Don’t Buy a Scuba Tank off of Craigslist
I’m in a world of hurt.
Paid US $175 for a 100 cf steel tank with a DIN valve. The dive shop told me that there were two cracks in the threads and that the tank is no good.
Only buy tanks from a dive shop or brand new. Carbon fiber tanks can only be hydro tested 3 times before becoming useless. It will cost 1/4 of the price to get the thing hydro-tested, inspected, and filled.
Here is the cost of choosing to go pcp:
Talon $415
HP Tank $145
Nikon Scope $135
Bipod $60
Shroud $66
DIN adaptor $70
100 cf tank $175
Inspections $40
Grand Total $1106
It may be as much as an AR-15, but being able to drop a starling in a residential area without causing a stir makes it all worth it.
Opinion: Air rifles are so much more fun than firearms. This is coming from a guy who has shot every small arm in the US Army vault, including the MK 19 grenade launcher.
Anyways, what was I saying…oh yeah…beware of buying used SCUBA tanks.
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It reminds me of a fellow I once saw on TV who worked for Foster Farms Chicken. They asked him if he ate a lot of chicken and he replied ” I don’t eat chicken” when asked why he replied ” All that chicken is process in vats and it is full of salmonella all of it”. When asked if the salmonella is killed in the cooking of chicken his reply was ” Yes if you like eating cooked salmonella”…..LOL
Sometime people are to close. 😉
First of all, let me apologize for my wording in my previous post…NOT the content, but the way I said it… I see it was the person’s first post and I certainly don’t want anyone to think that’s the way we talk to “newbies” It’s just that I did a LOT of research before I went from my brand new 133 cy ft SCUBA to a used fiberglass SCBA…..From what I read the whole world uses the SCBA in CF…it appears fiberglass weighs more, has to be hyro’ed more often, etc,etc,etc,. my tank weigh 14 pounds..my 133 cuft scuba tank weighed like 36 pounds, and held a LOT less air 😀 😀 and cost-per-fill was the same…so it was a no-brainer for me!!
I’m usre there have been SCBA tanks that have just blown up…but I’d bet that percentage wise, the number is loooooooooooow….
Here is some info on the SCBA tanks. I love mine BTW 😀
It is important to check your SCBA tank for damage to avoid an incident.
yamadoo2,
I’m curious as to how those SCBA type fiber wrapped tanks failed. You said some are prone to cracking but where do they crack? Do they rupture out the side or blow the valve?
Thanks for the heads up on the bad tanks. Info like this is important to us cheep fellows that only shop in the bargain basement of the internet.
I think he meant while filling them guys.
well i was thinking the same thing , did allot of research myself, and they are pretty much more durable than Steele.
So, Yamadoo2, on two seperate occasions, while you were wearing a 4500 psi SCBA tank , they just blew up huh? SInce you said you had personally experienced failures..Forgive me if I say I do not believe that. I cannot imagine anyone surviving that type of explosion…
EVERY Fire Department in the USA uses carbon fiber or fiberglass composite SCBA tanks. ANy type of rescue operation, here and abroad will be seen using CF fiberglass composite tanks, exclusively. (perhaps 1or2 backword countries are stilll using all metal tanks, but I would bet they are very few and far between) I did a HUGE amount of research before buying a fiberglass SCBA set-up , so I know that what I say about SCBA stuff is true…
WVERY safety/rescue/fire dept. in the world (wel,, almost) uses SCBA , and you come along and say how unsafe they are????? D U D E 🙄
http://www.hamcontact.com/airgun/HoseAssembly/ The guy that owns this is an avid airgunner, and is just super to deal with…He has the VERY BEST of everything for PCP/HPA….You can try and skimp and save a few dollars , by peicing a fill system together, but before it’s over with you’ll be wishig to hell you’d followed this advice—–Call Joe, tell him what you need and aend him a check or Paypal..I bough a COMPLETE 4500 psi SCBA 66 cuft setup, with all SS lines, Glycerin filled fill-gauge, and all hand-tightened connections !!!! ALL for $350.00 delivered to my door (in Georgia) from his shop (in California) you cannot beat his prices..I already tried all that 😳 😳 😳
Red hot info’ !!!!! 😎 😎 😎
Great post Yam
:tag:
Thanks for the advice yamadoo.
A burst valve on a SCUBA tank? Oh dad, what were you thinking?
Hay guys,
Well I’m retired Navy and have owned 3 dive stores over the years. Here’s what to look for:
***Luxfer or walter kiddy manufactured aluminum tanks 1972-mid 1988 are the tanks/cylinders to look out for (USA only- other countries the dates are different). They were made using 6351 alloy which has a problem with sustained load cracking. According to Luxfer they can still be used if they pass an eddy-current test every 2 years (many places don’t have these $2000+ machines and hance won’t fill Luxfers from those dates). In my opinion don’t even mess with Luxfer tanks from those years.
*** Modern steel dive tanks are usually great as long as there is no rust problems. Avoid old steel tanks from the 50’s – early 80’s as they can have problems of their own ie. internal coatings that are unsafe by today’s standards, illegal burst plugs, ect, ect.
*** I would also advise against SCBA type fiber wrapped tanks like used by fire departmants. Some have a cracking problem, they have a limited life span of 15 years from they day they were made. Personally these are the tanks that scare me the most, I have personally survived 2 of these type tanks failing and now days will only fill one inside of an explosion containment device.
Hi Everyone,
Not all deals are bad off Craigslist. Last month I found 2 Catalina 80 cf tanks on CL (100 for both)here in Northern Cali. Both were 1996 made, needed hydro and had the normal paint chips and wear. Both tanks had air pressure in them. Thats the key it seems is to store the tanks with pressure inside them. Yes there are bad deals out there as well. Overall I have had great luck off CL.
Shop wisely my friends,
E 😀
u keep them i hope they work out for u this season
You would have to ask me to send them back to you.
Roachcreek
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got my 80cuft off of Craigs list list for $90.00; it was just hydroed, brand new K valve and fresh refill…so far..so good…