Ballyhoo
Registered
What is the annual cost of operating a rebreather? Can you work on them yourself or does everything have to be done through a certified service tech? How often do they have to be serviced?
What is the annual cost rebreather
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Highly dependable on:
Dive profiles you do
Specific rebreather/configuration you have
Location (service)
Dive profiles you do
Specific rebreather/configuration you have
Location (service)
Snusmumrik
Contributor
Me grab a bag of popcorn and sit in the corner...
Too much "depends of". Unavoidable cost is sensors. All other can be very dependable from
unit - user serviceable or only factory (like poseidon),
regs used - can you DIY service it , or only shop serviced,
and last but not least - your will to DIY service or just "shut up, take my money and bring this stuff back to life"
For me - rebreather annually cost consists of
sensors, sorb, and O2 cyls exchange cost because i DIY service regs, unit is obsolete and not serviceable anymore, and i have time all other stuff to use rebreather.
Too much "depends of". Unavoidable cost is sensors. All other can be very dependable from
unit - user serviceable or only factory (like poseidon),
regs used - can you DIY service it , or only shop serviced,
and last but not least - your will to DIY service or just "shut up, take my money and bring this stuff back to life"
For me - rebreather annually cost consists of
sensors, sorb, and O2 cyls exchange cost because i DIY service regs, unit is obsolete and not serviceable anymore, and i have time all other stuff to use rebreather.
Depends on the unit and your own ability & training.
I have done a service course for 3 out of 4 of the units I dive.
As an example one of my units:
(prices RRP in euros)
3x cells @ 85 euro each = 255
complete set of o-rings 64 euro
Change o-rings myself. clean all parts myself. 2x 1st stages to service myself.
Labour if I was to do it for someone else: 280 euro (check your local price)
Total: 600 euro.
Some units have other consumables you may need to replace.
When things go wrong:
Very dependent on the brand you purchase but from my experience (no brands named):
Sending the electronics back to the UK - Typically less than 2 weeks turn around.
Sending the electronics back to the Denmark - Typically less than 2 weeks turn around.
Sending the electronics back to the Sweden - Typically 2+ years turn around.
Recommendation.
Definitely something you want to consider before purchasing a unit. And have a plan in place.
Ask your instructor of the unit your planning to train on and verify service /repair procedure prior to committing to a unit. Who to contact and what the typical costs are.
I have done a service course for 3 out of 4 of the units I dive.
As an example one of my units:
(prices RRP in euros)
3x cells @ 85 euro each = 255
complete set of o-rings 64 euro
Change o-rings myself. clean all parts myself. 2x 1st stages to service myself.
Labour if I was to do it for someone else: 280 euro (check your local price)
Total: 600 euro.
Some units have other consumables you may need to replace.
When things go wrong:
Very dependent on the brand you purchase but from my experience (no brands named):
Sending the electronics back to the UK - Typically less than 2 weeks turn around.
Sending the electronics back to the Denmark - Typically less than 2 weeks turn around.
Sending the electronics back to the Sweden - Typically 2+ years turn around.
Recommendation.
Definitely something you want to consider before purchasing a unit. And have a plan in place.
Ask your instructor of the unit your planning to train on and verify service /repair procedure prior to committing to a unit. Who to contact and what the typical costs are.
DiveLikeAMuppet
Contributor
About GBP 600 if nothing breaks for a JJ? 3 - 4 cells (depending on how you rotate spares), o-ring kits, batteries, keeping 2 sets of O2/dil cylinders in test with the right stickers. Doesn’t include cost of my time to service the unit. If I sent it to someone, it would be maybe additional 150 - 250.
lizardland
Contributor
Depends on what you buy. I dive a Mk15 and before that a Class KISS. Everything on both is user serviceable.
Cells depend on what your regime is. Some people stagger them, change 1 evey 6 months. Some people do all three every year. Some people are reactive and just change a cell when they get a failure or weird readings.
Lime costs depend on how often you dive and, again, what your regime for changing it is. I'll run my Mk15 scrubber for a couple of days usually but I changed the KISS every day.
Batteries, peanuts. Mine runs from a rechargeable 14500 battery so doesn't really cost much other than the initial cost of a couple of batteries and a charger.
Gas... I keep a couple of 20's of oxygen and decant from that. If I'm on a weekend trip then I'll just take one of those and do my own filling. I use industrial grade O2, cost is pretty minimal. Dil... I have a pair of 12's with some very rich trimix, decant from that and top with air as necessary. Again, costs are manageable.
Cylinder tests... it was pretty rare my KISS cylinders were in test as I was filling them myself. I would not allow my Mk15 spheres anywhere near a dive shop. I'd rather take the chance of one going kaboom than let a minimum wage monkey touch something that might cost a couple of grand to replace.
Servicing... Once a year or so I'll completely disassemble my unit, give it a good clean, disinfect anything that gets coated in slobber. Orings are orings, once you know the sizes you can buy anywhere. My Mk15 regs are very simple Sherwood valves and have never been serviced and I probably never will unless something happens. My KISS regs were Apeks so more complex and I'd do them every couple of years or so unless leaking. I would service them myself. I usually take the BOV apart and clean and lube every year as well.
Spares... Jetsam were always very helpful with spares and advice. Kim often sent stuff just for the cost of postage. That was in the early days and I'd guess Jetsam are a lot more corporate now. Mk15 spares... I'm not sure how you would break something on it. Most of it is stainless steel. The electronics are the weak point, I've replaced mine with a Hammerhead and Juergensen Marine are generally very helpful.
One of the big costs can be bail out cylinders. Mine are all long out of test so if I ever have to bail out on a serious dive then it's going to be a ball-squeaking bill to get them put back in test, O2 service and filled.
Annual costs aren't huge for me nor were they on a KISS. I know people with Inspos that regularly get huge bills for things that, to my naive eye, looks like fixing bad design choices by APD. I know people with other units that never touch them from one year to the next and they keep going.
A rebreather is like buying a house, big upfront cost and then ongoing maintenance. Open circuit is like renting. Both choices are a hole in the ground you pour money into.
Cells depend on what your regime is. Some people stagger them, change 1 evey 6 months. Some people do all three every year. Some people are reactive and just change a cell when they get a failure or weird readings.
Lime costs depend on how often you dive and, again, what your regime for changing it is. I'll run my Mk15 scrubber for a couple of days usually but I changed the KISS every day.
Batteries, peanuts. Mine runs from a rechargeable 14500 battery so doesn't really cost much other than the initial cost of a couple of batteries and a charger.
Gas... I keep a couple of 20's of oxygen and decant from that. If I'm on a weekend trip then I'll just take one of those and do my own filling. I use industrial grade O2, cost is pretty minimal. Dil... I have a pair of 12's with some very rich trimix, decant from that and top with air as necessary. Again, costs are manageable.
Cylinder tests... it was pretty rare my KISS cylinders were in test as I was filling them myself. I would not allow my Mk15 spheres anywhere near a dive shop. I'd rather take the chance of one going kaboom than let a minimum wage monkey touch something that might cost a couple of grand to replace.
Servicing... Once a year or so I'll completely disassemble my unit, give it a good clean, disinfect anything that gets coated in slobber. Orings are orings, once you know the sizes you can buy anywhere. My Mk15 regs are very simple Sherwood valves and have never been serviced and I probably never will unless something happens. My KISS regs were Apeks so more complex and I'd do them every couple of years or so unless leaking. I would service them myself. I usually take the BOV apart and clean and lube every year as well.
Spares... Jetsam were always very helpful with spares and advice. Kim often sent stuff just for the cost of postage. That was in the early days and I'd guess Jetsam are a lot more corporate now. Mk15 spares... I'm not sure how you would break something on it. Most of it is stainless steel. The electronics are the weak point, I've replaced mine with a Hammerhead and Juergensen Marine are generally very helpful.
One of the big costs can be bail out cylinders. Mine are all long out of test so if I ever have to bail out on a serious dive then it's going to be a ball-squeaking bill to get them put back in test, O2 service and filled.
Annual costs aren't huge for me nor were they on a KISS. I know people with Inspos that regularly get huge bills for things that, to my naive eye, looks like fixing bad design choices by APD. I know people with other units that never touch them from one year to the next and they keep going.
A rebreather is like buying a house, big upfront cost and then ongoing maintenance. Open circuit is like renting. Both choices are a hole in the ground you pour money into.
Snusmumrik
Contributor
Yes, exactly. At first, you decide to buy rebreather... Then... O2 storage bottle(s)... Booster... Air compressor... Spare cylinders... Spare rebreather... Tons of stuff...
lizardland
Contributor
It's like Hunter Thompson said about a serious drug collection, "once you get locked into it, the tendency is to push it as far as you can".
Markus MDDT
Registered
This might help. Let us know what your " Time to amortization in years" is! 
Click the link and make your own calculation, FYI this is not my calculation.
Click the link and make your own calculation, FYI this is not my calculation.
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