2airishuman
Contributor
I'm curious what combinations of tanks people use to meet the varying needs of their dives. What do you have in your equipment room? How did you end up where you are?
What is your tank lineup?
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I dive and teach a wide variety so I have a wide variety of tanks, both at my shop and at home. Lots of Al 80's, HP 100's (doubled and singles), doubled Al80's, HP 120's, HP 80's, Al 40's, LP 85's. Just tools to get the job done.
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Pretty simple for me. Four HP100's; two AL80's; one lonely LP95; one AL40; and one AL19.
I ended up with the steels so I could match my son's dive time on his AL80's as well as reduce the weight I was carrying. He rarely dives now so I inherited his AL80's.
He's kept the LP95 to take when he and his buddies go off-roading. Terrific for filling the tires back up after they are done.
I ended up with the steels so I could match my son's dive time on his AL80's as well as reduce the weight I was carrying. He rarely dives now so I inherited his AL80's.
He's kept the LP95 to take when he and his buddies go off-roading. Terrific for filling the tires back up after they are done.
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Currently own
LP45's
4xLP72's
2P100's
HP120's
AL80's
AL30*will be selling soon*
Tomorrow I'll be buying LP121's for some long range sidemount diving. All are set up with lefty righty valves for sidemount/stage/independent doubles use except one set of LP72's which I use for working with students and they have sentimental value/sherwood valves that can't be plugged.
Current main use tanks are the HP120's, though I would recommend the 100's for most divers since they're significantly shorter. All tanks are purchased in pairs as I recommend everyone do, same with regulators. Only one off is the AL30, which is for O2, but will be swapped for an AL80 soon.
LP45's
4xLP72's
2P100's
HP120's
AL80's
AL30*will be selling soon*
Tomorrow I'll be buying LP121's for some long range sidemount diving. All are set up with lefty righty valves for sidemount/stage/independent doubles use except one set of LP72's which I use for working with students and they have sentimental value/sherwood valves that can't be plugged.
Current main use tanks are the HP120's, though I would recommend the 100's for most divers since they're significantly shorter. All tanks are purchased in pairs as I recommend everyone do, same with regulators. Only one off is the AL30, which is for O2, but will be swapped for an AL80 soon.
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Doubles:
Lp121s
Hp120s
Al80's
2x Lp72s
Deco:
Al80
3x al40
Singles:
Hp80's
Lp121s
Hp120s
Al80's
2x Lp72s
Deco:
Al80
3x al40
Singles:
Hp80's
Four LP108 singles or sidemount doubles depending on the dive
Two AL80 singles
One AL40 deco
Two AL80 singles
One AL40 deco
going from smallest to largest:
AL 13 (suit), 19, 30 & 40
AL 63
AL 63 Doubles (for a double hose)
MP 72
AL 80
AL 80 Doubles
HP80
2 - LP 85
LP 85 Doubles
AL100
HP 100
HP 100 Doubles
2 - HP 120's
Not sure how this happened... I think they breed when left in the dark basement.....
AL 13 (suit), 19, 30 & 40
AL 63
AL 63 Doubles (for a double hose)
MP 72
AL 80
AL 80 Doubles
HP80
2 - LP 85
LP 85 Doubles
AL100
HP 100
HP 100 Doubles
2 - HP 120's
Not sure how this happened... I think they breed when left in the dark basement.....
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Since both I and my son I bought our gear used, we started out with differently sized tanks: I got one tank of the classic European standard size, a 15L 200bar (some 100 cu.ft) and one 15L 300bar (about 150 cu.ft), while my son got the new standard rec tank around here, a 10L 300bar (also some 100 cu.ft). As my SAC improved (it's now somewhere in the range of 15-20 SLM (0.5-0.7 CuF/min) in a DS), I got a pretty nice correlation between my min gas time at depth and my NDL on air, so there was no need for the capacity of the 15x300. Since the 15x300 was just too heavy for comfort, I was pretty happy when I was able to swap it for a 10x300.
As time went by, I bought a couple more tanks (we now have a total of five tanks for two people), and since the 10L300 is more negative than the 200 bar 15 liters, I've standardized on 10 liter tanks even if I get about 10% less gas with that tank than I do with the 15x200 (even though the nominal capacity is the same). I need some 3-4kg less lead if I'm using a 10x300 than if I'm using a 15x200, and that's valuable to me. The 15x200 that I haven't sold is kept as a backup tank, since the resale value is pretty low.
IME, drysuit diving requires more gas than wetsuit diving, and besides, Al tanks aren't very common in my neck of the woods. So the "standard" European tank, a steel tank with ~3000 nominal surface liters (~100 cu.ft) fits me and my diving pretty well. If I'd be using a (US standard) Al80, I'd probably be gas limited on most of my dives. Perhaps even on nitrox. Since I mostly dive nitrox these days, I might have had use for the 15x300, but OTOH my buddy wouldn't have that amount of gas. Besides, being an old geezer I'm quite comfortable with having a bit of a margin WRT to my NDLs. Besides, in a DS any weight you can shave off your tank you have to add to your belt...
So, the lineup for my family is:
4x 10L 300 bar
1x 15L 200 bar
All singles. No ponys, I don't see any need for those. And no doubles; although quite a few of my clubmates like rec doubles, I prefer singles.
As time went by, I bought a couple more tanks (we now have a total of five tanks for two people), and since the 10L300 is more negative than the 200 bar 15 liters, I've standardized on 10 liter tanks even if I get about 10% less gas with that tank than I do with the 15x200 (even though the nominal capacity is the same). I need some 3-4kg less lead if I'm using a 10x300 than if I'm using a 15x200, and that's valuable to me. The 15x200 that I haven't sold is kept as a backup tank, since the resale value is pretty low.
IME, drysuit diving requires more gas than wetsuit diving, and besides, Al tanks aren't very common in my neck of the woods. So the "standard" European tank, a steel tank with ~3000 nominal surface liters (~100 cu.ft) fits me and my diving pretty well. If I'd be using a (US standard) Al80, I'd probably be gas limited on most of my dives. Perhaps even on nitrox. Since I mostly dive nitrox these days, I might have had use for the 15x300, but OTOH my buddy wouldn't have that amount of gas. Besides, being an old geezer I'm quite comfortable with having a bit of a margin WRT to my NDLs. Besides, in a DS any weight you can shave off your tank you have to add to your belt...
So, the lineup for my family is:
4x 10L 300 bar
1x 15L 200 bar
All singles. No ponys, I don't see any need for those. And no doubles; although quite a few of my clubmates like rec doubles, I prefer singles.
bradells
Contributor
I'm still early in my tank owning, here is what I have currently:
2 sets of doubled 130
2 single 100
1 AL80
1 AL40
1 AL6 (argon)
What I'd like (until I move to a coast), is double up and add another set of 100's (2 sets of 130's, 2 sets of 100's)
One set of 100 and 130 for trimix, the others 32% (100's for single boat/shore dives, 130's for boat dives)
Eventually (when moved to a coast):
Add more sets of 100's for shore diving (less downtime for filling tanks), and 2 single 130's for local dive resorts.
BRad
2 sets of doubled 130
2 single 100
1 AL80
1 AL40
1 AL6 (argon)
What I'd like (until I move to a coast), is double up and add another set of 100's (2 sets of 130's, 2 sets of 100's)
One set of 100 and 130 for trimix, the others 32% (100's for single boat/shore dives, 130's for boat dives)
Eventually (when moved to a coast):
Add more sets of 100's for shore diving (less downtime for filling tanks), and 2 single 130's for local dive resorts.
BRad
I have 2 lp95's I use for trip diving where I can take my tanks (boat trips). I have 2 lp85's I used for doubles , now my wife uses as singles. I have lp45's doubled. I have a couple al 40's for deco. and I have 3 lp120's io use for trips to local lakes when not with the wife and don't want to pay the fill prices or don't want to take more than 2 tanks for the day. The lp120's overfilled make great tanks to trans fill form into smaller tanks like lp80's I have a al 13 for solo in shallow water.
lp95's are lp85's without the pluss of 2640 vs 2400. the lp85's are 78's at 2400 same as an al80 is at 3000 the 120 is a 108 at 2400.
with overfills to 3000 the 85's are 100's the 95's are 108's and the 120's are 140's or so, You can imagine what they are at 3400 psi.
Im not recommending overfilling but I am showing the flexibility of the tanks in regards to how many use lp tanks.
lp95's are lp85's without the pluss of 2640 vs 2400. the lp85's are 78's at 2400 same as an al80 is at 3000 the 120 is a 108 at 2400.
with overfills to 3000 the 85's are 100's the 95's are 108's and the 120's are 140's or so, You can imagine what they are at 3400 psi.
Im not recommending overfilling but I am showing the flexibility of the tanks in regards to how many use lp tanks.
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