Poll: How many tanks do you own? Rec or tek? Boat Owner?

[TSandM]

do you keep them as a "buffer" because of the trouble of getting fills or just because tanks are cheap and you have the space to store them?

Both, plus the doubles always seem to have the wrong mix in them, and we have some tanks for students.

 

[rhwestfall]

three AL80's for me
three AL63's for the wife/daughter
1 steel 72
1 AL13
1 AL19

1 AL100 on the way.....

 

[Suzuki416]

Those with huge loads of tanks: do you keep them as a "buffer" because of the trouble of getting fills or just because tanks are cheap and you have the space to store them?

I have them for the 2nd reason... I do all my own fills & have a Haskell but don't use the high HE mixed cylinders unless I need them which on a rebreather is once a year-ish - never used yet in anger... Heres a pic with a few of them... the rest are in the garage...

 

[Steve Barsky]

I have them for the 2nd reason... I do all my own fills & have a Haskell but don't use the high HE mixed cylinders unless I need them which on a rebreather is once a year-ish - never used yet in anger... Heres a pic with a few of them... the rest are in the garage...

Nice set-up!

 

[scubafanatic]

...all that expense/effort devoted to diving in British waters ? ...sigh

 

[lonebrave]

AL80s, only used for shore dives right now as ops provide my tanks for boat dives...looking to get into tech later this year, so might be adding a few more.

 

[Suzuki416]

This is the more functional end of the shed...

I also dive in France !
We then take my buddys mobile trailer setup... I think he has 30ish cylinders (he also dives a rebreather) I'll drag out a pic of that..

 

[Suzuki416]

Back to the OP..

Once you have a 'lot' of cylinders it makes sense to know exactly all of the details.
I do my own 02 cleaning (just built a tumbler !) & my spreadsheet tells me when I last checked inside the cylinder (try to work on once a year or if I'm suspicious - except for the bank cylinders - 5 years)
If the Valve comes off, it all gets cleaned/replaced (I have spare valves o2 cleaned in ziplock bags) & a new tank O'ring installed.

 

[SDAnderson]

Those with huge loads of tanks: do you keep them as a "buffer" because of the trouble of getting fills or just because tanks are cheap and you have the space to store them?

Space to store them? I haven't been able to put a car in the garage for years. Mostly, the number of tanks has to do with the need to be able to pack enough gas for several days of technical diving in locations where gas is either unavailable or suspect. I'm in the middle of the annual inspection/cleaning routine right now, wherein rebreathers start looking better and better.

Not counting bottles rented from the gas house:

3 sets of LP104s
9 AL80 deco/stage bottles
6 AL40 deco/stage bottles
3 AL6 suit inflation bottles
1 HP100 argon reserve
4 AL80 recreational EANx bottles
1 AL4 calibration gas bottle

 

[mahjong]

11 tanks. Two double MP72 rigs. One double 40 rig (PST 1800psi-- ~ the same size as the MP72s, but much lighter). Two LP95s. Three LP72s. Cold water recreational diver.