Homebuilt ROVs Forum

Hi, I,m wondering if it is possible to use bike inner tubes to get the neutral buoyancy right on my ROV.

The tubes would be housed in a 4 inch piece of waste pipe with holes drilled in, and the valve to inflate or deflate sticking out of the side. Two 4 inch pipes would be fitted to the top rails of the ROV.

Is this a feasible idea? Would they lose buoyancy the deeper they went?

Dave

Hi Dave,

Using bike inner tubes to get the neutral buoyancy is a good idea IF you can adjust the amount of air you have inside during your dive. The air will compress as you get deeper. For example, if you start with 1 liter air ind the tube at surface then the volume will be compressed to 1/2 liter at ten meters. In other words you will lose buoyancy if you don't add more air into the bladder.

/Kale

Hey Kale, thanks for your reply! I,ll be using foam in that case!

Dave