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yes you can do that! But if u don,t know if the Tank is full, how long is it ago that you filled those up! Old Air can be dangerous and do you know what mix you have?
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From oceanfloor:
I want to check the air in my tanks but don’t have a pressure gauge. Would I be allowed to attach the regs to the tank to check the air without attaching the hose to the BC? I have a wireless computer that would read the PSI in the tank as soon as the regs are attached.
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Its worth buying a guage to keep tabs on your tanks Your BC hose won’t pass any air as the quick connect only opens when attached Just be sure to bleed the pressure back off through your second stage. Be safe: Ted J>
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Hey thanks for the info, expecially the reminder to purge the hose. I last dove October 24-25th so the air isn’t too old. I’m usually in the habit of refilling my tanks after every dive but I thought that was my last dive for the season, but NOT. I’m hitting Circleville Quarry today.
Q. When they refill the tanks, do they just top them off or do they purge them and refill?
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Just checked my tanks..thanks all! As for the gauge.. I’m hoping Santa will help with that one.. but if I find a Santa that delivers air gauges.. then I think I should be asking for the drysuit instead huh..:)
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I usually just hook up my reg. set to the tank. and do a reading, like drifter said make sure to purge the air from 2nd stage before disconnecting, I thought about buying the simple gauge but when i saw the price i said ill wait on this. Watchout in asking santa for a drysuit, if he feels you haveny been a good girl you just might end up with a red santa suit! Non-Insulated. All the dive shops that ive been to dont purge the tank, if its half full, they fill the empty half and no matter how much goes in you pay for a full fill, and since i dont dive dry, I fill my tanks for winter storage then in the spring I dump the air then have em re-filled
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From oceanfloor:
Q. When they refill the tanks, do they just top them off or do they purge them and refill?
They just top them off. Most shops will charge for a full fill, even if it’s just 500 psi, but you might find a shop that won’t charge you anything if it’s less than 800 psi, or will just charge for the amount they give you.
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Hi Maria, your computer IS your pressure gauge and anyone who ask if your air is old doesn’t know you :)
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Yea, my computer is my gauge but there is still always the convience of the stand alone gauge. Although its really not necessary cause you can always use your computer and regs. Anyway I only have two tanks to check so not a biggie.
As for the tank refills, I saw a note at one of the refill stations that said, "we do not fill empty tanks." I wondered "why?" Your paying for the air and they do make money from all those partially empty tanks. Annnnndddd, if you have a tank that you haven’t used for a few months then do they just add the new air to the stale air in the tank annnnndddd what if the its old dangerous air like binobanana said. humm a dilema huh. With winter setting in many of us are going to have full tanks or partially filled tanks sitting around for a few months. What are the rules here?
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If you ever want to buy a PSI checker, checkout this one.
I got this checker & I love it! Never did think I’d use it much tell I got it. Now it’s the first thing I go to from my dry bag!
- Dale :o)
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Hey there Maria,
Most shops will require a visual inspection before they will fill a completely empty tank, ie... 0 psi. They want to be sure the tank hasn’t been laying around collecting rust or contaminants inside it. As far as stale air goes, If your tanks are being used regularly and your fills are from a reputable shop, stale air is not going to be an issue. You can keep at least 500 psi in it and leave it in a cool dry storage area over the winter , bring it to your local shop in the spring, fill it and go diving. All these concerns are also why you have your tanks visually inspected yearly...
Todd (TColJeep)
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Oh.. well that makes allot of sense. Thanks Todd. I had envisioned no more diving until next summer but it seems that I find it hard to stay away from the water. I dove at Circleville Quarry here in Ohio today and am still thawing out my fingertips. It was only a one hour dive in 55 deg temps...brrrr ha ha.. but had a great time..freezing. My 7 mil suit did a great job of keeping me warm up until the last 20 min..then I started to feel the warmth leaving the old bod. So, it looks like I’m still hitting the water at least once a month. I’m headed to Florida the first week in Dec then already thinking of my next dive after that. So, it looks like my tanks my not be sitting around as long as I thought they might. Regardless, its nice to know how to deal with those tanks!! Thanks to all who shared their knowledge and experience. Looking forward to sharing another dive with you Long Islanders and New Jerseyers..at the bridge again next year. By the way, I took care to be properly dressed. I wore a 7.9 mil suit, 5 mil gloves, full hood, and regs that hold up well in cold water, so all was well except for the lips. Someone needs to invent a lip cover.
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From oceanfloor:
Hey thanks for the info, expecially the reminder to purge the hose. I last dove October 24-25th so the air isn’t too old. I’m usually in the habit of refilling my tanks after every dive but I thought that was my last dive for the season, but NOT. I’m hitting Circleville Quarry today.
Q. When they refill the tanks, do they just top them off or do they purge them and refill?
if your tanks are 21% then they’ll top them off
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That sounds like it would do the job. At this point I don’t have any backup equipment.. but its something I need to start thinking about getting. Thanks for the idea.
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Most places top off. It is time consuming and risky to drain one. Rust starts real fast.
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