Etiquette if the shop doesn't fill the tank completely

[Seaweed Doc]

You've gotten good advice here. Let me reiterate a few things and add a couple:

1. Drop it off one day, pick it up later.

2. Find a shop that will overfill slightly so when it cools it's at pressure. (My LDS does this routinely. They know how much to "overfill" any cylinder to it's at pressure when it cools.)

3. Insist they fill it to max rated pressure at least. (Though duly noted if it's a small outfit on an island they're not going to alter their set point just for you. A remote station I work out of has a cutoff at 2700, because they have some LP cylinders. That won't change.)

4. Ask for a "top off" if you realize it's low before you go diving. But make sure this is something they'll do free. (My LDS would, if you're a regular and it's just a bit off because it cooled.)

 

[KenE]

I find the best solution is just ask. They will tell you if they can or can't. I get mine filled why I wait because I don't live near a shop and they have to be filled before I leave so I can dive when I return. So, the shop knows this and overfills to accomodate for cooling. Every so often a new gas handler will come and I will have to ask again and they are shown. I have HP tanks that routinely are filled to 3800 so they cool to 3400. I don't care much about 100 psi or two because I always come up with 800-1000 psi, so a couple hundred psi doesn't really matter much. Again, the solution is to talk about it. You are new at this, don't be afraid to ask, we are all willing to help!

 

[TMHeimer]

The best way to get good fills is to drop the tanks off and pick them back up later.

That's what I try to do. If you wait for the fill you get what you get unless you sit there a while and ask them to top it off. I'm not too fussy if it's to 2800 with my very shallow dives. I do bring my reg. and test tanks myself just to be sure. One time in NY I found 1400 in there... I also check o-rings that they didn't blow out while filling. Yesterday I picked up my 4 tanks after the annual visuals-- 3 of them didn't have the new stickers on them and one o-ring was out. I always check things myself regardless of the shop's good reputation.

 

[SoCalDiver1]

I double check my tanks before i leave....nothing worse then getting to the beach and be low on air.

 

[Superlyte27]

I had the same issue for years. Most shops here have a compressor that auto shuts off at a set pressure so no matter what cylinder you bring in, your getting one fill and one fill only. Usually 200 bar (2900 psi) that cools to 180 (2600psi).

I ended up resolving the problem by just buying a used 300 bar (4351psi) compressor and filling them myself.

My compressor is the same way. Auto shut off every time. Of course that shut off is 5000psi

 

[Tim Clark Diving]

For pony bottles, I breath them prior to every dive so overtime they need to be topped off. I use a transfill whip and top them from one of my larger cylinders as needed.

 

[spool]

I use a white paint marker on my tanks. I highlight the hydro date, working pressure, and tank identification number.
Any fill in a pony bottle should last for the life of the hydro unless you have an out of air emergency, which you should never have.

Point well taken, that is your "don't touch" supply. I'm just trying to learn with practice but in that case especially I'd like to have a good fill.

I really like this idea, I mark things all the time to grab attention with paint markers. I guess if you leave it with them and they miss it then there's an evident problem of process, which you can ask politely for a top up.

This is probably a whole separate thread but 5 years for air? There seems to be varying opinion, some say 3 months, some say indefinite almost it seems.

 

[spool]

For pony bottles, I breath them prior to every dive so overtime they need to be topped off. I use a transfill whip and top them from one of my larger cylinders as needed.

Nice! I need to get one of those equalizers for this purpose

 

[spool]

I run a little fill station and I am NOT screwing with my auto-shutoff pressure switch for any Tom Dick or Harry who wants a higher fill pressure. I fill to 3300, 5 tanks at a time over 40 minutes and the tanks cool off to around 3100. That seems to be good enough for my customers and I do not get any complaints, especially since i'm the only guy providing clean, cheap fills on the island.

That seems more than fair

 

[Superlyte27]

Point well taken, that is your "don't touch" supply. I'm just trying to learn with practice but in that case especially I'd like to have a good fill.

This is probably a whole separate thread but 5 years for air? There seems to be varying opinion, some say 3 months, some say indefinite almost it seems.

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I have tanks that have helium in them they are 8+ years old. I’ll analyze them before I use them, but they’ll be just fine until they’re empty.