Not that I'm looking to pack my gear up anytime soon, but what is the best way to store your gear for the winter?
I already know wings should be partially inflated, and tanks should be nearly emptied and stored upright inside (out of a cold garage, etc.)
But what about everything else, fins, knives, regulators, guages, exposure, etc?
Is it better to store them in the bin I use for transporting, gewar bag, some sort of air tight container, closet, hang them on a rack, etc.
DivingGal
September 9th, 2003, 12:29 PM
But to really address your question:
Make sure everything is clean and rust free.
I'd store hoses and exposure suits hanging up (or flat out without anything else on them).
Then, check your equipment for any nicks, tears, holes and do the repair during your off season. Have your reg set(s) in for inspection. Check your tanks if they require Hydro and/or VIS - perhaps consider have this done close to when you plan to start diving again.
That way everything is ready for the next season.
evad
September 9th, 2003, 12:47 PM
What about storing regulators with the purge depressed?
scubasean
September 9th, 2003, 12:47 PM
DivingGal beat me to it....
I wanted to say....I store it in my car waiting for the next dive....
I hope to get in several dives a month over the winter, if Mother Nature cooperates.
DivingGal
September 9th, 2003, 01:00 PM
scubasean once bubbled...
DivingGal beat me to it....
I wanted to say....I store it in my car waiting for the next dive....
I hope to get in several dives a month over the winter, if Mother Nature cooperates.
I don't store it in my car... but close to it. So far, up here, the only months I have not got a dive in are January and February -- usually only because I don't like hard water (aka ice) diving.
grouchyturtle
September 9th, 2003, 08:01 PM
Hey I don't dive dry, and it gets cold here in NJ, but I do plan on diving well into November!
So you're all saying do your maintenance at the end of the season before storing, instead of the beginning.
You have to store Nitrox tanks completely empty? Won't moisture get in them?
Uncle Pug
September 9th, 2003, 08:18 PM
DeepTechScuba once bubbled...
It is not a good idea to store nitrox in your tanks, at any pressure, whether steel or aluminum.
I'd better go out an drain my deco bottles cuz they are aluminum and one has 50/50 in it... and the other has 100%!!!
Oh No! My double steel 72s will need to be dumped because they always have a load of EAN32 in them.
YIKES!!!! I've got to go out and dump my EAN32 bank... those cylinders are made of steel.
Thanks DeepTech for the tip.
Uncle Pug
September 9th, 2003, 08:23 PM
grunzster once bubbled...
Hey I don't dive dry, and it gets cold here in NJ
That's why you need to start diving dry :D
The best diving is in the winter anyway... I would be more inclined to store my gear for the summer... for a day or two max.
DivingGal
September 10th, 2003, 06:42 AM
DeepTechScuba once bubbled...
<snip> It is not a good idea to store nitrox in your tanks, at any pressure, whether steel or aluminum. <snip>
Why not? I've not heard this before.
DA Aquamaster
September 10th, 2003, 08:05 AM
evad once bubbled...
What about storing regulators with the purge depressed?
There are two schools of thought. On the one hand depressing the purge lifts the seat in the second stage off the orifice and prevents the seat from taking a set. On the other hand it leaves the entire system open to possible moisture, dust and creepy crawly things. (since the first stage seat is open as soon as the reg is removed from the tank as there is no IP pressure to close it)
So I think it depends a lot on the environment where you are storing your regs. If you live in a dry climate and are storing things in a clean dry closet depressing the purge is a good idea. If you live in a wet salt air environment and leave your stuff in the garage, I'd leave the purge closed. If the reg is adjustable, screw the adjustment all the way out to take most of the pressure off the seat.
The timing of an annual service is also something to consider. With many high performance regs it does not do you much good to have an annual service done in October and then let the seat take a set from getting pressed into the orifice all winter. If it's an adjustable reg and it was left on the minimum setting, the reg will probably still be divable but will have to be adjusted tighter and will breathe harder than it should. If the adjustment was set on max, you will either have a very hard breathing reg or be headed back to the dive shop.
A non adjustable will most likely free flow slightly after this lenght of storage and this may be able to be "fixed" at the dive shop by adjusting the orifice, but you will still end up with a reg that breathes harder than it would with a fresh seat.
In the case of an early annual service I would leave the purge depressed or alternatively (with an adjustable reg) you could remove the stop and back the adjustment screw out to the point that the seat no longer touches the orifice. Then be sure to store it in a clean, dry, dust and bug free location.
DA Aquamaster
September 10th, 2003, 08:31 AM
DivingGal once bubbled...
Why not? I've not heard this before.
The theory is that the oxidation or rust that may occur in the tank over the winter will use some of the O2 and reduce the O2 percentage in the tank.
Other variants of the general theory are that the higher O2 creates the potential for more corrosion or oxidation. But if you have ever figured the PO2 of just plain air in a 3000 psi scuba tank, you won't be concerned about the PO2 in partially filled nitrox tank stored over the winter.
In an AL tank, the oxidation is a self limiting process, the surface essentially seals itself from further oxidation and unless standing water is present, it will not be a concern. In a steel tank, the rusting process is not self limiting but rust still will not occur without moisture in the tank.
So if the the tank and the air, nitrox, or O2 in it is clean and dry, you won't encounter any problems with corrosion or oxidation over the course of a winter and there should not be any measurable decrease in the O2 percentage in the tank. Now this is not to say that storing it for a couple years or more would be ok.
Tanks should either be stored full, so that in the event of a fire the burst disc will fail and vent the tank before the tank fails due to heat or stored with a couple hundred PSI so that the tank will not fail from excessive pressure during a fire.
Tanks should be stored upright so that in the event you do have standing water in the tank, it will corrode the bottom of the tank rather than the thinner side wall. Fall is a great time to do the VIP (and Hydro if needed) - it ensures the tank is in good shape and does not contain any moisture. And as indicated above you can then have it filled with a hundred PSI of air to keep out moisture during storage.
evad
September 10th, 2003, 08:42 AM
DA Aquamaster once bubbled...
There are two schools of thought. On the one hand depressing the purge lifts the seat in the second stage off the orifice and prevents the seat from taking a set. On the other hand it leaves the entire system open to possible moisture, dust and creepy crawly things. (since the first stage seat is open as soon as the reg is removed from the tank as there is no IP pressure to close it)
So I think it depends a lot on the environment where you are storing your regs. If you live in a dry climate and are storing things in a clean dry closet depressing the purge is a good idea. If you live in a wet salt air environment and leave your stuff in the garage, I'd leave the purge closed. If the reg is adjustable, screw the adjustment all the way out to take most of the pressure off the seat.
The timing of an annual service is also something to consider. With many high performance regs it does not do you much good to have an annual service done in October and then let the seat take a set from getting pressed into the orifice all winter. If it's an adjustable reg and it was left on the minimum setting, the reg will probably still be divable but will have to be adjusted tighter and will breathe harder than it should. If the adjustment was set on max, you will either have a very hard breathing reg or be headed back to the dive shop.
A non adjustable will most likely free flow slightly after this lenght of storage and this may be able to be "fixed" at the dive shop by adjusting the orifice, but you will still end up with a reg that breathes harder than it would with a fresh seat.
In the case of an early annual service I would leave the purge depressed or alternatively (with an adjustable reg) you could remove the stop and back the adjustment screw out to the point that the seat no longer touches the orifice. Then be sure to store it in a clean, dry, dust and bug free location.
Thanks.
DivingGal
September 10th, 2003, 08:43 AM
DA Aquamaster once bubbled...
The theory is that the oxidation or rust that may occur in the tank over the winter will use some of the O2 and reduce the O2 percentage in the tank.
That makes sense, thanks for the explanation.
ScottyK
September 10th, 2003, 04:58 PM
Uncle Pug once bubbled...
That's why you need to start diving dry :D
The best diving is in the winter anyway... I would be more inclined to store my gear for the summer... for a day or two max.
You west coast guys have all the luck when it comes to winter diving :D
In the Northeast, trust me, you will not be diving in the wintertime :(
Even in the bays, you'd need an iceaxe to get in the water, which gets right down around 32 degrees. All the plant life dies back, and the fish and inverts either dig into the mud, or head out to the deep water of the continental slope to wait out the winter.
Fill a large tub with mud and icewater. Submerge yourslf for about an hour. If while down there you're thinking "hey, this is great", winter diving in the northeast might be for you :D
As for me, I'm holding out for an invite from U.P. or NW grateful diver.
Scott
Uncle Pug
September 10th, 2003, 10:17 PM
ScottyK once bubbled...
As for me, I'm holding out for an invite from U.P. or NW grateful diver.
invited!
:D
ScottyK
September 11th, 2003, 07:13 AM
I'm going to take you up on that one of these days!
I will have hopefully closed on a house by February or so, then we're moving to the Gainesville area.
Once we get settled in, consider the offer reciprocated if you want to come down and "thaw out" for a couple of days ;)
grouchyturtle
September 11th, 2003, 07:22 AM
That's why you need to start diving dryI should have seen that coming!
I'm still a rookie. One thing at a time. Maybe Nitrox next.
Besides my credit cards are still recovering from my first big gear purchases the begining of this season, not to mention a few expensive non-diving toys! Hm dry suit or housing for that new camera?
metaldector
September 13th, 2003, 09:55 PM
Being from Florida, I think winter is that two week period in January when it gets down to 45 degrees, birrrrrrr. I just hang the wet suit in the garage, take the reg in for overhaul, then start diving again at the end of January. Don't think much about it.:confused:
nwdiver2
September 15th, 2003, 06:34 PM
Keep your exposure suit away from large motors, washer, dryer and furnace as these can produce small amounts of ozone which eats neoprene. I stored a back up dry suit in a small hanging space beside my washer and dryer (which ran with the door closed to the alcove all the time) and it was fried the next year when I pulled it out to check it. It wasn’t cooked from heat as it never got hot in there, it was ozone.
