View Full Version : tanks?
ok as you will know im very new to this but what size air tanks do u people use? and how long would say a 12l tank last?...............please forgive my inexperience :)
James (Munro)
08-08-2006, 22:39
The length of time it lasts depends on the individual, we all breath at different rates :p whether you are fit or not also probably affects it. Generally i think most use 12l well at least i do anyway. But then again im not the most experienced either.
12L is the best to get. The reason is to get a 12l is because you can easily twin them and mostly it is the most used cylinder. But some people think they will last longer with a bigger cylinder. This is not true since people breath slower/faster than others. This means you can be diving with some one with a 10l cylinder and you will use air faster and reach 50 bar before the other person and have to come up.
12L is the best to get. The reason is to get a 12l is because you can easily twin them and mostly it is the most used cylinder. But some people think they will last longer with a bigger cylinder. This is not true since people breath slower/faster than others. This means you can be diving with some one with a 10l cylinder and you will use air faster and reach 50 bar before the other person and have to come up.
I'm not sure I agree with the above on several points. Most people don't twin up tanks, and by the time you are at that stage then an extra £100 on another tank isn't too much to splash out to get the right tank for all the single tank dives you do.
IMHO a tank should be the last bit of equipment you get. By then you will have worked out whether you're a 'heavy' or a 'light' breather. You will already know whether you're tall and strong or short and not so strong.
If you're a heavy breather and can carry the tank, then get a 15l, if small and weak, and a light breather, then get a 12l.
Experiment a bit if you can beforehand.
Janos
Andy Wade
09-08-2006, 09:59
I'm not sure I agree with the above on several points. Most people don't twin up tanks, and by the time you are at that stage then an extra £100 on another tank isn't too much to splash out to get the right tank for all the single tank dives you do.
IMHO a tank should be the last bit of equipment you get. By then you will have worked out whether you're a 'heavy' or a 'light' breather. You will already know whether you're tall and strong or short and not so strong.
If you're a heavy breather and can carry the tank, then get a 15l, if small and weak, and a light breather, then get a 12l.
Experiment a bit if you can beforehand.
Janos
I use an old 0.5 litre ABLJ cylinder with a calor gas regulator on it. It lasts about an hour at 30 metres.
What?
OK, I'll get my coat... :D
Chris Cherrington
09-08-2006, 10:09
Ok this is not getting us anywhere.
I agree with Janos this is last on the list, easy to rent and other kit is more important.
However, if you are looking for a size to buy go for 12. Even if you find you need something else a secondhand 12 will sell well. A 12 should be OK for anyone for no-stop to 25m if you need more you need to sort out your diving not buy a bigger tank.
Chris
Nigel Hewitt
09-08-2006, 10:18
I agree with Janos this is last on the list, easy to rent and other kit is more important.This is one of my beefs.
People want to start by buying the bits of kit that they did the bulk of their training on and yet tanks, BCDs and regulators are the easiest things to hire and to check you have been given a good one. The real bitch to hire is a suit that fits well so having your own comes soon after your own mask in my view.
Cylinders? I bought a pair of 12s when I was starting out. They still do a good no stop 20m dive but the trouble is I don't any more. However I bought dumpy 12s and that was wrong. They don't sit nicely so you can put them on as they don't come far enough down. Standard 12s would have been a better choice but I didn't know that at the time.
I used the our clubs tanks for a couple of months to get to grips with what would be best before I made a purchase. Eventually, as I am a short guy, I went for a 12L dumpy which is perfect - together with a 3L pony.
IMHO if you are a normal sized bloke or bigger, then get a 15L, there should be no problem in carrying it on your back out of the water. And if you don't use much air? Great, you have lost nothing and gained some extra air in case you need to share it with an OOA buddy or something happens underwater and your rate shoots up, or you spend longer than you should have or it just makes you feel safer that you have it.
A 15L doesn't cost much difference that a 12L, fills cost the same. If you did go to twin tanks then you may still want a single for smaller dives or shore dives.
If for whatever reason you can't or don't want to take the weight of a 15L for those short times out of the water, then go for a 12L, but there isn't that much difference in the weight of them.
Chris Cherrington
10-08-2006, 19:25
..
A 15L doesn't cost much difference that a 12L, fills cost the same. ...
Maybe in NI, but on the mainland that is not often the case. When we lived in London a 12L of Nitrox 32 was £6.80 and a 15L cost £10.00 (Air was free at our club so this may be an issue to the OP...)
Chris
Ian@1904
10-08-2006, 19:34
I used 15ltr (with a pony) for some four years before moving to twinsets. I still use the 15 ltr for training purposes.
When I started a 15ltr lasted about 40 mins at 20m, I can now achive double that duration.
Personally I would buy 15ltr and then sell on as and when your diving progresses.
Maybe in NI, but on the mainland that is not often the case. When we lived in London a 12L of Nitrox 32 was £6.80 and a 15L cost £10.00 (Air was free at our club so this may be an issue to the OP...)
You are quite correct Chris, I was thinking of Air. Though if you get fills from a membrane system (when the shop doesn't need to empty your tank) then it shouldn't make much difference in price either.
I would say get the tank last (like Janos), and get a standard 12 regardless.
It will do a second dive if you choose to go for a 15 later, and if you decide you want 2 15s, theres bound to be someone in the club thats willing to take a 12 off your hands.
i also agree with Nigel - get a well fitting suit soon (unless you have one already?)
Gordon
Martyn Ward
10-08-2006, 20:55
I use an old 0.5 litre ABLJ cylinder with a calor gas regulator on it. It lasts about an hour at 30 metres.
Don't worry too much about it. Your consumption should improve as you get more experienced :D
Get my coat while you're at it.....
Martyn.
James (Munro)
11-08-2006, 02:02
Don't worry too much about it. Your consumption should improve as you get more experienced :D
Get my coat while you're at it.....
Martyn.
I just used to use an old 2l fizzy drinks bottle, clearly my consumption was far too high, as i could never manage much over 5 minutes :D
Andy Wade
11-08-2006, 09:57
I just used to use an old 2l fizzy drinks bottle, clearly my consumption was far too high, as i could never manage much over 5 minutes :D
Yeah, and you can't take it on the plane any more.
This is getting very silly. :D
markbsac
11-08-2006, 11:26
when instructing trainees and i know im only staying shallow a 10l works fine for me..i have a very good breathing rate (some say do i have gills) for the longer deeper stuff i twin up with twin 10s and as good measure take a pony along for an absolute emergency situation.
but as others have said size does not matter...breathing rate dictates the size of tank.for a newbie a 12l seems about standard
Martyn Ward
11-08-2006, 15:27
but as others have said size does not matter...
Hello Mrs. Ward, yet another alias is it??
Martyn :D :D
Just to mirror the other recommendations, a 12L is a good starting point, and usually ok for a trainee, but if you can afford it, get the regs and bcd first. Cylinders are fairly cheap to hire, and you dont end up having to transport something heavy with you. As to whether to go new or get an ebay in test cylinder, well the choice is yours, but try and get a din setup if you can, after using din on my pony, im moving my other regs to that connection instead of A-clamp.
I personally have amongst everything else, a 12L and a 10L. The 10 is for pool use, the 12 for anything else. A 3L pony is also a wise move, but comes with the extra expense of a second reg set. Dont bother with twins until you actually need them (something i have but dont really need so far, although i've used them a couple of times, but need more experience). But ignore me if you want, because i have a compulsion towards collecting diving gear regardless of whether i need it or not. :p
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