tank identification without pics

[Amphiprion]

Today I passed over what looked like some old low pressure steels in the 70-78 cubic foot range. They seemed strange to me as they were clearly old and had their last vis sticker in 1982 and the tank bottom was not round, but shaped more like a 2 like a two liter bottle of pepsi.

Can anyone confirm the the type of tank and whether I would want them? I was either thinking of having a smaller set of doubles or converting one of them into an extra deco bottle.

 

[captain]

Two possibilities from your description, 1- fire extinguisher cylinder converted to scuba, commonly done in the past. Usually a DOT/ICC 3A1800 or 3AA1800 spec cylinder. 2- A couple of manufactures had DOT/ICC 3AA2250 72's with that type bottom, Nemrod and possibly Sportsways.

 

[simonbeans]

Does it look like this:

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Or do they look like these:

1800 psi steel tank.

SeaRat

 

[Amphiprion]

They definately looked like the first picture. I guess that would make them steel 72's.

So are these tanks worth picking up or is it likely that this alloy would fail hydro? I don't want to waste my time.

 

[simonbeans]

Although there are fewer Nemrods out there, 71.2 cu ft steels are all over the place. I do not pay anymore than $20-25@ if they are not in hydro. If you can get them for that price, you won't be out much if they fail hydro, which is very unlikely unless some moron didn't take care of them by letting them empty.

 

[captain]

I'll side with Simonbeans with this cravat. Do the tanks have the now standard 3/4" O ring sealed valves or the older 1/2" taper pipe thread valves. Not that one is inferior to the other but with the 1/2" taper pipe thread valve removal and replacement is more difficult and special tools such as a tank vise and large wrench and expertise is required and many current shops are not knowledgeable or prepared to deal with them. Also replacement valve selection is limited.

 

[Amphiprion]

I have no idea what types of valves the tanks had - except that they were J valve - just like in the picture.

 

[simonbeans]

Captain most definitely has a valid point. Older tapered valves, although entirely safe and usable, are more of a pain than anything else. The annual "visual" that must be done each year becomes problematic with the 1/2" tapers. Before you decide to purchase those tanks, get pics and post it here or on VDH and we can give you a better opinion.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

There is one other thing worth mentioning--if they indeed are Nemrod tanks, they were made in Spain and may have metric threads on the valves. This could be problematic for replacement later.

SeaRat