[bigspoon17]

Anyone have any thoughts on steel tanks vs aluminum? I understand that aluminum tanks are more resistant to corrosion than steel, but I'm wondering more specifically about steel tanks for the extra weight. It takes me 18 lbs to sink, and I'd like to shed some soft weights if possible. Are there legitimate reasons for going steel over aluminum?

 

[SaltAddict]

I went with lp 108 steel. I am tall, so the longer tank is a great ballast. They are heavy sob's. but I am very satisfied. I now wear zero weight to get down and stay trimmed.

 

[bigspoon17]

Thanks for the info! What does the "lp" mean? How tall are you? I'm 6'3", soaybe that would help me as well.

 

[sealark]

LP means Low Pressure 2400 PSI.:thumbup:

 

[bigspoon17]

Thanks!

 

[coolbluestreak]

Lp's are bigger than lp's.
a lot if ppl get lp's and jack the pressure up, is it safe, you can make the call. I've dove with them before and until I'm in the water I'm a little uneasy. A jacked up lp95 or 108 is a lot of gas.
Supposedly, you can crank up a lp until the first hydro and then you're only allowed to continue if they mark the tank with a + after the hydro date.
Idk, I'm just telling you what I've heard.

Also I've heard that lp's are easier on your shops compressor and your first stage.

Then again, all the info I just gave you could be wrong...

I will tell you this, after about 70dives under my belt I'm switching to steel and so is my bride.

 

[bigspoon17]

Lp's are bigger than lp's.

?? That confused me.

So what is your reason for switching to steel? And are you going with the 108s?

 

[coolbluestreak]

Good read

http://www.dtmag.com/Stories/Dive Equipment/09-03-Feature.htm

 

[coolbluestreak]

?? That confused me.

So what is your reason for switching to steel? And are you going with the 108s?

It has to do with walk thickness of the tank if I remember right, lp's have thicker walls so the tanks are bigger??? Someone help me out here.

My reason for switching to steel.
Tanks are already heavy, so I'd rather have the weight in the tank than my gear bag. I like a big steel tank because of its weight, (I dive 130hp)no way will I use that much gas w/o going into deco, so if I do go into doco I have enough gas to breath while decompressing.

 

[bigspoon17]

Good read

http://www.dtmag.com/Stories/Dive%20Equipment/09-03-Feature.htm

That was a good read. Thanks for sharing!

 

[FelixH]

I like steel HP 100's.

They are a little heavier than AL80's but very similar in size.
They are nowhere near as heavy as the LP 95's, 104's, 108's, etc.

If you're really wanting to shed some of that lead, also look into replacing your BC with a steel backplate/wing.

 

[bigspoon17]

I like steel HP 100's.

They are a little heavier than AL80's but very similar in size.
They are nowhere near as heavy as the LP 95's, 104's, 108's, etc.

If you're really wanting to shed some of that lead, also look into replacing your BC with a steel backplate/wing.

I'm still a little confused as to why you would choose LP over HP steel tanks?

As for the backplate/wing, that'll have to be a later upgrade, as I just bought a new BCD. :/

 

[sealark]

No LPs have thinner walls than HPs. The reason people choose the LPs over HPs is they are lighter. Us old people love them. Yes a lot of people do overfill them. IF an 85 LP was overfilled to 3000 psi it would have a little less less than 100 cubic feet. I doubt a dive shop would fill them to that pressure. The steel tanks have less change in buoyancy than Aluminum tanks from full to empty.:thumbup::thumbup:

 

[FelixH]

I'm still a little confused as to why you would choose LP over HP steel tanks?

Standard working pressure of an LP steel tank is around 2400 psi.
It's easy to get a fill to that pressure, and beyond, giving you more breathing gas for your dive.
Lots of people love the LP's because they like to over fill them and carry lots of gas.
It's early, so forgive my math if anything is off, but this will give you an example of what we're talking about:

Take an LP 95, rated for 2400 psi.
Fill it to 3000 psi., and you are now carrying almost 119 cu ft. of gas... quite a difference!


With an HP tank, to get a complete fill, the tank needs to be at 3400 to 3500 psi (depending on the brand and age). HP tanks get a little hotter when being filled, so after they cool, they often need to be topped off, just to get the rated volume.
To illustrate, with my HP 100's, if they are only filled to 3000 psi, that gives me about 87 cu ft of gas.

So, even if I get a "short fill," it's still more than I get with an AL 80, and I don't suffer the bouyancey issues caused by an AL tank.

Generally, the LP tanks are bigger and heavier than I want to deal with. Yes, the walls are thinner on the LP tanks, but the tanks are larger because they are rated for lower working pressures.

It all comes down to personal preference, really.

 

[TONER]

I have had almost every tank made and my favorite is the lp95 2nd lp108 i prefer lp tanks just my 2 cents

 

[SaltAddict]

I am 6'3" also. The lp108 is a perfect ballast for me. It sucks to carry. It sucks to load on the boat. But I gladly trade all of that for perfect trim under water. Al80 play he'll on my buoyancy at 20fsw and above. Steel sinks period. Having extra gas is a plus for sure, but the selling point of steel to me was buoyancy.

As Felix said, it is personal preference.

 

[Hawaii 50]

Two cool links. The first one is a Tank Volume Calculator. The second on is XS Scubas tank specification chart. You will need the info on the second page to complete the calculations. I did the calculations last night and if you jack an LP 108 to 3500 psi it equals a 144 cubit inches.

http://www.spearfishing.org/bruces_tips/java/tankv.html

http://www.xsscuba.com/tank_steel_specs.html

 

[bigspoon17]

Thanks everyone for the info! I'm a heavier breather than my dive buddy so if nothing else, the extra air of an lp 95 or 108 should really help extend my dives and not have to end them early.

Take an LP 95, rated for 2400 psi.
Fill it to 3000 psi., and you are now carrying almost 119 cu ft. of gas... quite a difference!

Will a dive shop do this? Seems like too much liability for a dive shop to take on.

 

[Hawaii 50]

Normally 2800 psi in an LP tank is about all a dive shop will do. With that said, my LP tank is always filled to capacity. My HP tanks (3442 psi) are normally filled to around 3300 to 3400 psi, but my HP tanks are larger and a fill to 3300 psi is not a problem.

 

[bigspoon17]

The more I read, the more I'm inclined to buy something like a HP 100. That seems the best option (buying HP in general) , given the physical size and over/under-filling of LP vs HP.