Posted by RaiderKarl on May 03, 2001 at 13:03:55:
In Reply to: Re: best to store your tanks with 150 psi in them posted by Steve on May 01, 2001 at 10:33:58:
if you read the D.A.N. pub Alert Diver, they recently had a story about a diver using old steel tanks that had been stored full for several years. most of the O2 was gone. this is a realistic issue for scuba.
storing your tanks full for a few months would not drain the O2, whereas doing so for several years could. Additionally, aluminum tanks when stored full for several months get a nasty taste/odor to them, in my experience working with dive stores that keep a large stock of full tanks on hand for their classes.
Storing tanks almost empty is always the best thing to do in all cases, whether aluminum or steel. You cant easily do that if you are a dive store, because nobody wants to wait while you fill the tank. But if you own your tanks, there is absolutely no reason to store them full. Keep them almost empty, and have the filled the day before you plan to go diving.