Compressor for Sale in Maine?

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TFi

Registered
Messages
6
Reaction score
1
Location
Downeast Maine
# of dives
200 - 499
I’m located around Penobscot Bay in Maine and have a lot of trouble getting tanks filled in the area. Does anyone have or know of a small compressor for sale in the New England area? Or is there anyone in the downeast area that knows any secret spots to get fills?

Thanks!
 
too north for @Luis H but I would start talking to the local volunteer fire departments. Odds are they have an SCBA compressor, and if you bring some food and your own adapter, they are usually quite generous with its use....
 
too north for @Luis H but I would start talking to the local volunteer fire departments. Odds are they have an SCBA compressor, and if you bring some food and your own adapter, they are usually quite generous with its use....
Thank you for the suggestion. I tried that route and the local FD wasn’t willing to help out. Something about risk to their equipment.. yadda yadda
 
Not sure where your located, I’m in the Bangor area. Last I knew Aquacity was still doing fills, Hamilton’s Marine in Southwest Harbor had a compressor. Johnson’s in Rockland? I’m running into the same issue as you. The fire departments used to be ok with fills but a lot of do not want liability.
 
Buy a used Bauer Junior II off Ebay or Craigslist for around 2k. Not cheap but when you figure what your time driving to and from the diveshop is worth along with the cost of gas, it'll usually pay for itself within a year or 2. If you are currently also paying for hydrotesting and visuals it becomes a deal.

Michael
 
Not sure where your located, I’m in the Bangor area. Last I knew Aquacity was still doing fills, Hamilton’s Marine in Southwest Harbor had a compressor. Johnson’s in Rockland? I’m running into the same issue as you. The fire departments used to be ok with fills but a lot of do not want liability.
I had to resort to driving to SW Harbor the other day (1.5 hr each way) to find out they wouldn’t bend on the hydro dates... have to wait 3 weeks now to get them back and pay through the nose.
 
Buy a used Bauer Junior II off Ebay or Craigslist for around 2k. Not cheap but when you figure what your time driving to and from the diveshop is worth along with the cost of gas, it'll usually pay for itself within a year or 2. If you are currently also paying for hydrotesting and visuals it becomes a deal.

Michael
This might be the best idea. Have you had experience with this particular one?
 
My experience with the Bauer Junior II has been great. I believe it to be the best of the non professional hobby compressors(Bauer, Coltri, MaxAir, L&W and so on). It usually costs more than the others but I didn't ever regret paying a bit extra for that kind of quality.
I bought mine new, back in 2000. I'ts first job was to transfer 60000 Liters of Helium to 300bar storage tanks, with a couple of short breaks the compressor ran 11hrs that day.
Since then it has run 1200+hrs filling tanks with air, transfering helium from one storagetank to another, and keeping 2 argon storage tanks topped off to 300Bar over the last 19 years.
Change the synthetic oil every other year, never pump argon when the compressor is hot, or for longer than 20 minutes and it'll just keep on running.
At one time I also had a Capitano and a Mariner, but finally sold them when I stopped selling gas to other divers. Over the last few years all the tech divers switched to rebreathers and suddenly I wasn't making any money putting 150L of Helium in a diluent tank or 2.
The Junior II stayed and it still treats me well.

Micheal
 
Having my own compressor has, over the years, saved me a fortune by not having to pay others to do hydros and visuals for me. I have over 50 diving tanks in addition to the 10x 50L 300bar storage tanks and If I had to pay for hydros and visuals it would add thousands of dollars to my costs per year, without any value being added.

Yes, occasionally I take a hard look inside a tank, and also perform a hydro myself - in europe easy to do since the tank expansion during hydro is not measured in europe, with the exception of CF tanks. Over the last 10 years I've had 2 tanks that I wasn't sure about and took them to the official hydro tester myself (and watched him test the tanks while I was standing there).

Michael
 
Our loose affiliation of divers in the area (called Mid-Coast Maine Aqua-Nuts) have been kicking around the idea of getting a compressor. Still in the discussion phase...
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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