Steel 80 Tank vs steel 100 vs Alum

[eenglish]

I'm 5' 2" and125 lbs. I have an 80 steel tank. I do cold water / drysuit diving here in Jersey so I figured I could drop some weight by using a steel tank. The problem is it kills my back. I think it is because the tank is short and the weight isn't supported well. The weight is on my lower back instead of my butt. Before I buy a taller 100 steel, I wanted to see if anyone has had the same problem and what you did. Tx.

 

[fdog]

I'm assuming the pain you describe comes from the underwater part of diving.

If you are good at maintaining horozontal trim, this is commonly reported by folks that are feet-heavy. A common cause is lofty undergarments, that requires you to carry lots of lead, which is usually on a belt.

Easy way to find out: get yourself neutral and horozontal. When you feel that everything is settled, become stationary, and don't move a muscle. See which way you end up - feet down or feet up.

If the former, try moving your cylinder up higher on your back. Trim pockets or weight plates are good too.

Ironicly, using a HP80 is a common change to help correct feet-down. Wearing doubles usually helps with this, too, because the center of weight is so far up your back.


Hope this helps.


All the best, James

 

[drydiver]

I am curious, where is the pain and when do you have it? I dive drysuit also, am 5'6" and have worn both BC's and BP/W and almost every size tank out there and have never had back pain on land or in the water as a result of the tank size/positioning, etc. I own steel 80's but regularly dive steel 100's. I guess I am wondering if it is possible that simply the weight of your rig on your frame could be causing the pain, ie maybe prior back problem or injury? Or depending on the construction of your BC or BP that could be affecting your back as well, maybe is it not properly sized for your torso? I am pretty new to diving, but given that I have tried a variety of different tanks and none of them caused back pain I am wondering if it is actually the size that is the issue.

Donna
ps - I chose the short steel 80 so I had plenty of head room and it was not resting on my butt, popular with shorter women for that reason

 

[Ayisha]

eenglish, different brands of high pressure and low pressure steel tanks are of varying lengths. You can probably get a steel tank length that suits you better. HP steel 80's tend to be quite short, while LP steel 80's tend to be longer. HP steel 100's can also be very short, so you should check.

A steel 100 will also be heavier than a similarly pressured steel 80, so that may not help your back pain.

I find a too short heavy steel tank can also hurt my back while manouvering on a less than ideal boat, while on a boat that's easy to get on and off of is no issue at all. Since I'm petite, I prefer a HP steel 80 that's about the length of an AL 63, but no shorter. A LP steel 80 is often almost the size of an AL 80. The size also depends on your gas needs and the type of diving you will be doing. For cold water diving, especially salt water, I also prefer steel since I find I trim out more horizontally with the weight in the tank rather than lower in pockets or on a belt with an AL.

Here is a link to a table that can help you compare various brands of steel and aluminum tanks, tank sizes, weights and buoyancy characteristics:

Scuba Cylinder Specification Chart from Huron Scuba, Ann Arbor Michigan

 

[Venus]

Hi English

I'm 5'4 and 118lbs

I use a steel 60 cylinder (yeah, yeah SAC of a dart goby)

I used to have a BCD with integrated weight pockets and, oh did I get back ache on every dive !

This year a bought a wing which is really heavy even with an ali back plate and even with my dry suit in fresh water I only wear 2 x 1kg of weight in trim pockets on the cylinder band

The wing corrected my position in the water and distibuted my weights evenly on my body

...... and, no back ache :bounce3::bounce3::bounce3::bounce3:

 

[Venus]

steel 100 is really really heavy

i offered to help someone carry her kit on a trip this year and I could barely lift it, and I hurt my back doing it :depressed:

 

[DA Aquamaster]

steel 100 is really really heavy

i offered to help someone carry her kit on a trip this year and I could barely lift it, and I hurt my back doing it :depressed:

Well...an Aluminum 100 is really heavy to really really heavy. (41 pounds for Luxfer 100 and 46 lbs for a Catalina 100)

A steel 104 is really really heavy (46 pounds)

But an E7-100 or X7-100 weighs only 33 lbs while a Faber 100 weighs 38 pounds. This compares to 31 lbs for an AL 80. So a special permit 100 is not really much heavier than an AL 80 (you'd be hard pressed to feel the difference lifting one side by side with an AL 80. A Faber 100 woud fall in the really heavy range, but not the really really heavy range.

 

[Venus]

I'm just a real weakling, everything is heavy for me :depressed:

and, I've not heard of some of those cylinder types mentioned above

So, if our young lady takes one of those lighter 100s then she will need to use more weight
which, if she is wearing a BCD will be worn around her waist and, I think, make her back problems worse

have we already suggested using a wing? to even out the weight

 

[Ayisha]

Venus, I agree that any steel 100 that I have tried to carry is extremely heavy for me as well. I weigh less than 100 lbs and am not very strong, and a steel 100 is almost impossible for me to carry.

Even a steel 80 is very difficult for me to carry any distance and is my personal limit. A steel 72 is great, much more manageable. My usual tank is an AL 63, and by using my shoulder trim pockets as well as integrated weight pockets, I trim out nicely. However, I like being able to use only 4 lbs in cold fresh water with a HP steel 80, which I place just in the shoulder trim pockets. When I dive in cold SALT water, I will insist on a steel tank so that I can use 10 lbs as opposed to 24 lbs with an AL! Huge difference!

When someone is petite and not very strong, the weight and size of tanks is a consideration - even 5 lbs is noticeable to us. It can make the difference between a frustrating experience before you even get into the water or a smoother, fun experience.

Scuba Cylinder Specification Chart from Huron Scuba, Ann Arbor Michigan

BTW, the difference in how much weight one needs with various tanks depends on the empty buoyancy characteristics of those tanks in question. Take a look at the link I provided in my earlier post (and above) and you can compare how much less or more weight you would need with a certain tank, all else being equal.

 

[micklock]

Take a look at these faber hp71s, they are only 24.7lbs empty and are skinnier and a little longer than hp80s. If I didn't already own 3 hp80's I would get some of these.
https://www.diverightinscuba.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=141_145&products_id=2284