DIY Filling

[RSL]

I am looking at someway to put some kind of tank system in my dive trailer so I can fill my tanks at the dive site.(insted of paying 5 or 6 bucks each at the quarry) Can anyone help me out with what I need, what cost there will be, etc.

 

[Dive-aholic]

It will be more expensive to maintain a cascade system large enough to provide you with the required fills, not to mention having to fill the system. You might consider purchasing a compressor, but unless you are doing over 100 dives a year and have enough tanks to fill them at home, it's not financially practical.

 

[Rick Inman]

I am looking at someway to put some kind of tank system in my dive trailer so I can fill my tanks at the dive site.(insted of paying 5 or 6 bucks each at the quarry) Can anyone help me out with what I need, what cost there will be, etc.

If you're trying to save money, your own portable fill station ain't the way. After about a zillion fills, you might break even (if you don't count the cost of your time in building and maintaining it).

For strickly recreational divers, the reasons to have your own personal fill station usually are:

* You're into being self sufficient (cost is not relevant).

* You're unable to get fills otherwise (remote location, etc).

* You enjoy the DIY aspect of the fill station.

* You are diving exotic gasses (trimix, O2).

I've hauled HE tanks for cascading to save money (5 of us trimix divers sharing the cost took a trailer full for a 5 day trip) and then we top at the shop. And I can even see O2. But for air or nitrox at the quarry, I'd just enjoy the convenience and low cost of their fill station.

 

[rcontrera]

They are right. Saving money isn't what filling your own bottles is all about. For example, for a heavily used gasoline portable compressor costs are somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 per fill.

$3090 - Compressor (about $ .50-.75 per fill wear and tear)6.33
$ 60 - Filter (good for about 45 fills so $1.33 per fill)2.40
$6.70 - Oil change ( about $ .05 per fill).27
Gasoline and oil for engine - about $ .77 (based on $2.50 per gallon for gas)

However, if you pump less than 100 tanks per year, the compressor cost goes up exponentially since lack of use is almost as damaging to one of these little guys as use is. A diver that only does say 25 fills per year will raise the cost to about $ 9.77 per fill.

No ... filling your own cylinders is more for convenience, peace of mind (knowing the quality of your air), getting a full fill, etc. Money isn't really a factor.

 

[RSL]

What if you leave the filling the tanks part out? I have a contact at a local company that does gas; everything from pure medical O2 to liquid nitrogen. I can get the big cylinders (I think they are E cant remember, thier about 5 feet tall) filled with certified breathing air for about 8 bucks each. So te filling is not a cost issue, just the other stuff invovled.

 

[RSL]

Also I was wrong on the quarry price, it is 8 bucks a bottle and the LDS for me is 75 miles away and they charge $12.

 

[rcontrera]

If all you want to put in the trailer is a bank of bottles, it's gonna be massive! One 4500 PSI 444 cubic foot bottle will fill an 80 one time completely full. The second fill will be a little less than 3000 and so on. You would have to cascade a BUNCH of bottles to be able to fill your dive cylinders very many times. You are either going to have to pay the fill rate or get your own compressor.

 

[RSL]

It was suggest by the gas company to use 6000 psi bottles and that I could get about 28 fills for 80 cubic foot scuba bottles?

 

[rcontrera]

YIKES!!! How big of a bottle is that?? A standard 6000 psi bottle is 504 cubic feet. Let's see ... 504 devided by 80 sure isn't 28!!

In actuallity, you will get three fills of 3000 psi and the fourth only about 2200 from that 6000 psi tank. Obvoiusly, the guy is talking out his wazoo trying to get you to spend money.

 

[RSL]

They said by casadeing thee bottles you can do that fill the scuba tank as much as you can with the first then the 2nd then the 3rd and son on, that way you are using each bottle to top off waht the last could not.