Does anyone ever ask to see how the tanks are filled?

[Juardis]

One of the things we learned in our cert class was to ask how the tanks are filled - gas or electric. If gas, ask to see the compressor and make sure the exhaust is lower than the intake. Seems like a good idea, but if it's an established dive shop, do you really need to be concerned about getting bad air? I have no problem asking/demanding I see their compressor, but I wouldn't want to get on their bad side either. Is this a common practice?

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

I wouldn't worry. I know we like to show ours off Most dive shops spend some good coin on their compressor setups, so it is nice when people are interested in what you are pumping out.

The dive shop should have nothing to hide, if they do, I would then be skeptical. You can always ask to see their Air Sample Report too
It would look like the below:

 

[fdog]

Weeelll...when we're traveling, I usually ask to get a quick tour of the fill station. Pretty much every op has been happy to do it - the couple of ops that were pretty resistive, turned out to be operations that we stopped using their air immediately once we saw what was behind "the curtain".

The knowledgable eye can pick out the clues that tell you if the operation is questionable quite easily. It's tougher to distinguish between "great air" and "mediocre air"; I've seen kinda sloppy compressor & fill stations that provided amazingly clean, perfect fills, and shops with surgical clean compressors that had barely Grade E.


...So go ahead and ask. If you see the dive op using a nasty compressor with oil puddled under it, tiny little filter stacks and they're unscrewing the valves on the tanks to pour water out of them, I'd run (not walk) to a different op.


All the best, James

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

One of the things we learned in our cert class was to ask how the tanks are filled - gas or electric. If gas, ask to see the compressor and make sure the exhaust is lower than the intake. Seems like a good idea, but if it's an established dive shop, do you really need to be concerned about getting bad air? I have no problem asking/demanding I see their compressor, but I wouldn't want to get on their bad side either. Is this a common practice?

It's one think to say, I'm a new diver and never seen a compressor before. That would probably get you an invite and a nice tour. However, I think it's over the top to demand to see the compressor because you need to see it for safety purposes. The response is going to probably be, who is this guy and who does he think he is to critique or criticize our compressor? By doing that you're stating loud and clear that you don't trust them. If you feel that level of inspection is necessary, you might as well go find another shop now...

Keep in mind, at an established shop you aren't going to see a compressor incorrectly configured as you described. It's probably been professionally installed or at least installed by someone with a clue, and most are electric anyway. I've only seen the senario you describe once in my life and it was a portable compressor temporarily setup, not a permanent installation at an active dive shop.

Bottom line: you have to have some level of trust because no matter how properly the compressor is installed, you still still have to extend some level of trust to use their air/gas.

 

[gypsyjim]

I was diving on Curacao a few years ago, when the course director leading our group decided to inspect the resort op's air fill systems, because he thought he detected a slight off taste to the gas. When he saw the condition of the equipment he changed out their filters. He nearly came to blows with the shop folks, but when he showed them the condition of that old filter, and said he was shipping it off to PADI with an explanation of the circumstances they quickly backed off.
There were a couple of other problems with that op, who are no longer in the business.

 

[TSandM]

If a shop got angry with me for asking to see their compressor (assuming I asked politely) I would be very worried that they had something to hide.

In the US, I think you are unlikely to find a visibly bad system -- liability is simply too high. But in other parts of the world, things are different.

 

[flots am]

One of the things we learned in our cert class was to ask how the tanks are filled - gas or electric. If gas, ask to see the compressor and make sure the exhaust is lower than the intake.

If they don't want to show you their compressor and their air analysis certificate, you probably don't want their air.

FWIW, If it's an electric compressor, the intake needs to be somewhere with pretty clean air. It shouldn't be out in the parking lot next to an idling truck.

If it's a gasoline or diesel driven compressor, the intake should be far away from the engine exhaust (both the compressor and the boat). Higher or lower doesn't really make any difference, although "upwind" does.

I'd be extremely wary about getting a fill from a non-electric compressor and would definitely want to see the whole system before getting any air.

flots.

 

[mathauck0814]

In my experience, many fill stations and compressor systems are on display. Very expensive stuff, something that (if it's in good shape) most shops are proud of!

 

[p1p]

Every dive shop I've used for fills has been glad to show their setups

 

[melanie.]

I don't see a problem with asking nicely. But really.. do you know anything about compressors?? Cuz I for sure don't, and have no clue what to even look for. I would rather ask to see an Air Sample Report, because those are actual testable results, not just me peeking to see how pretty and clean the outside of the compressor is