Cost of tank inspections(hydro, Vis, & refilled)......

[diver 85]

If I go directly to hydro facility.

$23 for hydro, visual, & airfill​

If I get one of the Local Dive Shops to do it.

$25 hydro
$10 visual
$ 6 airfill
------------
$41 bucks total
​

Now it's cheaper to go to the local hydro facility directly,, but I don't think the LDS's are overcharging for their service really as they have to pay for an employee to make two trips to the hydro facility. (one to drop off and another to pick up the tank). You're paying for convience with the LDS as they are also open later and open on saturday and our hydro facility isn't. (just something to consider).

The break down on the ticket was........$10 Vis(with O rings)
........$ 5 Airfill
........$35 Hydro(@ cost)
........$50 Total plus tax
He told me(twice) that he was only charging what the hydro cost him from the hydro place.....So, the reason for mine being a little higher than most was the hydro place's charges.......

 

[TheWetRookie]

I went directly to a hydro place (somewhere that fire extinguishers are sold will do, usually)

Hydro: $18 CDN each
Vis: $16 CDN each
Purchase of used tank: $25 CDN

Picked up two used tanks and now I am good to go

My tank collection is growing, up to 5 now.

 

[oxyhacker]

Not to malign your LDS, which may be telling the truth, but I chuckle to myself every time I hear the "we are giving you this at our cost" line. Your LDS is in the business to make money, so why should they be performing this one particular job for zero profit? Sending the tanks out and keeping records etc costs the shop time an money, and the shop deserves to make some profit off it and would be dumb not to. And $35 is about double what a shop should be paying for hydros. Though I suppose it is possible that there is only one hydro shop in your area, which is as a result gouging, and the LDS is too nice to profit from it...

He told me(twice) that he was only charging what the hydro cost him from the hydro place.....So, the reason for mine being a little higher than most was the hydro place's charges.......

 

[mike_s]

The break down on the ticket was........$10 Vis(with O rings)
........$ 5 Airfill
........$35 Hydro(@ cost)
........$50 Total plus tax
He told me(twice) that he was only charging what the hydro cost him from the hydro place.....So, the reason for mine being a little higher than most was the hydro place's charges.......

Those prices I was charged were just the example of one of our hydro facilities and one of our LDS's. (though most of our LDS's are pretty close to the same price on that).

Most hydro facilities are privately owned and set their own prices based on what the market will bear, so you should expect to see some price difference based on what they want to charge.

 

[captain]

My cost for a hydro at the local facility, not an LDS, is $18.00. I do my own fills so I don't need an LDS VIP sticker.

 

[Davidstealey3]

since people talk about the 6351T6 aluminum tanks and the dive shops willing to fill them or not it comes down to this. they will have to put up some sort of bomb proof enclousure around the tanks being filled incase one of those tanks decide to fail. it is a cost that most of them cant afford, so they just decide not to fill these tanks. some bigger shops that have alot more money comming in can aford this cost. as for cattilna tanks they were not made of this type of Al and you dont have to worry about them being denied for filling. as for a price for hydro,vis,&fill it cost me $43.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Does that info come directly from the hydro shops, or via the LDS? I ask because normally hydro shops are much less likely to freak out over age alone, compared to a dive shop, since hydro shops deal with old industrial tanks all the time. Can't recall every having a tank rejected or questioned on the basis of age alone, unless it was one of the oddball ones which have a limited life according to the law or its exemption.

If it was the hydro shop, then that raises some interesting questions, as hydro shops are govt licensed to do a govt mandated inspection process according to strict standards provided by the government, so it is highly questionable whether they have the descretion to start enforcing their own nutty rules over those of the govt.

I was in the shop when the owner called after hearing the one guy's story. Hydro place confirmed that rather than hassle with types of metals, manufacturers, etc. They just were adopting the policy of not doing al tanks older than 15yrs. And right or wrong the hydro shop manager/owner personally believes that 15 yrs is max life for an al cylinder. When asked about whether or not the number of fills counted he said to him no because he had no way to verify how many times the tank had been filled. Hey he owns the joint and he can make the rules as to what services he performs.

 

[mike_s]

since people talk about the 6351T6 aluminum tanks and the dive shops willing to fill them or not it comes down to this. they will have to put up some sort of bomb proof enclousure around the tanks being filled incase one of those tanks decide to fail. it is a cost that most of them cant afford, so they just decide not to fill these tanks. .

There has been at least one case of a 6351T6 cylinder exploding some time after it was filled. In this case, it would have either been with the customer or sitting in the shop waiting on pickup. So the "bomb proof enclosure" wouldn't have helped in this case.

FYI... there are companies that make a cabinet with steel tubes in it that are designed to protect the occupants of the room in case of a cylinder failure. I've seen very few dive shops own them and some that have them still don't use them. go figure.

 

[Artimas]

Picked mine up today:

VIP $7.00
Hydro $39.00
Air $6.00

Total $52.00

 

[Stu S.]

Here a "Nitrox Tank" VIP often costs more than an "Air Tank VIP". Is that usual elsewhere?