Scuba tanks can be painted. However, it is recommended that the scuba tanks are not painted. There are various reasons for not painting your tank, such as:
- Paint cannot withstand saltwater and diving
- Paint causes corrosion
- Failing annual inspection
- Damage the undercoat
- Removing paint causes damage
Scuba tanks should be kept in good working condition to ensure safety and proper function. There are ways to keep your scuba tank healthy and ways to ruin your scuba tank.
Withstanding Saltwater and Diving
Scuba tanks are designed specifically to hold air in. These tanks have gauges and valves on them that need to be intact to deliver the air to diver’s regulator. Scuba tanks can go in the ocean with saltwater and stay whole.
When a diver decides to paint their scuba tank, they are putting that tank at risk. Once the paint is on the tank, it adheres to the undercoating of the scuba tank that is usually made of materials that can withstand saltwater and diving. Paint is not made for saltwater or diving and will start to deteriorate.
Once deterioration starts on the tank, this will eat away at not only the paint but the undercoating layer as well. This will damage the scuba tank and make the tank weak in spots.
Corrosion Damage
Painting the scuba tank can be harmful to the tank itself. It is dangerous to paint the tank for a lot of reasons, but the most important one is corrosion damage.
The problem with corrosion is that once it starts to happen, it can be hard to correct. The first thing that needs to happen is that the paint has to come off the tank. That will be hard, depending on which type of tank you have. If you have an aluminum tank, you will need to remove it with a paint stripper. If you have a stainless steel tank, you will need a wire brush.
Another issue it is hard to tell that corrosion is happening under the paint unless you remove the paint. This can cause the corrosion to keep happening under the paint without the divers knowledge. This could cause the diver to risk their lives when diving with painted tanks. The diver may descend with a corroded tank, and the air might be leaking out. Or worse, the tank may weaken to the point of bursting. This is extremely dangerous.
Annual Inspection
All scuba tanks are to be inspected annually for any defects or issues. This is helpful to divers to make sure they are safe to use for diving. Annual inspections are done by the local dive shops by a professional.
Inspections
Inspections are done once a year by the professional at the dive shop. They are trained to look for damages or failures to the scuba tanks. The annual inspection looks for failures and damage to the tank that paint might cover-up.
Inspectors must be able to look in and out of the tanks with nothing getting in the way. Paint might cover defect, rendering the inspection incomplete. An inspection should take around thirty minutes, depending on the professional and tank.
Failure and Pass
Some of the failures that scuba tanks might have are superficial and able to be seen upon this inspection. Cracks in the tank walls, cracks in the threads, corrosion and pitting, wrong valves, heat damage, and wrong burst disk. These failures sometimes cannot be fixed, and the tank will fail inspection.
If a tank fails inspection, it will need to be destroyed. Some dive shops will take care of this for you. If the tank passes inspection, the dive shop will give the tank a “passed inspection” sticker.
Damage to the Undercoat
Damage to the undercoat could happen when someone paints their scuba tank. Paint is not made for the rigors of scuba diving. Paint does not endure exposure to salt water very well, and corrosion can happen. When this happens, there may be damage to the undercoat.
Undercoat material
The undercoat of scuba tanks is made of two different materials. Scuba tanks are made of either aluminum alloy or stainless steel. Each undercoat comes with issues of their own without adding in the damage of paint.
Aluminum alloy is not as durable as stainless steel. Aluminum alloy can be easily damaged from external factors, leading to dents, dings, or cracks in the tank. However, aluminum tanks are lighter to carry out of the water.
Stainless steel scuba tanks are durable, but they are the heavier option. They are tougher on the boat and on dives, and are more resistant to any damage from the outside. However, they care must be taken to avoid internal rust.
Add Paint
When adding paint over the undercoat of the scuba tank, you are risking the scuba tank as well as the diver. The paint can cause the external material of the undercoat to corrode, crack, or pit.
Removing the paint may also damage the undercoat. Stripping away paint from the scuba tank could compromise the undercoating material, whether aluminum alloy or stainless steel.
Removing Paint
So, let’s talk about what would need to go into the removal of paint from the scuba tank. Paint removal is indicated if the scuba tank has visible damage or when the owner no longer wants the look or color.
There are steps to remove the paint in a less harmful way. Tanks must not be exposed to heat in this process, as it will harm the tank.
Steps to Removing Paint
There are a couple of steps that you must follow to remove paint from a scuba tank. Use caution with chemicals and hardware brushes when following these steps. The steps are as follows:
- Gather materials together
- Tape the tank
- Scour the tank
- Chemical stripper
- Paint thinner
- Finish with a wire brush
Be careful when removing any paint with the chemicals as they can be an issue when it comes in contact with skin, eyes, etc. Take your time and use proper protective gear.
Customization
While it is not recommended that scuba divers paint their scuba tanks, there are ways that the scuba tank can be customized. One idea is to use sharpies on the scuba tank. This can be used to personalize the tank without causing any damage. Sharpies will hold up underwater for awhile as well.
Another idea is to put stickers on the tank. While this is not as popular of an idea as sharpies, it is less damaging than painting the tank. Stickers will need to be removed for the annual inspection. Stickers are therefore only a temporary modification.
Tanks Work Best When Left Alone
As you can see, customizing a scuba tank comes with some downsides and risks. Stick with the original condition and color for best performance.
If you want a different look, aluminum tanks can be purchased in several different colors. Otherwise, sticking with an unaltered steel tank is the optimal way to go.
