Posted by Maddiver on January 24, 2002 at 09:03:08:
In Reply to: Wanted: Twin tanks with isolation manifold posted by Randy Medaris on January 22, 2002 at 11:46:14:
1) get the captured oring style walker described (ie scuba pro, halcyon, diverite, sea elite)
2) verify that the manifold you are going to purchase/use has a working tolerance with the distance of the centroids of the tank necks and the band selection you have made ***all manifolds will not fit all tanks and band setups! And some will 'fit' but are beyond manufacturer tolerance, do not use these***
3) Assemble by measring the distance as described above and 'twisting the manifold' until you measure the desired distance between the stems or 'snorkel tubes' on the manifold.
4) Make sure bands are on one tank and spin manifold completely on the one tank (hand tight will do just fine, don't overtighten. Then lay the tank/manifold/bands down length wise on a flat surface (floor).
5) Push the remaining tank up from the bottom through the bands until the snorkel tube enters the tank neck. Get the threads started via spinning the tank by its base clockwise. This takes a little effort but your goal is to keep unnecessary torque off of the mainfold.
5) Arrange bands at appropriate height distance, and hand tighten. Make sure tanks are level, both standing and laying down and then tighten with wrench. Fill in water to detect leaks for the first air fill.
6) Your first time if you are timid may take 30-45 min but you can work at it until you can do it in 5-7 min. Remember the manifold is the point of falure or weakest link so keep any excess torque away from it.