tanks in hot car

[Kwbyron]

I think everyone has it, empty tanks won't heat up that much...but depending where you are located, I think a full tank could be a risk.. In Austin, TX. it can easily top 100....I've been in Las Vegas when it was 110 in a parking garage. So those are temps where a car in the sun with rolled up windows can easily get really hot(you can bake cookies while at the mall if you put them on your dash). If you have an HP with 3600 waiting for you to surface, filled in AC the night before(Say 68) and it's in the south west, I can see a car hitting 200 pretty easily... and you're at 4505 according to the site posted earlier.

 

[CompuDude]

So the answer is clear. Don't leave FULL tanks baking in the sun on a hot day in 100 degree weather, and especially not overfilled tanks. Aside from that, even 3/4 full tanks will not get hot enough to blow a burst disk, let alone the tank itself. And any sort of underfill, based on that calculator that was posted, and you're totally fine. For instance, 3300psi (after cooling) filled in a 68 degree office, turns into a whopping 3564psi. Barely worth calling an overfill.

On the rare occasions I get a nice overfill, I bring the tank back into the office with me, rather than leave it in car for the heat of the day. 3700psi gets me 3996psi... probably not enough to hurt the tank, still, but there's no harm in a simple precaution.

 

[mkt]

I usually pick up my cylinders on the Friday before a weekend of diving... usually during my lunch break at work. I don't leave them in the car for fear of godknowswhat. I bring them into work with me, and have never gotten a hard time about it. If I have to leave used cylinders in the car, I put them in the back seat with a towel over them to cover them from potential thieves, and all windows cracked enough to let air circulate/heat escape.

 

[mike_s]

I found the trunk is cooler than the passenger compartment. I guess because it doesn't have windows to allow sunlight to "green house" effect heat it. They stay much cooler in the trunk. never had a problem with full tanks in the trunk.

 

[mudchick]

I was told by a shop last week that in an Arizona summer (115 degrees outside the car) that the bursting of the disks on full tanks would blow out the windows of the car; used tanks no problem.

 

[reefugee]

I was wondering how you secure your tank while transporting it? I have a SUV, and I would be afraid that my tank would become a deadly projectile if I was to get into an accident. If I had a car, I would be less concern if the tank was in the truck. Anyone have any suggestion for securing a tank in a SUV?

Worry about the things that count.

Make sure they are transported in a way that they don't become flying objects if you have a car accident. That danger far outweighs the negligible probability of a tank exploding from the very minimal pressure increase from a hot car.

 

[Kwbyron]

I used my parent's Trooper, they had tie downs in the back, so I used a strap and tied them down nice and tightly. Worked pretty well.

 

[skinnydogdives]

hi guys
over here all tanks are filled to 220 bar if your lucky and the guys know what they are doing you will get 232 bar (i'm talking about steel tanks we dont use anything else)
we consider these as being a standard fill. our HP tanks get filled to 330 bar but i dont think we have to worry about the heat even in the middle of summer the temp never gets above 27 C so stop bragging about all the lovely sunshine

 

[Atticus]

I was wondering how you secure your tank while transporting it? I have a SUV, and I would be afraid that my tank would become a deadly projectile if I was to get into an accident. If I had a car, I would be less concern if the tank was in the truck. Anyone have any suggestion for securing a tank in a SUV?

I drive a Ford Expedition. I don't use the 3rd row seats so I have strong rings in the floor where the seats would normally mount down. I lay the tanks sideways in the cargo space (pointing side to side), and then use ratcheting tie down straps to secure them. They don't budge at all.

 

[Atticus]

I was told by a shop last week that in an Arizona summer (115 degrees outside the car) that the bursting of the disks on full tanks would blow out the windows of the car; used tanks no problem.

I teach diving in Reno Nevada which is not quite as hot as Arizona, but I've never heard of this (glass breaking) happening.

In the five years "our" shop has been running we've only had one burst disc go outside of the shop and it was on an overfilled set of doubles in a car (while driving). No broken windows but apparently it was very loud.