Why?
I am sure that at some point, all divers have experienced the issue of transporting a single, or even multiple cylinders in their vehicle, only to have them roll around in the boot or footwell. Which at best could ultimately damage the cylinder paintwork, cylinder valve, or your vehicle, and create a horrible banging noise. Or it could result in the cylinder valve opening resulting in a loss of gas and again a horrible loud noise. Or at worse, if the valve bursts it could blow out of the vehicle causing significant damage to life or property. Therefore, it’s important when transporting cylinders to keep them safe and secure.
If you always carry a car full of cylinders a cylinder rack isn’t required, however, the picture below is the exception and not the norm…
… so I decided to look at transportation options.
My original cylinder rack was made out of decking and carried 3 cylinders. It was robust and secure; however, it was extremely large and took up a lot of boot space (especially when not in use). After a short trial and deciding that it wasn’t suitable it has since been chopped and turned into my DPV stand (see below).
The only option was to try and make something that was more lightweight and portable. As with a number of my “How to’s”, such products are available to buy, however, in true Tim fashion, I thought that I could make something for a fraction of the cost.
Construction
You will need the following components:
1. Wooden dowel, stair bannister, pool noodles, plastic pipe, or similar for securing the cylinder.
2. Cave line from a spool.
3. Oxygen tubing.
And the following tools:
1. Hand saw.
2. Drill with bit.
3. Knife or scissors.
4. Lighter.
Start by cutting your dowel, pipe etc… into 1-2 foot sections. You will require 2 for a single-cylinder followed by an additional one for each extra cylinder.
Next drill holes through each end, wide enough to fit the cave line.
Next cut the oxygen tubing into the required lengths. In the case of my cylinder rank, the wooden dowel is spaced at 6.5” centres or 6” knot to knot*. My particular rack can take 12 or 15l steels (although in the case of the 15s not side by side) as well as ali 40, 7 and 80 stages. The image below shows 2x 15l steels and an ali 40. The reason for the tubing is because it gives some structure to the rack and acts as a separator preventing the dowel from sliding together.
*Depending on the diameter of the pipe or dowel you intend to use these dimensions may vary so adjust accordingly.
Starting off with a knot at one end, thread the cave line through the drilled hole, knotting it and adding the tubing between each dowel as you go. Finish off with a knot at the opposite end and cut off the remainder of the line.
As you can see from the images, this works extremely effectively to prevent the cylinders from rolling around. However, the setup may still slide if you have a plastic boot liner as I do due to the lack of friction. And when not in use, it rolls up and stows away nicely.
The boring bit!
All opinions expressed in my articles are my own and may differ to other instructor’s and agency guidelines; by no means are they wrong and I would not wish to disrepute any of them. This article is for information only and should not replace proper training.
Safe diving!
Timothy Gort
BSAC, PADI & SDI/TDI diver training
The step-by-step instructions provided make it so much easier for anyone to build their own rack for storing and transporting cylinders safely. Whether you need it for work or recreational purposes, having a reliable cylinder rack can be a game-changer. One idea that crossed my mind while going through the tutorial was repurposing this versatile rack for damaged car disposal. Since you mentioned it's portable, I can see how it could be useful for securely storing or transporting car cylinders or other hazardous materials found in damaged vehicles.
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