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

[cloudflint]

Im always quite happy if someone asks me how their bottles are filled, its a good excuse to teach them how to use the club compressor so they can take their turn in the bottle filling rota If someone is around a while and dosent ask ill usually "offer" to show them what all those complicated dials and valve do and before they know it they are sitting in the dive club hut on Saturday afternoon filling everyone's tanks, i suspect this may be why quite a few of my friends actively refuse to allow me to show them how the thing works

 

[DivemasterDennis]

As a tank filler and compressor runner, I usually do ask, posing my question out or "professional curiosity." I don't make demands or intrude, just a friendly comment during check in at new places. (Dive resort or liveaboard) No one has ever been upset- they are usually happy to show their operation and "talk shop." In nearly 1000 dives I can say I have never had a "bad tank" but I know it happens. I see nothing wrong with a polite inquiry. I do think doing maintenance on the hosts equipment may be a little over the top, but if I did see a problem or issue, I would not hesitate to ask about it, again in a polite and non-intrusive way.
DivemasterDennis

 

[RonFrank]

The compressor at Blue Hole, NM is old (70s') but I know the filters are changed out on schedule, and it is serviced on schedule. I seriously doubt a layman can tell the difference between a piece of junk and well maintained but old. So look at the air tests before you fancy yourself a compressor mechanic. A lot of machines are not very pretty....

 

[cloudflint]

The compressor at Blue Hole, NM is old (70s') but I know the filters are changed out on schedule, and it is serviced on schedule. I seriously doubt a layman can tell the difference between a piece of junk and well maintained but old. So look at the air tests before you fancy yourself a compressor mechanic. A lot of machines are not very pretty....

I know the feeling there, the compressor my dive club uses was bought second hand sometime in the 60's, operating it is alot like driving a steam engine It looks like a big pile of rubbish with pipes shooting out everywhere and parts bolted on apparently at random but it actually works really well and is very well maintained since its been there so long most of us can strip it down and rebuild it in our sleep

 

[Jill from Phoenix]

I agree that a compressor can be the most expensive thing a store owns if not the facility or boat so they'd want to show it off and gain your confidence in their quality. If the compressor or fill station is in a front area where it is visible this would be easiest. However, if it's in a back area, in the states the slip and fall insurance might not cover a customer to be in the back area. If the compressor was running or fill station was in use, the customer is at greater risk - the actual filling of cylinders is potentially a dangerous operation. I've had burst disks go and the tank can get out of control and possible hit a customer. I've also filled paintball CO2, I always wore goggles (and gloves), because I saw a leak in the hose hit someone in the eye once.

The trace analytics or other report should definitely be in a front visible area. And there are other ways for checking for quality fills, but nothing is for sure. Best bet if you don't trust them, don't take their air.

 

[Invictys]

I'm new to diving but am an avid reader. This subject has been addressed on SB do a search

I read that electric compressors can still produce bad air with toxic levels of Carbon Monoxide due to their lubricants being overheated and of poor quality.

also, that air quality report shops so like to fall back on is only required quarterly and according to many people here on SB they usually do them right after they change the filters and when the compressor is cold.

My understanding is that the results of air quality tests only give you a snapshot in time. One in the most ideal circumstance for presentation not comparable to real world use.

Unfortunately as in every other business it comes down to their bottom line and ethics or education of the shop owners.

The only way to truly be sure and not just trust is to get a CO analyzer like the one from Analox and test your tanks.

As I said before though, do a search on SB for a lot more info on the subject.

 

[knowone]

It's good to see the rubber necked nose pokers into stuff they know nothing about
and is none of their business anyway getting involved, relying on liability which really
only drives prices up and people out of business as some sort of fantastical protectant
force field, which by the nature of regulation and litigation only serves to give the shonky
operator simple and specific guidlines to circumvent because he can afford to set it up that
way unlike those that can't afford and conduct themselves as best as humanly possible either
of which can be caught short because they are human, in this self manufactued litigious society
where you deserve everything you get

Allegedly

Pay insurance?
Service filter?
Pay insurance?
Service filter?
Feed kids?
Feed kids?
Next month!

 

[String]

I don't think you can tell a lot by simply looking at a compressor. Other than intake/exhaust locations you have no real idea as to the internal condition unless you strip it down. You dont know when the filters were changed, if they were reassembled properly when done, the oil levels and change and so on - in other words most of the important stuff regarding compressor operations you arent going to see by doing a simple guided "tour" and looking at the outside.
Everywhere should display its latest gas analysis certificate (a legal requirement in most countries) though.

 

[DevonDiver]

I'm all for transparency within the scuba industry, but fail to understand the benefits of "looking at a compressor" if you don't have the technical understanding to understand exactly what you are looking at. As other have mentioned, without technical knowledge, you can't make a snap judgement on the relative safety of a compressor set-up at a glance.

Contaminated air is a very, very minor issue in scuba diving. It'd be grossly unfair to a dive operation for an unqualified, but zealous, diver to cast an uneducated glance at their system and then negatively judge that dive operation based upon some speculative assumptions that have no technical grounding.

 

[Tigerman]

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.

I think if they actually LET you see a visibly bad system, you should run as if your name was Usain Bolt

All the places I get my fills "at home" the fill stations is in plain sight of anyone who wants to have a look and Ive yet to see a bad system over here as well.
As far as other parts of the world, definetly a different story and unfortunately many places not so easy to check on as dive shops might have a large facility where several ops get their tanks filled and in that case you really have to go out of your vacation-minded way to see it, have to trust the dive op youre using or bring your own co analyzer or any other contaminant analyzing gear..