Empty Cylinders

Hello there everyone,
My son and I got new cylinders just before xmas and both of them were totally empty.
Now I know it's not good to have totally empty cylinders and I will have them filled in a day or two as soon as these dive shops open back up.My question is 'what kind of time frame are we talking about,regarding an empty tank and getting it filled before moisture starts affecting it? I have kept them indoors since I got them and away from outside walls just to be on the safe side.My mistake I guess was getting them delivered so close to xmas when everyone was shutting up shop for the holidays.

Thanks for reading ,listening and in advance for any answers..

Tanks are shipped to the dive shops usually with nothing more than a plastic insert. You will be fine until you can get them to the shop.

I wouldn't wait months, but you'll be fine for a few days.

The shop will most likely require a visual inspection before filling.

If you leave them indoor with the plug you can leave them forever. This is how they are stored at dive shops and at the warehouses. If you will not be diving for a while I would just put the valves on and put 500psi in them while waiting for the dive season to start if you are in one of the frozen states.

Greetings Stiofan777 and welcome to Scuba Board! Congratulations on your tank purchase now you will not have to rent. Good reason to dive even more!
Here in Indiana we dive year round but when tanks are in "storage" we usually leave them with no less than 500psi. Some are close to 3000psi but as I said we try to dive every month or other week end till ice. Then we try to get one ice dive per month at least. It is very observant of you to ask about tank care and storage.
Personally I am very anal about my tanks and who does the visual inspection and my fills. I trust only a handful of people when it comes to my breathing gas. I prefer to be present or do my own fills except for Nitrox which I am not certified to do.
I would encourage you to find a local dive shop that you trust and build a good relationship with them. You can ask to see their yearly air analysis paper work which is to be posted if they are a certified fill station. This will help put your mind at ease.
This test is done yearly to make sure the compressor and contaminates are with in the safe levels.
Then next best way to ensure a healthy tank is proper care is don't let it get below 500psi and have it inspected yearly. The rest is easy, just dive it!
Have fun and enjoy the tanks just remember that they have a way of multiplying!
CamG Keep diving....keep training....keep learning!

Tom Smedley:

The shop will most likely require a visual inspection before filling.

Click to expand...

When were they last inspected, or are these new...?

My pony usually sets around empty between trips. As long as I keep the valve well closed, I don't worry - should I?

DandyDon:

When were they last inspected, or are these new...?

Click to expand...

Thanks everyone,

and yes Don the are new..dated 2009/05 and 2009/08..
they also came with valves inserted

stiofan777:

Thanks everyone,

and yes Don the are new..dated 2009/05 and 2009/08..
they also came with valves inserted

Click to expand...

I don't know? The selling LDS usually handles that, and I think they viz them at the time of sale. Since you don't know what's happened to them in recent months, play it safe and get a new viz - good for a year.

Remove the mystery!

Your tanks are empty and they came with valves. You're going to get them filled up in a couple of days, right?

Open up the tanks and look inside. See what your tank looks like new.

When I get my tanks inspected, I typically open them and clean them before I take them to the shop for this vis. inspection. As Vance Harlow says, 'it is kitchen science, not rocket science.'

Something that isn't bad to do is to go to Home Depot, or something, and get yourself a two foot section of led rope light. Plug that into the wall and stick it in the tank so you can see.

You're tanks came visually inspected. Don't pay for a new one yet. Your LDS may open them up to look inside, but they are brand new tanks.

The only reason you may want to get a new vis is because your current vis is 5 months old already, or something. I found I don't do a lot of diving in January, so this is the month the regs get serviced and the tanks get cleaned and vis. It is a logistics thing.

One other question guys,
I bought a 2nd hand semi dry(oceanic,shadow) which fits fine but when I finish my dive all the warm water flows to my ankles, where it fills and swells out as it is trapped by the rubber seals, it washes and squelches around while walking back to the car or whatever until I let it out.Although this is no big problem, I don't notice it happening on other peoples suits
and it never happened with other suits I dived in before.Did anyone ever experience this before and what did you do about it?

thanks