Looking after your mini scuba tank

A mini tank works in harsh conditions: seawater, sand, an overheated boat locker. Maintenance, on the other hand, asks for little. A few regular habits keep your OX500, OX500Plus or OX1000 ready to dive for years.

Rinse after every outing at sea

The first of these habits is not negotiable. After use in the sea, rinse the tank in fresh water, keeping the jet away from the regulator inlet. The aluminium body takes it well. The fittings and the regulator mechanism, far less.

Wipe it down, then let it dry in the shade before stowing. A tank put away damp in a locker always ends up showing it.

On the OX500Plus, think about the back harness and the external regulator hose too. Same reflex for the OXAIR mask: its switch between snorkel and tank air deserves a careful rinse after each session.

Check the seals

Before each refill, look at the seals on the fittings, on the tank side as well as the pump or compressor side. A cracked or flattened seal gets replaced. Never make up for a leaking fitting by tightening harder: you risk damaging the thread without solving anything.

The OXSEA School videos cover all routine maintenance, from assembly to flow adjustment. Take ten minutes to watch the ones for your model before you start. They will spare you the classic mistakes.

The safety disc

Every OXSEA tank carries a safety disc. It is a mechanical fuse: in case of overpressure, it gives way before the tank does. If it has blown, or if you notice a leak at that point, replace it before any new refill.

The replacement has its own video. Follow it step by step, without improvising: this part is a safety device. At the slightest doubt, contact after-sales before diving again.

Pump and compressor filters

The manual pump and the mini compressor filter the air before it enters the tank. That air is what you will breathe underwater. So the filter is anything but an optional extra.

Filters change in a few moves. Replace them regularly, all the more if you refill by the sea, in air full of spray. A video shows how; to order spare filters, write to after-sales.

Winter storage

Before putting the gear away for the winter, give it a full fresh-water rinse, then dry it completely. Check the seals while you are at it. Then store the tank somewhere dry, away from frost and sun, with the regulator protected from dust.

The external gauge on the OX500Plus is useful over this period: a glance now and then is enough to confirm the pressure is not moving. An unexplained drop points to a leak, to be dealt with before the new season.

In spring, inspect everything, refill, then do a test in the pool or in shallow water. Five minutes of testing beat a nasty surprise ten metres from the boat.

24-month warranty: when to go through after-sales

Every tank is checked before it ships from Taverny, near Paris, and covered by a 24-month warranty. The routine care described here is within your reach. The rest is for after-sales, in particular in these situations:

• A leak that persists after a seal has been replaced
• An unexplained pressure drop
• An impact on the tank body or on the regulator
• A doubt about the safety disc or the general condition of the gear

Never dismantle beyond what the OXSEA School videos show. A pressurised tank does not forgive approximations.

After-sales answers at sav@oxsea.com. A question before ordering a part? Write to contact@oxsea.com or through the contact page: the team will point you to the right reference. The rules of use are in our safety guide.