How much should an airfill be?

[triplecove]

Herb, Has it been a dependable unit and are you pleased with it?

---------- Post added November 19th, 2012 at 03:14 PM ----------

And to me good quality air can be provided at a good price with room for the LDS to make a "few bucks" but profit of $6 or more per fill is not reasonable its robbery.

A thing to remember, not all LDS's make a profit off air fills. ( I bet few do).

I live 300 miles "inland". A lot of divers that drive to the beach to dive for a weekend get their fills "at the beacH" or rent tanks there.

So there isn't a lot of local filling going on. THe part that is is prob half students for classes or dive masters/instructors. (zero profit and a loss if you consider it still cost time/labor/filters/electricity/overhead/etc.

Add to it the fact that here no one dives in the winter (for the most part), then the LDS has a compressor and bank system that is barely used except for 4 or so "warmer months". Yet that compressor and Storage Bank costs the same as for someone who uses it 365 days a year, like the Keys. So tank fills get itemized out at a higher cost. I don't get fussy over this because I don't have other good local choices and I'm thankful he's there doing fills.




Take a good look at your liability and coverage once you start doing fills for or with someone else.

So my buddy who is 1/2 owner, who will be filling his own tanks might sue me? How could I be liable?

 

[oldschoolto]

Not your friend... But his wife and kids will sue in a heartbeat... you had control of the air compressor and control over the filters and maintain the unit... Lawyer are great at lawsuits.... Just look at the lawsuit with the re-breather, A very good diver that somehow got in trouble and the wife is suing...

That is the world we live in....:depressed:

Jim...

 

[triplecove]

Not your friend... But his wife and kids will sue in a heartbeat... you had control of the air compressor and control over the filters and maintain the unit... Lawyer are great at lawsuits.... Just look at the lawsuit with the re-breather, A very good diver that somehow got in trouble and the wife is suing...

That is the world we live in....:depressed:

Jim...

That may be true but, you cant get blood from a stone and I am willing to bet that any lawsuit would be against the manufacturer of the compressor. If I made all my decisions solely on the possibility of lawsuits I would never get out of bed in the morning! I work on Aerial lift equipment that brings the operator in excess of 150' up, and I am sure I could be sued if I make a mistake...but I still get up everyday and go to work.

 

[oldschoolto]

You asked... HOW CAN I BE LIABLE.... I told you how... We are 10 pages in to this thread and by now, You should have a really good idea about air fills... MOST divers find it much cheaper and easier to pay the price for a fill and enjoy the diving.... Some divers like the freedom of filling their own tanks and that works for them.... I still don't believe a guy comes out way ahead of the game... Like I said earlier in the thread.... I pay with a smile on my face to get a good clean fill from a state of the art compressor that is very well maintained.... Last thing I want to do is play with a compressor problem when I should be wet..

Jim....

 

[KD8NPB]

Man I wish I lived in the midwest! Do you guys tax air out there?

All prices listed are tax free... the exception to that is if you need a new neck o-ring at visual / hydro. Those little viton buggers aren't cheap!

Oh yeah, we're also kinda special : no extra fee for eddy current, but don't expect me to have it done that day if we're busy!

Air card :
$30 / 10 fills @ 3000 psi
$50 / 10 fills @ 3500 psi

We've been in business since 56'. I always enjoy it when the old owner comes in for a fill. He's using the same Voit tanks he started with, although he's running out of room on the necks from hydro stamps.

 

[mike_s]

So my buddy who is 1/2 owner, who will be filling his own tanks might sue me? How could I be liable?

It's not your buddy you have to worry about. It's his wife. (or family).....

Let's say he dies in a diving accident. she doesn't know much about diving. Someone says you and/or him were making "voo-doo fills" mixing different gases. (even if it was just 32% Nitrox).

The finger of a grieving spouse who just lost her "financial provider" could easily point the finger at YOU for damages.

 

[Herb-alaska]

Herb, Has it been a dependable unit and are you pleased with it?


I have really liked my max air 35 and would buy again with the following understandings.

1 I wanted gas fired for portability I am a residient manager of an aprtment building meaning I can't really hard wire a 35 amp compressor into a garage like a home owner could do.

2 the filters aren't cheap. 40 will get you a filter that is good for about 10 hours of pumping time. It takes 35 to 45 mins to fill a HP 130 tank depending on how low I took it.

3. This compressor will any fill any tank that you will have.

4. I bought the largest compressor that my budget would allow and i am happy about it. I I could have afforded another 1500 I would have bought a larger compressor to allow for filling 2 tanks at the same time or filling one quicker. But I am satisfied with what I have.

Now to comment on how could I be liable for air if I fill a buddies tank. or if a partner has an issue with a tank. You possible would not be liable but you would have to still spend $20,000 in attorney fees to prove that you aren't and that could be just as bad.

When stuff goes wrong everyone gets sued. For this reason the only tank I will fill is mine or my children's.

 

[aaen]

Oddly, I have had fills from a state of the art compressor that smelled and tasted like burnt rubber, I also know people who have had this recently happen out here on the island, which we made the lds aware of immediately.

I've looked into getting my own compressor and banks, etc not for the reduced cost, but for the ability to control what i put in my tanks and so i can get the fills when I want them not have to wait for the lds.



com

You asked... HOW CAN I BE LIABLE.... I told you how... We are 10 pages in to this thread and by now, You should have a really good idea about air fills... MOST divers find it much cheaper and easier to pay the price for a fill and enjoy the diving.... Some divers like the freedom of filling their own tanks and that works for them.... I still don't believe a guy comes out way ahead of the game... Like I said earlier in the thread.... I pay with a smile on my face to get a good clean fill from a state of the art compressor that is very well maintained.... Last thing I want to do is play with a compressor problem when I should be wet..

Jim....

Steve

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[triplecove]

I've looked into getting my own compressor and banks, etc not for the reduced cost, but for the ability to control what i put in my tanks and so i can get the fills when I want them not have to wait for the lds.



Steve

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Well you might not be worried about the cost but nobody has been paying what my LDS charges to fill an old 72cf $8.75 with no dive card offered. I wouldnt consider a compressor if the fills were even $6 or less

 

[Tug]

Well you might not be worried about the cost but nobody has been paying what my LDS charges to fill an old 72cf $8.75 with no dive card offered. I wouldnt consider a compressor if the fills were even $6 or less

Such is the price we pay when we live in an area where diving is seasonal. That seems to be much better than most of the shops on the North Shore. We just don't have the volume of divers or shops in the area to drive fill prices down.