Sara
Guest
Please don't laugh me out of the room : ) I am trying to find out how the tanks are refilled. Can you help me?
Thanks
Thanks
Probably a very silly question.
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Hi Sara,
I don't think your question is silly at all. If you don't ask things like that, you will never know, right?
Anyway, to the best of my knowledge, a scuba tank is placed in a large cooling tank filled with water. Then the valves of the tank are opened and hooked up to a high pressure air compressor which then fills the tank. The amount of air put into the tank is carefully monitered to avoid overfilling and risking having the tank explode.
The scuba tank is put into the cooling tank because quite a bit of heat is generated when the compressed air is put into the tank.
If there is anything I missed, please feel free to let me know.
Cheers,
I don't think your question is silly at all. If you don't ask things like that, you will never know, right?
Anyway, to the best of my knowledge, a scuba tank is placed in a large cooling tank filled with water. Then the valves of the tank are opened and hooked up to a high pressure air compressor which then fills the tank. The amount of air put into the tank is carefully monitered to avoid overfilling and risking having the tank explode.
The scuba tank is put into the cooling tank because quite a bit of heat is generated when the compressed air is put into the tank.
If there is anything I missed, please feel free to let me know.
Cheers,
rainreg
Garlic Breath
Hello Sara, In addition to the information listed above The charging portion of the explaination should be completed by trained technicians, the use of High pressure air can be dangerous if proper procedures are not followed. Your question is definitely not a silly one and I am glad to see there are people out there like you that are not afraid to ask questions.
King_Neptune
Founder
Hello Sara,
There are people and places on the Internet that may ignore your type of question or even laugh, but this much I can promise you ...
We will make every effort to answer all questions no matter how silly someone else may think they are ... None of us were born as a Know It All. We all had to ask the same questions at one time or another. You will notice that for every question asked on these forums that the ratio of Views vs. Replies is usually very high which means there were alot of other people curious about the same question you had.
There are people and places on the Internet that may ignore your type of question or even laugh, but this much I can promise you ...
We will make every effort to answer all questions no matter how silly someone else may think they are ... None of us were born as a Know It All. We all had to ask the same questions at one time or another. You will notice that for every question asked on these forums that the ratio of Views vs. Replies is usually very high which means there were alot of other people curious about the same question you had.
You all have been very helpful and informative. I want to thank you for taking your time.
We are just in the investigative phase of trying to decide if this is a sport/adventure that we want to invest our time and resources to.
I have always enjoyed snorkling but the idea of going under the water for long periods of time with a tank on my back sometimes makes my imagination run away with me.
However, it has been my experience in the past that my fears are ususally overblown when confronted with the actual activity that has raised the anxiety. I like to use the acronym for FEAR of false expectations appearing real to keep my anxiety level at more reasonable levels and it typically works for me.
I wasn't quite sure what went in the tanks as I had to take chemistry twice in high school and avoided it in college. I wasn't sure if it was oxygen or if there was more to the chemical call letters for 'air'.
It is my understanding that oxygen is pretty volatile stuff and it sounds as if the substance in the tanks requires some special handling as well by experienced people.
Again, thanks for your time and I will continue to explore the concept.
We are just in the investigative phase of trying to decide if this is a sport/adventure that we want to invest our time and resources to.
I have always enjoyed snorkling but the idea of going under the water for long periods of time with a tank on my back sometimes makes my imagination run away with me.
However, it has been my experience in the past that my fears are ususally overblown when confronted with the actual activity that has raised the anxiety. I like to use the acronym for FEAR of false expectations appearing real to keep my anxiety level at more reasonable levels and it typically works for me.
I wasn't quite sure what went in the tanks as I had to take chemistry twice in high school and avoided it in college. I wasn't sure if it was oxygen or if there was more to the chemical call letters for 'air'.
It is my understanding that oxygen is pretty volatile stuff and it sounds as if the substance in the tanks requires some special handling as well by experienced people.
Again, thanks for your time and I will continue to explore the concept.
King_Neptune
Founder
Hiya Sara,
There are other Mixtures besides what the avg diver uses within a tank. For example if you ever see divers entering the water with Tanks that have a Yellow stripe with letters on it then you are seeing what is commonly called a Nitrox Diver. This is a special mixture of gas. There are many different type of diving that require different mixtures.
You are right that those tank refills need to be done by a trusted dive shop and not your local mechanic at Jiffy Lube! Oxygen is toxic at depth and special mixtures are made for special diving.
Overall I hope you make the Plunge and get certified for Scuba! If you like snorkling then you should just Love Scuba!
There are other Mixtures besides what the avg diver uses within a tank. For example if you ever see divers entering the water with Tanks that have a Yellow stripe with letters on it then you are seeing what is commonly called a Nitrox Diver. This is a special mixture of gas. There are many different type of diving that require different mixtures.
You are right that those tank refills need to be done by a trusted dive shop and not your local mechanic at Jiffy Lube! Oxygen is toxic at depth and special mixtures are made for special diving.
Overall I hope you make the Plunge and get certified for Scuba! If you like snorkling then you should just Love Scuba!
Hi Sara,
I had always wanted to get certified to dive but I was afraid of feeling claustrophobic and had all the usual fears about running out of air, etc. When I finally decided to go for it and I paid for my class, I felt a huge sense of relief. I figured if all those other people could do it and be just fine, then so could I.
There is a lot to learn and remember when you are just getting started, but if you listen to your instructors and practice the skills they are teaching you, you will be just fine. I had trouble with a couple of the skills but my instructor kept working with me both in the pool and in the ocean until I got it right and felt comfortable. He was a very good teacher and I knew I could talk to him if I was having a problem with something.
I hope you go ahead and get certified. I am really glad I went through with it and now I have an activity I can enjoy for years to come. I think you are doing the right thing by asking questions too, the more knowledge you have, the more comfortable you will be.
Cheers,
I had always wanted to get certified to dive but I was afraid of feeling claustrophobic and had all the usual fears about running out of air, etc. When I finally decided to go for it and I paid for my class, I felt a huge sense of relief. I figured if all those other people could do it and be just fine, then so could I.
There is a lot to learn and remember when you are just getting started, but if you listen to your instructors and practice the skills they are teaching you, you will be just fine. I had trouble with a couple of the skills but my instructor kept working with me both in the pool and in the ocean until I got it right and felt comfortable. He was a very good teacher and I knew I could talk to him if I was having a problem with something.
I hope you go ahead and get certified. I am really glad I went through with it and now I have an activity I can enjoy for years to come. I think you are doing the right thing by asking questions too, the more knowledge you have, the more comfortable you will be.
Cheers,
Hi Sara,
If you really want to know (and see)how it's done, why not just drop by your local dive shop and ask. I know the 2 local shops I deal with would be more than happy to show you how it's done and answer any question you might have. And if they refuse or laugh, find another shop who cares about the divers they serve. Also, while you are there, ask if the shop has a "discover scuba" program ( what my local shop calls it) where for a small fee, $20 or so, they give you a quick overview of scuba and then take you on a "dive" in a local pool to let you see if you like it. Hope this helps.
If you really want to know (and see)how it's done, why not just drop by your local dive shop and ask. I know the 2 local shops I deal with would be more than happy to show you how it's done and answer any question you might have. And if they refuse or laugh, find another shop who cares about the divers they serve. Also, while you are there, ask if the shop has a "discover scuba" program ( what my local shop calls it) where for a small fee, $20 or so, they give you a quick overview of scuba and then take you on a "dive" in a local pool to let you see if you like it. Hope this helps.
King_Neptune
Founder
Sara,
Ditto what Herman just said, if you are not sure a "discovering scuba" type program would be perfect! Most all the dive shops Ive ever been in have them and most dont even charge you anything or very little.
Ditto what Herman just said, if you are not sure a "discovering scuba" type program would be perfect! Most all the dive shops Ive ever been in have them and most dont even charge you anything or very little.
lady - gadiver
Guest
Sara:
When I took my first scuba lesson, I had a friend go with me for the class. During the class, she made the decision that scuba was "not for her".. I, however, became totally addicted. So the point I'm trying to make is, everyone is different. The nice thing is, your first few session are in an enclosed pool (normally), and it is a perfectly safe environment. You have a chance to see whether you will like it or not. That is the nice part of the discover program.
However, when and if you take that plunge into the ocean, you find yourself in a beautiful, peaceful world, like no other.
cheers,
gadiver
When I took my first scuba lesson, I had a friend go with me for the class. During the class, she made the decision that scuba was "not for her".. I, however, became totally addicted. So the point I'm trying to make is, everyone is different. The nice thing is, your first few session are in an enclosed pool (normally), and it is a perfectly safe environment. You have a chance to see whether you will like it or not. That is the nice part of the discover program.
However, when and if you take that plunge into the ocean, you find yourself in a beautiful, peaceful world, like no other.
cheers,
gadiver
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