Scuba Myths, Tank Air Goes Bad - Scuba Tech Tips: S11E19

[@seanstevenson8038]

One caveat for the technical divers: When you have tanks filled with trimix, it is theoretically possible for helium to preferentially leak through a microscopic leak path that may exist across the seat in the tank valve, where nitrogen and oxygen (large diatomic molecules) don't leak through, but the helium does because it is monoatomic and so much smaller. Over some period of time, this could change the mixture analysis, so it is critical that gas always be re-analyzed to confirm the mixture just prior to diving.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Totally agree with you on trimix tech diving concerns. As you know all tech divers do double or triple checks on everything before diving especially their trimix levels. Thanks Sean.

[@petethehandyman9185]

Here’s one ,years ago I was diving on one of my favorite spots near Sebastian Fl,when I found a full tank on the reef,someone must have lost it overboard and couldn’t find,anyway I bring it up and hand it to my wife and go back down. Later that day I checked it out,it was full,it looked like it was down there for a while so I dove it that day. The air had a stale taste to it but it was fine. I took it to my LDS they cleaned it out some how and I used it for many seasons.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

How funny is it to go diving and find a tank! I found lead weights, masks, snorkels, fins and even an iPhone. Thanks for sharing Pete and keep on hunting.

[@gregorycraig9882]

The worst air I ever had was fresh, 1 hour old. It was in Dominican and they filled it with a gas powered compressor where its intake was next to the exhaust of the compressor. We were on a wreck at 120 feet when the gas tasted like I was breathing directly from a bus exhaust.

[@anony-ic3pz]

Wow, sounds lucky you can still talk about that

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

You are lucky not to have a serious accident. Hope you spoke with the dive operator as many tanks could be unsafe to use. I have travelled around this world diving and at a new location/resport/liveaboard, I like to look at their operation and fill setup. One good clue is if the air inlet to the compressor is on a roof, not pulled in from the wall where staff sit and smoke! Thanks for sharing Greg.

[@capnstevoanythinggoes]

Thanks again for the professional info and suggestion. The air in my tank is over a year old and with Florida lobster season approaching in less than a week, the visual inspection makes the tank good through the next full year.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

You're welcome. Good hunting and dive safe sir.

[@Will-ol9lp]

I agree. Take in for visual inspection because who knows if someone did drop your tank when it was out in storage fir that year. Lots of stuff could of happened to it. Be a safe diver and dive responsible

[@Mrich775]

May as well use up the fill first, I know I'm not wasting what could potentially be a few hundred dollars in gas depending what you have it filled with and the size of your bottle or doubles.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Glad you agree Will. Safety first keeps you diving till your as old as me!

[@SeattleRingHunter]

3:34 I’ll answer that question for you because it’s a good rule of thumb for divers to remember the annual yearly tank inspection schedule. Every year you need to take your tank in for a visual inspection and a hydro every five years. Also over the course of a year who knows what kind of unknown things may have happened to your tank while stored in someone’s garage. Best to have a qualified dive shop inspect the tank and ensure fresh o-rings are installed so you don’t have a potential blow out during your dive. Great videos Alex, wishing you the best of health. Cheers, #SeattleRingHunter

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

A good point sir, thanks for sharing and watching. Take care.

[@BersekerSpirit]

Wow, this video comes just in time for me, i have my tank full and i was wondering if i have to empty my tank or to keep the air over the winter, thank you Mr. Alec

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Glad I could help

[@DigginwithSeven]

Thanks for covering this. I have heard the myth and wondered if it were true... now I know. I learn so much from your tips!

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nickpannell2752]

Good advice given many of us haven’t been able to dive for a long time. Further to your video on boots, could you please do more videos for those of us with mobility issues on the easiest equipment to doff and don. Diving is an absolute freedom/joy compared to the issues we have on land, but getting our gear on and off can be very difficult.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

A very good suggestion Nick. I will add it to my ideas list for our next shooting session.

[@toriless]

One tip is to do shore diving with a healthy partner. It make putting on the BCD easier since it can be inflated and then you can just slip into it as it floats in a few feet of water. Deflate and adjust the belts. You can not do that when boat diving.

[@TheJoeyboots]

Your channel is fantastic! Its really a true love of SCUBA :)

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Thank you very much!

[@benheckendorn2696]

Yeah it is, i learn so much and I love his sense of humor. Like: " don't do it at home, we are professional stuntmen." 😊

[@scubasteveandunderwaterroc3547]

I was buying some vintage dive gear (as usual) and I found some really good twins from 1978, (42 years old) never saw the water and the box was in ok condition. It still had stickers on it advertising how aluminum never rust and stuff like that. Anyways, the tank to my surprise had about 300 psi in it. Yes I did take a wiff and it was the *worst* smell/tatsing air I have ever inhaled. So, my wild guess is the limit to the air is 41 years. (Probably a lot less)

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

That's funny. I have old (eg stone age), diving friends who keep as much stuff as me. One found tanks older than yours that were almost full. Smart enough not to use it until after passing a VIS and hydro test and they are his favourite twin set today. Thanks for sharing Steve.

[@davids7550]

Those old twin 50's make the best table lamps. 80's are pretty tall. I have a pair of 50's on the nightstands on each side of my bed and an 80 next to my desk. They're great. Aluminum does not make good bells - use steel for that.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Very cool David. Check out my tank bells on At The Ranch playlist, #44.

[@timgosling6189]

Absolutely correct as long as your cylinder is in good shape. Although, if it is expired for inspection/clean/both you will not be able to get a re-fill.

[@Mrich775]

May as well use up the gas before you get it hydrod then.

[@timgosling6189]

@@Mrich775 yup.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

That is one of the safety steps that makes our sport one of the safest there is. Thanks Tim.

[@TheJoeyboots]

Working thru my Sea Hunt CD's fantastic. Go Mike Nelson, he sure was a ladies man wasn't he lol. Great Show I am still looking for the props.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

He was a great guy in TV and in real life. Someone kids and adults could look up too. Wish there were more like him around today. Thanks for watching Joe.

[@patrickfain9318]

Great video! Thank you sir! Was just wondering this myself yesterday

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Glad to help!

[@anony-ic3pz]

When I was about 15-16 years old(?) I had the Dacor double 50's. When I went to the shop for an air fill, the dive attendant persuaded me to trade it in for a brand new single aluminum 80. I was ecstatic because the doubles weighed a ton for me. Now I totally regret it and know the guy took advantage of my naivety! I still have bad feelings about that especially because the 50's were a graduation present from my father.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

That was a sweet setup and I'm sad to know dive shops pressure new/younger divers into buying what they don't need. Hope you're still diving and picked up some tips you can pass along to new divers.

[@anony-ic3pz]

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter I haven't been diving in eons, as life just got in the way and now my bones are creaking but your channel brings back fond memories!

[@johnforsythe434]

Hey Alec, I’m a new dry suit diver and was wondering if there are any tips you may have on how to get the darn thing on. And just general prime care and feeding for the suit. Any help would be appreciated! Love the videos keep up the great work!

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Great suggestion! Added to my ideas list for our next video shoot day.

[@jacquespoirier9071]

for the ones that fear breath " old " air, if you use the first stage of an old regulator, these tanks makes a wonderful compressed air reserve to drive air tools as nailers and for an emercency tire refill.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

You have a good point Jacques. Don't waste what you paid for but label the tank as "not for diving" when used for garage projects.

[@HKChad]

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter why? They make emergency tire inflator for scuba tanks, would it not be OK to pump up a tire on the way to the dive site then breath the air? Few 100psi in the tank nothing should get in no?

[@joeltuck2741]

Great idea Alex!

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Glad you think so!

[@rwhippo]

As long as there is not a cricket in the cylinder like we found during a vip of another local shop this week...

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

That must have been a shock.

[@chrisphilhower6029]

It gets a Stale Smell after awhile. I paid $9(USD) for an AL80 Fill.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

If you could detect a smell from the tank air, it's either the fill air or the tank needs an VIP check. These are the two most common sources of bad smells. A

[@ptjones57]

I used to own an al 80. After two years of it sitting, I went diving, after all, fills cost 6 bucks at the time. It was fine. Yes when I brought it in to be filled I needed it inspected.LOL.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Scuba air in a tank is like Christmas fruit cake, can last years before anyone touches it. Thanks for sharing Patrick.

[@sbcinema]

The air doesn't get bad, but the tank does. If anyone would take a closer look at a tank, that would be it (but luckily I have my own compressor)

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Sounds right my friend. A

[@victorhernandez4375]

Alec very good video 👍👍👍

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@KevinMcMullen.]

Thanks

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Welcome

[@TheJoeyboots]

Man he really goes for the depths. Always talking over 120 140 with a tank I hope is HP Steel. And the light at those depths is exceptional. But I love it!

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

It's a habit from long ago. Nobody is excited to dive to 10 to 20' so I drifted into using deeper numbers. Funny that today I like shallow where there is more life on a reef than deep. Thanks for watching Joe.

[@benheckendorn2696]

Well i heard canadian air last 12 years, because of the woods and nature, air from the swiss or austrian Alps last 10 years, but American just last 5 years. While air from New Zealand last 11 years. :D

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

For sure our Canadian air last a long time as its frozen to 0 Kelvin in winter here. Thanks for the laugh Ben.

[@benheckendorn2696]

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter you are welcome, I guess one or two years is the best to change, because ot the test of the air tank, because I guess even if you would go the risk you would test them atleast every 18 month. More I wouldn’t risk. But ever year sounds much like makeing money, maybe I am wrong. Here in Switzerland you must check your Car every secound year, while Taxis must do it yearly, sure we cary people around and we drive a lot, but others who drive 100000 km per year also don't need to check more often. So this is why it feels to me, they just want to take our money. I prefer to check the cars, it's great to know the car is fine, but every third year would be enough, as long as the car is new. Sure savety first, I was a volunteer firefighter for seven or eight years, where I lived before, so I know a little risk is okay, but I would just recommend them in emergency. We learned to keep 200% air left for the way as we use until we found the fire. But if I could save a colleagues I wouldn’t mind to be out of the building with almost 0% but such risk must be worth. For me there is always to kind of risks: stupidness or because of a good reason. If I would be able to save another diver without risk to get help too, a risk should be done, I would say as long as I am on surface with 5% air it was worth to take the risk if I had saved someone else's live. What do you think?

[@Mrich775]

Come on down to cave country, where a visual is looking at your gauge to make sure my LP doubles are filled to 240bar.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Well that works most times. Hope you're doing a bit more safety checks than that my friend.

[@Mrich775]

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter oh of course, it's partially sarcasm. I'm a working diver and vip qualified so I end up doing inspections very frequently when I'm working on gear, however in N. Florida no one bothers to check for vip stickers at any of the cave diving shops. In Europe they don't vip at all, only hydro. Edit: over fills on steel tanks however, are commonplace down here, we fill LP steel tanks to HP steel pressures on a daily basis, when I'm in a hard or soft overhead environment I want all the life support I can, I've personally moved to diving a rebreather with a second bailout rebreather for bigger dives.

[@toriless]

@@Mrich775 Actually, the last time I had a VIP they forget to put a new stickler on it. I had to look at the receipt for the date.

[@alaind831]

and yet a diver died recently in Monterey and I recall reading it was found his tank was low on Oxygen (fell asleep ?) and a very old steel tank. But I would have to find the article again....

[@KSakamoto]

He said in the video air won’t go bad “for a very long time in a steel tank,” so I think that allows for what you’re remembering there.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I always want to see the official version of a dive accident as most media services are interested in the big headline, not facts. The annual DAN diving accident report has several accidents caused by diver failure of basic actions/checks. I truly love this sport but skipping common sense can be fatal. Thanks for watching Alain.

[@Mrich775]

Remember Alain, divers do use hypoxic gas and without a travel gas to get to a working min depth this can happen even with a fresh fill.

[@fanplant]

I haven't been diving but if my friend asked me to fix a leaky swimming pool I would use my air. BTW I'm going to drive through NYC later, are you saying I shouldn't go near broadway??

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Ha I want everyone to be safe so we can all return to diving where everyone wears a mask.

[@toriless]

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter I wonder what would happen if I wore a diving mask to the grocery store? I could pair it with my P95 respirator to complete the lunatic look.

[@andrecandrade]

Makes total sense

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Thank you.

[@diverdave4056]

...mmm SO if - the air hasn't gone bad in 3 years - why not just dive with that tank full of air and then go to the dive shop for a visual and refill ? There is no need to waste a tank full of good air !

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

No big reason other that a 'sniff test' for bad air smell. A

[@diveinstructordaniel1095]

I have to store my tanks now for 3-4 months I have between 50 and 100 bar left in them. What should I do ? Store then upright? Bring them all down to 50? Will the air still be fine after storage ?

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

If keeping them for 4 months then leave filled, upright (so nothing hits the valve), then go diving. Remember to check when your next Visual Inspection or hydro test is needed. Have fun.

[@diveinstructordaniel1095]

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter thanks a lot Alec 😊

[@sitkadiver40]

FIVE years for Alaskans.... But the Canadian air is just not that resilient. 🤣

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Well its also a tiny bit older where you are so the air is perfectly preserved. Thanks for the laugh. A

[@captainpanda5533]

Is it detrimental to the tank to leave it full for a long period of time?

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Not for a reasonable time like a year or so. Watch my video S11E19 Scuba Myths, Tank Air Goes Bad, several tips on storing tanks for a long time. thanks for watching Captain P. A.

[@HWill-iq9sl]

Hay everyone check out that light blue t-shiert

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I had to watch to see what you meant. It is a cool t-shirt.

I would empty tank for that reason people might have used nitro and might not remember It, so if there is wrong mixture and someone tops tank full with air againg the mixture changes. Allas what gas you are gonna breath underwater.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

A tank filled with nitrox, example, 32%, will not change over many years in a sealed tank. If not sure the air mix, an O2 analyzer will confirm if air, 21% or a nitrox blend. Never guess tank air before a dive. A.

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter yes. There is no guessing in gases. 🤔🙄💨

[@HWill-iq9sl]

should or can I travel with air in my tank from Chicago to L.A.?

[@timgosling6189]

All the airlines I know of will not allow tanks to be carried in an aircraft if they have any pressure in it. Some insist they can only be carried if the valve has been removed.

[@Mrich775]

If you are flying, you can take the bottle if you remove the valve, then when you land reinstall and use a transfill whip to fill it on up and your good. It's not sensible to fly with large bottles v. renting, but for my rebreather bottles or my al19 for bailout I fly with them regularly.

[@Mrich775]

@@timgosling6189 in the USA, it is law that the bottles must be empty with no valve and technically nothing covering the valve hole at all, even a piece of clear tape could theoretically get you grounded although most agents are reasonable enough to understand you want to minimize possible contamination.

[@timgosling6189]

@@Mrich775 And you can understand why.

[@Mrich775]

@@timgosling6189 oh of course, I was merely attempting to let you know the valves out was written into law rather than up to the airline as you had written. Edit: perhaps not law but regulations at least.

[@SDSpike]

I've used 5 year old air.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

That may be pushing the safety limits but remember to get it VIS and hydro tested to be sure. Safe diving.

[@gameonyolo1]

Did you die?

[@aliasincognito0]

You are getting more and more handsome after each video.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

You have an excellent eye! Thanks and I'll share this with my wife who may think otherwise.

[@toriless]

Don't get miffed about the word.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I won't.

[@Blastfence1]

What if you put a mouse 🐭 in the tank and comeback a year later what then!

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

A tank tumbling and cleaning would be needed for sure.

[@jacobhicks7959]

Drinking game baaahaahahaha

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Apparently a group of viewers in England made up an Alec Peirce Drinking game! Maybe I should do a video on that so everyone can play.

[@jacobhicks7959]

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter I'm in