Do pony fills count as a fill?

[EvilSlumLord]

Still a newbie but just got a 19cf pony set up recently and was wondering if it is typical to have this count as a fill at most LDS's. I haven't picked it up yet so haven't had a chance to ask the store how this gets handled normally but was wondering what I should expect. I will be filling it with air at this point.

Seems like it ought to be treated differently given the small volume but I could see how from the store's perspective it isn't that much different.

Thanks!

 

[Cap335]

Still a newbie but just got a 19cf pony set up recently and was wondering if it is typical to have this count as a fill at most LDS's. I haven't picked it up yet so haven't had a chance to ask the store how this gets handled normally but was wondering what I should expect. I will be filling it with air at this point.

Seems like it ought to be treated differently given the small volume but I could see how from the store's perspective it isn't that much different.

Thanks!

Most stores will charge the same no mater what size on air. Nitrox might be different if its charged by the cu ft

Randy

 

[mike_s]

Some shops will give you free pony fills if you bought the tank/pony there.... free air fills that is, not Nitrox..... However, you'll find that you'll pay for pony fills at most shops.

You'll pay for nitrox fills just about anywhere for a pony though.

Think about it though... A pony setup is a bottle that you should use only in case of an emergency. So in theory, you should never use it and never have to have it filled.... right?

 

[DandyDon]

If I owned the store, I'd charge full for it, as it's virtually as much work as a regular tank - just not as heavy. The volume doesn't matter much. I always expect to pay same for it.

But then, I'll go from one plane trip to another not needing it filled, as its' for emergency bailout only.

 

[PhotoTJ]

I don't charge for pony fills, it's a safety thing.

 

[RobbieTheHun]

Just out of curiosity what made you decide to get a pony bottle? You have very few dives and task loading with this kind of equipment can become more confusing and dangerous when not properly trained than the problem that may have necessitated the use of the equipment in the first place.

Diving with a competent and alert dive buddy who can help you if you get into trouble is a far more viable solution.

If I were you I would put the money you were going to spend on the bottle and the rigging toward more dive training, I believe that would be a more prudent investment.

Good luck

RTH

 

[ClayJar]

First, let me give the official "Thhhhbbbtt!!" at the "Mommy never got *me* a pony..." whining. Okay, now that's out of the way...

I turn on the valve on my pony before a dive, check that it breathes, and turn off the valve, leaving the system pressurized. After a weekend or few of diving, I'll have used up a non-negligible amount of air, and I'll bring my pony in to be topped off. I've never been charged for the 200-ish psi topping off, but I usually am also getting two or three tanks filled at the same time.

If I were getting a pony filled by itself, I wouldn't be too surprised to be charged, but a shop that will fill it free (as a safety service) will generate additional good will with me. Being charged for hundred psi topping off when I'm getting several fills, on the other hand, would probably have me feeling nickeled-and-dimed.

(Note: I got a pony early in my diving, and having about 75 logged dives behind me and my NAUI Master Scuba Diver card, I can honestly say it was a very good thing for me to do. I've *never* treated my pony as "spare" air. It's *ONLY* for equipment failure at depth. If I ever use it because I breathed my tank down, the dive trip is as over as if I'd had a DCS hit, and I'll have a heckuva lot of explaining to do before I am allowed back in the water.)

 

[EvilSlumLord]

Thanks all. I don't really mind paying for it if it is typical. Just didn't want to be a complete newb and get charged if it isn't normal.

RobbieTheHun, the answer your question, I didn't get the pony as a replacement for a buddy. I've been looking at doing more deep dive training and figured it would be worth the investment (and never hurts for safety). I wasn't going to even use it until I got to that training. Also, my LDS was having a sale recently so I went ahead and got it. That said, while I do expect my buddy to be there for me, having a little extra insurance never hurts. I certainly won't be using it for extended bottom time or anything like that.

 

[lamont]

I usually get dinged $40 for helium fills. If I top off a tank or Ar bottle with EAN21 I always mention it, but never get charged for it...

 

[gcbryan]

Some shops also have a lower charge for pony fills.