A life long dream about to become reality! :)

[AfterDark]

Today is a big day for me, today I put down half the cost of a compressor of my own!

This bad boy pumps 4.2 CFM at 4500PSI, OH BOY!

They say if you get a pool or a boat you'll have a lot of friends, I wonder if that holds true for compressors?
Not that I want a lot of friends but it should be interesting.

AfterDark's compressor. I feel like Mike ef'in Nelson!

EDIT I should add a plug for the dealer. I bought this from Shelden Sporting Goods - Air compressors owner known as frogman62 here on SB.

 

[chris kippax]

Nice work
I am looking forward to owning my own one day!!

 

[AfterDark]

Nice work
I am looking forward to owning my own one day!!

I've got a hunch that air stations, already few and far between around here are going to become more rare not less rare in the future. I think there are 3 maybe 4 here in the State of RI Although that is not why I bought it, the more I think about the more it seems like an investment in whatever time diving I have left. I would have liked to done this 50 years ago but I just couldn't swing the cost.
Strike while the iron is hot as they say now was the time I have a hot iron!

 

[chris kippax]

My main motivation is to save the pesky $200 dollar a year hydro bill for my 4 tanks.

 

[AfterDark]

My main motivation is to save the pesky $200 dollar a year hydro bill for my 4 tanks.

I don't blame you! Don't wait years turn into decades!

We do hydros every 5years here, it's a $35 - $50 US charge, however even when filling your own tanks we are legally required to have a current hydro date on every tank that is going to be transported over the roads. I suppose filling them at the dock and loading them into a boat wouldn't require hydro.
Then there is the fact that anytime I've been stopped by the police for a reason, the reason has yet to be to check the hydro stamp on the tanks in my car. And then there's this, if a tank blows ups during an auto accident and that tank didn't have a current hydro date and someone got hurt by a piece of that tank, well someone is going to wish they had sprung for a hydro by the time the lawyers get done!

A yearly visual inspection is required by all dive shops to fill a tank, it can be any dive shop but someone qualified in visual testing of HP tanks has to affix a VIP sticker on the tank with year and month of the visual. That is a $22.00 charge per tank and with 9 tanks it adds up to almost the same amount as your 4 tanks! That I can avoid but if I go to North Carolina I'd either have to get the tanks I take VIP'd at the LDS or rent tanks there. Such problems!

 

[Dark Wolf]

Congrats!!

DW

 

[James79]

They say if you get a pool or a boat you'll have a lot of friends, I wonder if that holds true for compressors?
Not that I want a lot of friends but it should be interesting.

If we're ever in the same town, I'd happily buy you lunch for fills! Does that count as friends coming out of the woodwork, lol.
Seriously, congrats... and I'm envious![/QUOTE]

 

[Zef]

Very nice.

Anyone ever have any luck working out a deal with the local fire department exchanging cookies/beer for air fills? They typically have a compressor for their SCBAs.

-Z

 

[AfterDark]

Very nice.

Anyone ever have any luck working out a deal with the local fire department exchanging cookies/beer for air fills? They typically have a compressor for their SCBAs.

-Z

No, the closest I came was my 1st year of diving I let a friend, the son of a fire fighter borrow my tank, reg and back pack, someone stole it or so he said. His father replaced the gear with the same type/brand gear and gave me a standing invite for as long as he was able to fill my tank at the fire station. That went on for 3 years before they moved! Back then air was .25 per fill, but it was 25 cents I didn't have to come up with and he always gave me 10% over!

Now I'll be doing the same for myself 10% over on everything!

 

[Zef]

No, the closest I came was my 1st year of diving I let a friend, the son of a fire fighter borrow my tank, reg and back pack, someone stole it or so he said. His father replaced the gear with the same type/brand gear and gave me a standing invite for as long as he was able to fill my tank at the fire station. That went on for 3 years before they moved! Back then air was .25 per fill, but it was 25 cents I didn't have to come up with and he always gave me 10% over!

Now I'll be doing the same for myself 10% over on everything!

I am a member of 2 clubs...1 I maintain membership because it is very active and the other I maintain membership primarily because I have 24/7 access to the compressor.

-Z