"Quick Hydro"

[rob.mwpropane]

I don't remember what company I used, but the last time I had tanks hydro'd by a fire extinguisher place here in Tampa, but they didn't dry them. By the time I got them to my dive shop to be VIP'd/filled (less than 24 hrs) they all had to be tumbled to remove flash rust. This negated the cost savings, not worth the hassle.

Here in MD going rate for Hydro / VIP / Fill is about $50+ tax. When you have 15+ tanks, even a little saved is worth the hassle. By doing my homework and a little elbow grease I've managed to chip that down to $35 flat and it's at a shop that does know the roundout procedure.

+$225 in my pocket..... with which I guess I can buy more tanks!

 

[Ana]

This shop is well south of you, (just a bit south of Ft. Lauderdale International Airport,) but did offer quick turnaround on hydros.

I've used Marc Buck's services a bit in the past, but at the time he ran a cash only business. That dissuaded me from giving him more of my custom as I didn't feel like going to a bank or ATM whenever one of my many tanks required servicing. According to his website, he now accepts credit cards.

Scuba Tank Services – Best Price and Fastest Turnaround

I've been using this company for a while now. Started using them just for Hydro's, but after experiencing the generalized BS on most of the Pompano dive shops, husband and I decided to use them for fills too. Is pretty radical, let's say you want 35% Nitrox because that's what you want, that's what you get. They understand steel tanks, without age discrimination,
Even more radical, E V E R Y single fill is a real fill. Almost like they care about their job, haven't seem anything like it since Fill Express.
It is a bit of a drive from our house but even with I-95 drama, it is better than hoping the planets are fully aligned and you can maybe get 3100psi on a HP bottle in any of the shops around Pompano.

 

[_Ralph]

Around here (not Florida), we use fire extinguisher hydro facilities.

You do need to screen them first on WHAT they do and HOW they do it, and let them know WHAT they should be doing... As they usually are doing cylinders in the 30psi range.

There are also lots of Industrial Gas Cylinder hydro facicilites, but they usually are 2-3x the price, but depending on what they do, that could be advantageous (drying, cleaning, etc). And can be same day (drop off early morning, pick up late afternoon), or, in some cases, while you wait over a lunch break.


All the dive shops here go to the same fire extinguisher facility, they do SCUBA/SCBA on Fridays... drop off before afternoon on the Thursday, pickup on the Monday..

If one were to leave them with a Dive shop, they would wait until they had a vehicle full of tanks, then send them off to hydro.... which could be upwards of a month wait just to get them hydro'd... And charge you for the "(in)convenience" onto of a VIP/O2 Clean



_R

 

[Capt Davy J]

Here in MD going rate for Hydro / VIP / Fill is about $50+ tax. When you have 15+ tanks, even a little saved is worth the hassle. By doing my homework and a little elbow grease I've managed to chip that down to $35 flat and it's at a shop that does know the roundout procedure.

+$225 in my pocket..... with which I guess I can buy more tanks!

I guess people just don't understand that 95% of dive shops, after you drop off your tanks, send the tanks to a facility like a fire service.
I just had four tanks hydro'd at the place I linked to..... about $18.00 per tank.

 

[Marie13]

Here the fire extinguisher shop that I could drop my tanks at for hydro keeps 9-5 M-F hours. Damned inconvenient. Just easier to drop them off at the dive shop.

 

[greeniguana]

My local dive shop is a certified hydro tester. My tanks never leave their shop, and I don't have to explain roundout.

 

[Marie13]

My local dive shop is a certified hydro tester. My tanks never leave their shop, and I don't have to explain roundout.

That’s the exception, not the rule. The shop where I just got 2 AL80s hydroed through said the hydro facility no longer will be doing scuba tanks. Mine were the last. Unknown if the dive shop has found another hydro place yet.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

My local dive shop is a certified hydro tester. My tanks never leave their shop, and I don't have to explain roundout.

That's where I've been taking mine to, but it's $35 / tank (without fill / vip) as opposed to $20 / tank at a hydro shop. I figure $15 / tank more for cheap insurance that the roundout procedure is done right.

Edit: that shop is about 1.5 hrs away, and as @Marie13 said...exception not the rule

 

[Capt Davy J]

My local dive shop is a certified hydro tester. My tanks never leave their shop, and I don't have to explain roundout.

Umm, well, why don't you tell us where this dive shop is? Most of the shops in Tampa, that I'm aware of, send them out.
One shop in Sarasota seems to do them onsite.......

 

[greeniguana]

Umm, well, why don't you tell us where this dive shop is? Most of the shops in Tampa, that I'm aware of, send them out.
One shop in Sarasota seems to do them onsite.......

No problem!

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