Scuba cylinders are an undeniably important part of scuba diving. Many divers think their regulator is the most delicate piece of dive gear and often overlook the scuba cylinder. However, a mistreated and mishandled cylinder can not only be damaged, but it could also turn into something dangerous. We had so much to say about how NOT to store your cylinder that we couldn't fit it into our previous blog: How NOT To Store Your Dive Gear. Here is our advice on how NOT to store your cylinder:
Never Store Your Scuba Cylinder Empty or Laying On It's Side
Yes, you read that correctly, for long-term storage, you do not want to keep your cylinder laying on its side. Of course, we've all been taught to put our cylinders down on their sides so that they do not fall over, and this is good practice for when your cylinder is being transported and in use. However, when storing your cylinder long term between dives they should be kept in an upper right position. The reason for this is that if there is an unknown amount of water inside of your cylinder it will cause the least amount of damage if the cylinder is standing upright. If it is laying on its side, the water would be allowed to spread out and cover a larger surface area. Also, if the water causes corrosion on the sidewall of the cylinder, it will cause much more damage because the sidewall is thinner than the bottom. With that said, when storing cylinders upright, ensure they are in a secured position so that they cannot be knocked over.
Do NOT Store Your Scuba Cylinder in the Heat
You may need to bring those scuba cylinders in the house for storage during the summer. As summer approaches and temperatures begin to rise, your garage is probably the worst place to store your cylinder because it can get downright sweltering inside. If your scuba cylinder is exposed to excessive temperatures, it will cause your tanks' internal temperature to rise and possibly cause the burst disk to rupture.
Never Store Your Scuba Cylinder Empty
Your scuba cylinder should always be stored with a minimum of 200 psi inside of it. If it is stored completely empty, the absence of pressure inside the cylinder can allow all sorts of things to enter into it.
Most divers don't think much in the way of their scuba cylinders. If you take the time to adhere to these few simple ways to care for your cylinders, we guarantee you will be both safer and make your tanks last much longer.
