For custom fill/compressor trailers, click here. It's not quite DIY, but it might give you some ideas.
Mike
Mike
Scuba Air Bank
- Thread starter jazappi
- Start date
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OP
jazappi
Guest
Thanks that does help with some planning.
According to the Bauer Fill calculator, a cascade of 3, HC-4500, 444 cu ft bottles will yield 12, 80 cu ft fills from 500 to 3000 psi. In reality it is 11. Obviously if you have higher or lower starting pressure or wish to fill to a higher pressure it will vary. If you are pp blending nitrox, you will get 2-3 more fills. Once that 3rd bank bottle has reached 3000, you will only be able to do short fills. A booster pump would be useless as you will need to waste air to drive it unless you have a portable l.p. compressor for that purpose.
Craig
Craig
Tx_Jeff
Contributor
Feel free to stop by one of my stations in Cedar Park and you can check out our rescue unit (it has a cascade system). I work Mon 7th, Thurs 10th, Sun 13th, Wed 16th, basically every third day. Just let me know if you are interested and we'll set something up.
rcontrera
Contributor
OK ... I know this is going to sound like a sales spiel, but don't you think just getting a portable compressor would be an easier idea?
I mean, filling cascade bottles is a pain in the butt if you have to drag them out of the truck every time. Empty they weigh about 150#! And most dive shops don't have a setup to fill them.
So three of them with all the hardware to hook them up along with your hardware to keep them from rolling around mens you are carting around a little less than a half of a ton ... on top of your normal dive gear! I don't know what that will do to your mileage on your vehicle ... but on mine it is BAD!!
Then there is the expense. Each bottle with piping is roughly $500. A fill whip ... another $100. Mounting harness/rack ... $50-500 depending on how talented you are. Plus, whatever the dive shop chooses to charge for the fill. Looks like around $2000 with a LOT of work on your part! Way more if you go the trailer route.
(now comes the sales pitch
) You can get a portable gasoline driven compressor that can fill a standard 80 in about 20 minutes and weighs less than 100 pounds which will produce grade E air for around $3090. And each fill will cost you less than $2 in oil and filters.
Just another option.
I mean, filling cascade bottles is a pain in the butt if you have to drag them out of the truck every time. Empty they weigh about 150#! And most dive shops don't have a setup to fill them.
So three of them with all the hardware to hook them up along with your hardware to keep them from rolling around mens you are carting around a little less than a half of a ton ... on top of your normal dive gear! I don't know what that will do to your mileage on your vehicle ... but on mine it is BAD!!
Then there is the expense. Each bottle with piping is roughly $500. A fill whip ... another $100. Mounting harness/rack ... $50-500 depending on how talented you are. Plus, whatever the dive shop chooses to charge for the fill. Looks like around $2000 with a LOT of work on your part! Way more if you go the trailer route.
(now comes the sales pitch
) You can get a portable gasoline driven compressor that can fill a standard 80 in about 20 minutes and weighs less than 100 pounds which will produce grade E air for around $3090. And each fill will cost you less than $2 in oil and filters.Just another option.
I have a compressor in the back of my store and have considered it being nice to have air fills on site and longer duration dive trips. If I decided to do this I would definately go the compressor route instead of the tank route, that is unless you have a line on affordable tanks. You would need a few 4500 PSI banks to get many meaningful fills. Assume four. Figure around $200 is a good deal for each cylinder, and the hardware to connect two tanks at around $100. I think you would be happier with a small (good) compressor.
Brent
Brent
fppf
Contributor
FYI
DOT Hazmat does not care what the use is for. With Hazmat items you can't hind behind the "its not commercial" statement.
Once you break 1000 lbs of hazmat material, including the shipping container you will be required to follow hazmat regs.
Talk to a head DOT officer first. Its all fun and games until a lawyer gets involved, CYA.
DOT Hazmat does not care what the use is for. With Hazmat items you can't hind behind the "its not commercial" statement.
Once you break 1000 lbs of hazmat material, including the shipping container you will be required to follow hazmat regs.
Talk to a head DOT officer first. Its all fun and games until a lawyer gets involved, CYA.
james croft
Contributor
Buy a compressor instead.
OP
jazappi
Guest
So goes the question then. How much can I expect to spend on a compressor?
mike_s
Contributor
The search feature is your friend.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/co.../217728-rix-compressor-filter-tower-sale.html
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/co...-systems/215962-small-compressor-options.html
ScubaBoard - Compressors, Boosters and Nitrox/Trimix Blending Systems - Page 2
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/co...12466-max-air-35-compressor-any-comments.html
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/co...stems/192756-home-compressor-suggestions.html
plus many more....
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