of the sun. Tank failures usually occur in the valve and from high heat exposure.BTW, don't forget your regulator ;-)PADI(12 years)

 

[JBerger]

Correction noted

Thanks, Tim. You are right- its an air tank. I do have a reg, weigths- the whole set. I do not own a tank. so your point about the quality of the air is something I did not consider. I usually rent one when I dive.

 

[MoonSailer]

Tanks Can Corrode and explode

But the risk is small with a good tank that is regularly inspected. Oxygen??? You can't dive with pure oxygen. I likemy air to be about 20% oxygen. My brother and nephew like nitrox which has more oxygen. BUT breathing pure oxygen below about 20' will kill you. Air in a tank is good almost forever!!!!! I've used tanks over a year sincefilled with absolutely no problems. Compressed air does not go bad in a clean tank.

 

[Timm R 25 Oday]

A little clarification pleae

I'm curious as to why you think the air inside the tank would go "bad" . I also dive and at times it is more than a month from dive to dive.Here in Wsiconsin it is not unusual for a tank to go from 70 degrees to below zero when ice diving.

 

[porsche]

bad air

I used to scuba dive when I lived in NY and we had our tanks sit for a few months with out being BAD. like they said as long as the tanks are good and clean there should be no problem. But if you are concerned of bad air then get a fresh tank ever so often. Alan

 

[Mike1956]

Store the tank securely

The air that is inside of the tank is filtered to remove particulates, and moisture. There are strict guidelines regulating the filling of air cylinders. Also, each cylinder is required to be visually inspected inside for corrosion, and hydrotested to 5/3 the cylinders normal pressure every five years. You should have no concerns about the air going bad. I recommend that you either keep the tank in a secure bracket or inside of a protective case. Protect the valve from damage.

 

[JBerger]

Scuba tank

Thank you for your responses. This was my first time using the forum, and your help is much appreciated. From the general advise, it would seem safe to keep the tank in a well secured area, and get it inspected regularly.

 

[Tim R.]

Unless the tank is new

and properly maintained bad air can develop in a tank with corrosion. Corrosion abosorbs oxygen into the tank leaving you with an improper mixture.

 

[Jim]

oxygen tank????

you mean air tank?Yes, it is a missile. If you puncture the tank or shear of the nossle you got a real problem.I don’t dive off of my boat because diving equipment and gel coat don’t get along together very well. The gel coat seems to get chipped off? Little joke, very little.

 

[Cole]

I do.

I keep a tank on board and have out fitted it with a spare 30' hose between the 1st and 2nd stage. This way I can lash the tank to the side on my boat and dive on it with out having to lug the thing around. 5 lbs on an old belt and i can do anything.Its like a third lung but a fraction of the price, and I still have the full function of the tank when I need to.

 

[Journey II]

Hooka

I do not like to use my tank/BC/etc/etc. What I have done is purchase a hooka hose from scuba.com ($125) that goes between my first stage and second stage and is 40 foot long. This weekend I cleaned to bottom of my 34' by setting the tank in the cockpit and was able to reach the full length of the boat. The 40" hose also allows me to go under the docks (about 20') and the hook hose gives me a second safety line to return on. You must purchase the kayak kit the have all the correct connection. It also comes with a strap that is used around the chest that makes the line management very easy.When in the islands I go back to the traditional scuba setup.

 

[RAD]

Cole,

Where did you get the 30' hose? because thats just what I want to do and I don't want to walk in to the dive shop and ask for something like that and they stare at me with a "you want to do what?"

 

[MoonSailer]

Put on the Tank in the Water!!!!

I dove off of my last sailboat a lot. But it is hard to climb back onboard with a tank on your back. What I do is I inflate my vest and then drop the tank overboard on a short line. Then I get into the water and put on the tank/vest. After the dive I take off the tank/vest and climb onboard and then pull up the tank. This made diving off a sailboat so much easier!!!!!  As to corrosion using all of the oxygen . You have a big problem if you have that much corroision!!!!!! I also have aluminum tanks . But working in a medical school we have oxygen steel tanks setting around for years with no ill effects. I guess worse case scenario it is possible but if you get your tank inspected yearly and go to a good dive shop for air fills it is extremely unlikely that your air would go bad between yearly inspections. Of course be reasonable , Breath some air before you descend and if it tastes funny abort the dive. I have been diving since 1974 and have a PADI rescue diver certification.

 

[seadaddler]

Dive Shop in KEY WEST

I saw all the same setups in a dive shops inkey west,all different setups and different lent of hose but have not seen any in other dive shops.RAD don't be afraid to ask the dive shop,the spear gunsare not always loaded ????.I am looking SCUBA.ComNick

 

[Ken]

DIY Hooka

My friend fashioned a Hooka out of 12V high pressure (3psi) airpump with long flexible plastic conduit connected to a plastic manifold. 1 end to bleed-off valve and another to a snorkle. When dive to the prop depth, the bleed-off valve is crack open slightly to manually regulate the air pressure. When dive further down to keel depth (approx 6ft), the valve is shut so that sufficient air pressure gets to the snorkle. Works great and its cheap and simple. A 4psi 12V airpump will allow one to dive to about 8-10 ft.

 

[Ken]

Oops! what's a Hooka?

I don't know what a Hooka is, I though it is an airpump device replacing the scuba tank for divers. But my description of the air supply device for diving is correct.

 

[seadaddler]

Snuba

I tried to get my wife to try snuba dive in the Islands once but shewas not ready to try it,its a floating raft with tank and hose and regulatorthat lets you dive shallow dept with out all the equipment on your back.I am in the process using similar setup for diving under boat as mentionedwith the hooker.Nick

 

[newly anonymous]

the biggest problem keeping a tank onboard...

...is that everyone in the marina knew about it after a few years, and if anyone dropped a pair of sunglasses, or a wrench, or a set of keys overboard, I'd be the one asked to retrieve it. And some folks can't understand why I wouldn't want to burn up an $8.00 air fill searching for a $6.00 wrench. Easier just to keep your tanks in the garage.Jack, I'm a retired scuba instructor, both PADI and NAUI certified, and I gotta tell you, judging from your use of terminology ("googles," "oxygen tank") you might want to consider taking a refresher course, assuming you're actually certified. Honestly, anyone completing open water certification should already know about the need to have tanks VIPed yearly. Your instructor will tell you all you need to know about proper tank storage and maintenance, as well as familiarize you with the proper procedures for boat diving. Meanwhile, it's a really bad idea to solicit advice on scuba on an internet forum. Competent, professional advice is not all that costly, and the lack of it might be.By way of example, one need read no further than Ken's do-it-yourself hooka. That's a really dangerous idea. For example, if you don't know enough to get an oil-free compressor, something Ken doesn't mention, you'll end up with Lipoid Pneumonia, which can be fatal. And that's only one of the serious safety problems that his set-up will result in.

 

[seadaddler]

Took the course

Exactly what newly said if you dive you shouldknow all the things mentioned about safety and do and don't.That's why when I got some dive equipment to go under myboats do what ever I want and just play around I decidedto take the course and learn what to do and not to do,Iwas going to just take the class room and pool part but did the open certification so I could get my tanks filled andtested at a dive shop.It was good to learn all the good and bad even if I was onlydiving in shallow water.Did you ever see the mud and muck under your boat at the dock,I don't do it,yuckyNick