Anywhere to Overfill Tanks Near the Keys?

[Addison Snyder]

I'm likely heading down to the Keys for the first time this weekend. I'd prefer to overfill my LP85s tanks. I'm 90% sure Rainbow Reef doesn't do that, and would feel better if my tank fill money went to somebody who did.

On a side note, any nice technical-oriented dive shops and charters in the area? Again, I've never been to the Keys for diving.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Horizon divers is the primary tech charter in KL. Almost every day there are enough customers to send a boat out to one of the wrecks for a double dip/deco dive. They also do dedicated tech trips to the deeper tech only sites. The crew are all great, they have a rack for deco bottles, and generally work well for tech.

No idea about cave fills, I keep a set of HP100s for trips outside of cave country.

 

[rddvet]

I'm lucky enough to have more tanks than 1 person ever needs so I always take enough tanks to cover all the dives I"m doing unless it's a long week of diving. Once you get south of cave country it's impossible to know who will give you full fills. I've had shops in S Florida and the Keys refuse to fill past 2500. I even pointed out to one that they were HP 100s rated to 3442, but they said "since they're the same as lp 85s they won't fill them past 2500." So I've got no confidence in shops down there. Even places I've been referred to that do real fills were shortfilling.

 

[tbone1004]

I don't take LP tanks to the keys if I can help it. If I do, I am like @rddvet and take enough bottles to get me through the trip. I also have my Pelican case with a booster in it if I need it.

 

[Manatee Diver]

I've had shops in S Florida and the Keys refuse to fill past 2500. I even pointed out to one that they were HP 100s rated to 3442, but they said "since they're the same as lp 85s they won't fill them past 2500." So I've got no confidence in shops down there. Even places I've been referred to that do real fills were shortfilling.

2,500 in a HP100, I wouldn't even pay for that.

 

[RyanT]

Horizon runs a good operation, and their crew is competent. Fills are where they fall short though. They won't overfill, tend to short fill, and they weren't very good at getting the mix right. Quiescence was better at fills, but I also wouldn't expect to get an overfill on your LPs.

 

[jborg]

Why do you guys not just use tanks rated for the amount of gas you want in them? Genuine question, because (systematic) overfills are not a thing on this side of the pond and I'm trying to wrap my head around why it is over there...

 

[Addison Snyder]

Why do you guys not just use tanks rated for the amount of gas you want in them? Genuine question, because (systematic) overfills are not a thing on this side of the pond and I'm trying to wrap my head around why it is over there...

Heavier. Why not get a racing car on the highway if you're going 90mph? Because you can do it in a prius, and don't want to own two cars.

I even pointed out to one that they were HP 100s rated to 3442, but they said "since they're the same as lp 85s they won't fill them past 2500."

That sounds like a cop-out for when they don't physically have banked gas at that high pressure.
Yeah, I've heard too many stories like this, hence why I'm making the thread in advance. I just wish there was a place down there to give my money for doing the right thing. I mean, I get it, your shop your rules. Just looking for the other place where I don't feel so screwed.

 

[RyanT]

@jborg, by overfilling LP tanks, you can pack substantially more gas into a moderately sized/weight tank. This can be particularly important on technical and cave dives where bringing extra gas is critical. For example, if you overfill a LP 95 tank, you can get nearly 130 cf of gas into the tank. To get that kind of gas in a service rated tank, you'd need to go to the much larger and heavier HP 133. Sorry for the imperial units , but hopefully this helps.

 

[Addison Snyder]

@jborg It should also be noted (I see you're in Sweden) that the US standards for tanks are pretty ridiculously conservative. An LP85 is generally rated for a much higher pressure overseas. Same exact tank made by the same manufacturer, with a different service pressure label.

Probably to do with all the guns n' stuff around \s