Long Term Storage - Scuba Tech Tips: S13E15

[@diverdave4056]

...mmm for the last 43 years I always keep my tanks FULL and they go unused for 6 to 7 months every winter .... after you wash out your BC fill it with air and hang it upside down so that the water will flow to the hose . Alec replaced the 40 year old original reg hoses on my DACOR Pacer 900's - i kept them from dry rotting by applying a product like ARMOR ALL on them a few times a year and on my 45 year old US Diver Rocket fins . a cheap way to clean your wet suit is to add a little Johnson's Baby Shampoo to a wash tub or bath tub . move it around for a minute and then rinse it out. Take a wooden suit hanger and hang the suit inside out to dry . don't store your gear in a damp basement of a garage .

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

All good tips. Thanks for sharing with everyone Dave. A

[@scubacro5758]

I don't use inflator water hose conector that you talked about, but when I fill my bcd with water I drain it on inflator, on deflat and inflate button, it will go in inflating mechanism, just other way around

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

That works too. A

[@dioncampbell3384]

Thanks Alec, this is the best advice for everyone who really hasn’t been diving for a while mainly due to the pandemic.

[@markushesse3970]

...in which case, the advice comes two years too late. 😆

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Welcome Dion. A

[@brendonnashca]

I tried packing my gear away in a Rubbermaid tub full of glitter and that failed miserably. This sounds like a much better idea. Thanks for the tips. : )

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Wow a glitter diver, very stylish Brendon. A

[@EricS-v5g]

The video of bcd flushing hose literally enlightened me. And I bought a different style flush(actually only one I can find in AU) hose in Australia, even a bit better than the tap connection. It s connected to the garden hose directly , so wouldn't need to sit around the tap while flushing the bc haha. Thanks again for the video!

[@chiranagheorghitaeugeniuth98]

Just buy a cheap garden pistol , cut an old inflator hose, put them toghether and voila. This is what I use :)

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Its a simple tool but very good at cleaning out BC insides. A

[@chiranagheorghitaeugeniuth98]

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter And more, if you put a regular garden hose on the mouthpieceof the inflator, remove inflator hose, turn on the water and press the 2 buttons water simultaneisly water will enter the bladder and also will escape throu the inflator fitting, reversingly washing everything inside. :)

[@albertbell7120]

@@chiranagheorghitaeugeniuth98iv just made one myself but water not running through very good 👌

[@paulready8897]

Great video as always. Thanks for the reminder about the batteries. I always forget to take them out of my devices, when I know I will not be using it for a long time. Now I have to find all of them to remove the batteries lol. I always seem to learn something in your class.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Removing all batteries will keep lights lasting a very long time. A

[@owenmougenot712]

Hi Alec. Great ideas, I forgot about the flashlight batteries. One other precaution I would suggest is to store in a dark place ,The long exposure to UV light in sunlight and florescent tubes is never good on plastic and rubber it makes it go hard or brittle. After two years of covid I am sure my wetsuits have all shrunk too?? Darn working from home, that's where the beer fridge is! Stay safe Owen m

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

A home beer fridge? Is that now standard in all homes today? A

[@vincentsubmarinismo774]

Great advise as usual. Bless you Alec 👍😁🇬🇧

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Thanks Vincent. A

[@brianalling5483]

Nice! Good info/reminders Alec! I’m going to look into that hose adapter for my BC. Keep em comin!

[@seikibrian8641]

I have one I got at my local dive store. They're great. I hook one end to a garden hose and rinse/flush my BCD in my driveway. I have both a conventional inflator and an iS lever inflator on mine, and I make sure to rinse both.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Will do Brian. A

[@michaelclarke8972]

Hi Alec. Good video as usual. I have a few points/questions. LAMPS - obviously remove batteries - but should the lamp be stored "open" or "sealed"? I am thinking of the compression of the o-rings in the torch - they could be removed and stored in a small ziplock. CAMERAS - the same points and questions as for lamps. BCD - after rinsing the inside bladder with fresh water etc. should the BCD be stored partially inflated and should it, if possible, be hung up? Having dried the internal bladder, folding the BCD to replace in the dive bag, seems to me to potentially cause stress lines in the BCD. REG - after cleaning, should the reg be rolled up to fit inside a regulator bag or hung from the first stage with all hoses hanging down? Surely, if we still have the rubber hoses, they will be permanently kinked if stored in the regulator bag. This is less of a problem with the new flex hoses, but still a possibility. TANK - keep some pressure within the tank - yes. But then, how do you store the tank? Standing on its base/boot or laying down? Your advice on these points would be appreciated.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Lamps and cameras, sealed to keep moisture out BC when totally dry, add two breaths to keep the sides apart Regs either works but don't over stress rubber hoses tanks any position is fine A

[@chiranagheorghitaeugeniuth98]

What about the dry suit :). For the bc i do after every dive and for long storage is of course clean, rinse and flush but more i circulate a lot of dry air from a tank and dry it inside and i usually leave it partially inflated. For the regs and especially the O2 clean ones after cleaning and dry i usually put them in a special bag and using a kitchen vacuum sealer i vacuum them a bit and seal the bag.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I did a video on dry suit drying and storing a while ago. Look it up for ideas. A.

[@charlesdean1542]

Thank you 😊

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Welcome Charles. A

[@HWill-iq9sl]

Dam, 2 years in the back yard shed Temp 87 to 116 storage (Thank you) great video)

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Thanks for watching!

[@gee4526]

I would also suggest that if it has been a while since your last dive that you check yourself as well. Just go over your skills and safety procederes especially if you're a relatively new diver. A good brush up never hurt anything.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Good point for everyone after a dry period. A

[@benheckendorn2696]

Hi Alec, I bought a shorty when I was in Spain 2003 for many weeks, I didn't knew how to storage the neoprene, so I floded it just a little bit and storage it in the basement, it still look the same even if it's 18 years old. Maybe it's a different how you floded it and where you storage it.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

if there is no pressure on it. it can last longer but putting a tank on it will flatten the neoprene and loose warmth. A

[@zmontagne]

Thank you for another great video Alec! You are a treasure trove of information! I've watched a ton of your videos but haven't seen one about the Luxfer or Walter Kiddie 6351 alloy. Should tanks made with this alloy be condemned regardless of hydrostatic and or visual/eddy current inspection? I just bought a couple of used tanks and fear I may have learned my lesson the hard way. Thanks again!

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I did cover the 6351 tank history in 'Buying a Used Scuba Tank', S10E12 and I think in S08E08 tank visuals. Check the descriptions for links to more reading in this subject. Good luck. A

[@paulbillingslea4848]

Would have been awesome to have this video 2 years ago when had to stop diving for COVID.

[@markushesse3970]

Whereas, having lots of free weekends for diving was the only good thing about this bloody C.-period. One of the few things that were not restricted at any time over here (GER), either. Never been in our lakes that often, empty beaches, empty parking lots; my mates already start talking about the "good old Covid days". Well.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Some folks could keep diving, but this applies to anyone taking a break for a while. Glad you liked it. A

[@dtt3426]

i just bought my first tank. the dive shop 5 minutes away closed and it makes it less convenient to rent one. when i first started diving, 7 yrs ago, the dive shop told me i'd have to dive 25 times a year to justify the cost of buying one. living in ontario i never took to buying a drysuit. i find i do most dives south. Are you supposed to store the tank, with 100 psi in it, standing up or lying down.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Any psi from 100 to 250 for long term storage is fine. Up or down makes no difference except to your toes. The air inside is super dry and does not care about orientation. A.

[@dtt3426]

have you ever seen something that will hold a dsmb and a spool, like a bag that you can put them in, that you can hang from a dring. i have my spool and dsmb connected together with a bungee. every once in a while during a giant stride it comes apart. i hate to juryrig something if i don't have to

[@kevindavison6019]

@@dtt3426 I don't like mine hanging from a D ring as I keep the spool attached to the SMB so there is no rigging underwater. I keep them in the "large utility Pocket" that HOG offers and it is threaded on to my belt. My smb is just the smaller 4 ft one with a 50 ft finger spool if that helps, the sizing is about perfect for this setup.

[@dtt3426]

@@kevindavison6019 is there a website hog brings up harley davidson

[@argonk]

One issue may be with the carefully-prepared bailout cylinders rebreather divers have. Not (yet?) my case, but as far as I can imagine those cylinders usually stay full all the time. Well, they will have a shorter lifetime and that's about it, I guess.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I’ll leave it for rebreather experts to comment on this. A

[@scmsean]

I never thought about the tank. I have 2 aluminum tanks I never use, since I started using steel tanks. They just sit full for about 4 years. The rest of my gear I've never gone more then 3 months without using.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Some gear is always in use, others are seasonal (e.g. ice diving), or spares. Divers have a huge investment in gear so glad to help keep it working so we can return to diving again. A.

[@jacquespoirier9071]

For sure, a good follow up of any equipment is an insurance policy. My interrogation is about the storage pressure of a tank, .A hydrotest is done at 5/3 of the certified use pressure, this is a way to " repair " the micro cracks that develops by the normal inflating / deflating cycles so my deduction is that the safety factor is at least 2 on the yield strenght of the material used to fabricate the tank and at least 4 on the rupture strenght of the material ( It is a standard on high pressure piping ). The only reason why I should lower the my tank pressure for storage is to minimize the corrosion due to high partial pressure of oxygen and the humidity accumulation, not for a material stress consideration. Be sure that if I observe creeping of a tank material I will IMMEDIATELY deflate it and never reuse it because there is a defect in the material itself and time will drive to a complete failure with the known consequences. very good video.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Reducing tank pressure for storage also saves the tank valve o-ring and excessive stress. Many divers in hot climates leave them in a garage that can really heat up. Same for cold climates. Its primarily to reduce temperature change cycles over and over for years. A

[@summerdude600]

Thanks for the tips! What should one do if say they did accidentally store a tank at full pressure for a year? Also I’ve heard that storing regs with the purge depressed slightly helps keep some seals from bedding in and leaking later?

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

The next Visual or hydro test will verify if any problems have started. A.

[@osvaldorichards9905]

Hi Alec, very useful as always. Thank you!. A question about the regulators stored in a (cold) warehouse outside. Sometimes when I take it out in the morning some condensation builds up quickly in the first stage, as in any metal or glass surface. Could this happens inside?, is it possible to have some humidity inside the first stage because of the cold? and could it damage it when pressurized?

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

If the reg is on a tank or the dust cap is securely tightened, not to worry. A

[@Exploring_Nature]

Hi alec, is it normal to get my reg after service with oil on it?

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

What type of oil and where was it. Reg service uses lube but not more than a tiny dab. If concerned, take it back and as the tech for an explanation so your satisfied. A

[@Pedde]

Long term storge of neopren cover it will talkum also 👌

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Talcum is big help on dry suits, not so much on neoprene but go ahead. You will smell nice getting ready. A

[@Pedde]

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter it helps alot especially on opencell suits so that it dosent stick to it self during long time storage. witch can totally ruin the wetsuits inside

[@lamanawebu]

Some dive computers has a SLEEP MODE (less power consumption) so activate this mode if it is possible. If you remove battery you should care about sealing o-ring, best solution is use new one when you put battery back - too many things to do and what could be done wrong and it can lead to flooding you computer. So I cant recommend removing batteries. In case of battery failure it could be better to store dive computer with display up / bottom down .. potential failure cause less damage on bottom lid than elsewhere in dive computer.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

The greatest damage to electronics is batteries left in use. Many replacement kits have: battery, o-ring & silicone. I replaced thousands of computer batteries in my years with no failures (told to me anyway). Follow the makers replacement instructions, DON'T over lube the o-ring (i.e. globs everywhere), proper on/off tool and DON'T over tighten. Thanks for commenting. A

[@sivonparansun]

Why would the battery destroy the computer if left in there?

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

All batteries over time will leak hydrogen gas and corrode the inside of what ever they are in. Removing them protects you valuable gear. A

[@gee4526]

Batteries will corrode if just sitting for periods of time. and the corrosion will certainly spread to other compontes as well. Just as the posts of a car battery.

[@albertbell7120]

🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿👌

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Hello UK and thanks for watching. A

[@lupusdeum3894]

Are you trying to tell us you won't be diving for a while? 🦈🤿

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

For a while, taking a road trip soon. A