Scba tank warning

[bigHUN]

I replaced the valves to DIN on three of my long expired 147cc firefighter tanks.
The magic world is - give it a moment of inertia... as the #18 described.

 

[F6Hawk]

I wrapped this thing up in a yoga mat for grip and put a big wrench on the flats on the valve. It was still pretty difficult to take off the valve.

Shouldn't be, unless someone seriously screwed up. The seal comes from the O-ring being trapped between two pieces of metal, not excessive torque.

I can drain my SCBA tank and remove my valve with one hand. Easy peasy. And add a dab of silicone oil or grease when I re-install it.

 

[steve-l]

Yes....

But resealing and opening can be difficult and in my opinion, that's when damage happens.

I remember a SCBA being held in a vice and you could hear the 'crunch' of the fibers. Destroyed the tank.

Actually, removing a tank valve is easy, if you know how. First drain the tank of all gas. I then raise the forks of my forklift to waist high. I then lay the bottle on a fork so the valve is forward of the fork end and wrap the bottle and fork tightly with a cargo strap. This secures the bottle without any damage to the bottle. I then use a very large crescent adjustable type wrench or a very large pipe wrench depending on the valve style and turn. If you don't happen to have a forklift, any tree or lamp post works just as well. On a second note, those short tubes are used to prevent condensate water from being inadvertently breathed and they are usually just pressed in and can be simply pulled out with pliers. Removing those tubes also allows you to turn the bottle upside down and then by just cracking the valve open can easily drain any condensate in the bottle without emptying all the air first.

 

[DesertSilver]

I removed the straw from mine also to do the same thing. The scba tank I got from the Phoenix FD was easy to remove the valve. The one from the Navy has been put on by a gorilla! Of course I also don't have a fork lift to strap it to. The valve on the navy scba tank doesn't even have flats for a wrench.

 

[grackleblast]

A

Typically, a sharp blow with a mallet and wrench is all it takes, it’s usually Just the stiction of the large o-ring that needs to be broken loose.

A rubber mallet is your friend. I warm the neck of the bottle with a hair dryer for about 10 - 15 minutes . Then a careful tap or two from the mallet and you're home free. I have removed many SCBA valves this way and when I replace the valve (with a new o-ring) , I tighten hand tight , then use the rubber mallet again to set the valve and o-ring. Works like a charm , no heavy equipment needed.