scuba tank set up cost

[NinjaPaintballRay]

Here are some fill station options we manufacture for Scuba tanks. 

http://www.ninjapaintball.com/newfillstations.html

The NINJA003 is designed to be used with a K-Valve
The NINJA004 is designed to be used with a DIN 300 valve.

The PA scuba tank fill station link above is made by us.  USA Made product.  They added on their own microbore hose to the yoke adapter.

[scrane]

Just a little off topic but concerning steel vs alum. tanks and diving.    It's nice to have a light tank, and put more weight around your belt.   Easier while ondeck.

I believe the weights of  equal cf aluminum and steel tanks are pretty close, but the steel HP tank of equal capacity is noticeably smaller. My 100cf steel is about the same size as an 80cf aluminum. Steel also stands up better to repeated fill cycles over time. Aluminum certainly has the price advantage, although buying a used steel may make more sense than a new aluminum.
Steel. Try it...you'll like it!

[willbird]

Just a little off topic but concerning steel vs alum. tanks and diving.    It's nice to have a light tank, and put more weight around your belt.   Easier while ondeck.

I believe the weights of  equal cf aluminum and steel tanks are pretty close, but the steel HP tank of equal capacity is noticeably smaller. My 100cf steel is about the same size as an 80cf aluminum. Steel also stands up better to repeated fill cycles over time. Aluminum certainly has the price advantage, although buying a used steel may make more sense than a new aluminum.
Steel. Try it...you'll like it!

I just read a post on another forum about an oxygen cylinder that was still in use, and had been hydro tested over and over again, with an original test date of 1909. It was still a good cyl but they set it aside and retired it as a souvenir. 100 years of service is pretty good :-). The valve had been replaced multiple times.

Bill

[Jenny domansky]

Can anyone tell me what is used on the mrod Forster fitting to tube end ie the black rubbery stuff on fitting

[Back_Roads]

Can anyone tell me what is used on the mrod Forster fitting to tube end ie the black rubbery stuff on fitting

I f I am understanding correctly, that would be thread sealing tape, many use yellow gasline sealing tape, or the regular white teflon tape.

[Doug Wall]

"He said some places will not hydro aluminum tanks"
I don't think so! Why would they not hydro? Tanks don't explode under hydro testing. They either pass or fail. I would guess that 90+% of scuba tanks these days are aluminum. They also have a pretty much unlimited life of 10,000 fill cycles (as far as I know) with proper inspections and hydros. The is one exception- Tanks were made for a shot time using 6351 alloy. This alloy has been shown to develop stress cracks.

[avator]

Pressured air vessels don't typically explode. They develop stress fractures and leak. During hydro tests, they are filled to a preset pressure while under water. The tester looks for tell tail air bubbles just like the guy at the tire shop checks for leaks.
Visual testing is required once a year. The tester removes the valve and visually checks the inside of the tank for corrosion and defects.
The thought of a tank being aluminum makes one think lightweight.... nope, aluminum tanks are heavy and cumbersome. I use a modified golf bag cart to carry mine. Scuba tanks are often rated at 3300 psi. I have a 100cf and an 80cf, both rated at 3300 psi.
Scuba tanks do not have a shelf life.... as long as they pass testing.
In order to have a scuba tank filled with breathable air you need to be a certified diver. If not, a label will be placed on your tank stating that the tank must not be used for diving.
If a tank has 3000 psi you will not fill a gun to 3000. The reason being... the 3k pressure is by volume. Once you connect to the gun, you increase the volume which lowers the overall psi by the amount of the gun tube and the fill hose volumes. Bleeding the hose is nothing but wasted air volume thus dropping the psi. In order to calculate the number of fills per tank you will also need to add the volume of the fill hose to each fill.
FYI.... Figure the volume of your fill hose. Determine how many hose volumes would make up one gun tube volume. You will lose one full gun tube fill everytime you reach that number of fills just by bleeding the hose.

[Doug Wall]

"During hydro tests, they are filled to a preset pressure while under water. The tester looks for tell tail air bubbles just like the guy at the tire shop checks for leaks."
WRONG!!!! The tanks are filled with WATER, and sealed in a water filled chamber. The tank is then pressurized with WATER, and the amount of stretch in the tank is measured by how much water it displaces in the outer chamber. 

[avator]

"During hydro tests, they are filled to a preset pressure while under water. The tester looks for tell tail air bubbles just like the guy at the tire shop checks for leaks."
WRONG!!!! The tanks are filled with WATER, and sealed in a water filled chamber. The tank is then pressurized with WATER, and the amount of stretch in the tank is measured by how much water it displaces in the outer chamber. 

I can't see the video here at work... it is blocked but, this is true with aluminum scuba and scba tanks? If so, I apologize for misinformation. I may have misunderstood Mr. George Perez from SeaDivers scuba shop in Ozark, Alabama.

[Chickenthief]

What noone has adressed is this: Actual pressure after store filling!!!!!
Most stores fill rather quick and temperature will rise a lot during.
When temperature drops to ambient then pressure will drop also.

I had a store that did hot fills and when i fetched my 4500psi bottle i was lucky to get 4200psi.
Even more important if you only get a 3000psi fill and it drops 150-200psi even before you can use any.
So be avare and ask them about this before getting the wool pulled over your eyes ;-)

[avator]

The afore mentioned Mr. Perez would fill my tanks submerged in water.

[Doug Wall]

The afore mentioned Mr. Perez would fill my tanks submerged in water.

Yep! That's to cool them to minimize the later pressure drop. Slower fills and cooling will help with that. Some shops will, if you can, have you leave the tank overnight and top it off in the morning.