sharpenu:
Nitrox is just (filtered) air with oxygen added. There isn't anything magical about it. Think of air as EANx21. Some shops charge extra for "Nitrox air",EANx21, hyperair or whatever they choose to call it. This "hyper-air" is simply standard grade e with a few less impurities (less oil, for example). I wont fill my tanks at any shop that does this. The extra filter doesnt cost that much extra to use, I feel like this is to milk the diver out of a few extra bucks. Besides, I feel like asking them why they have to charge extra for the "clean air".
BTW, O2 cleaning here runs you about $25 most places and includes a visual. Nitrox fills are around $5 to $7 and air runs about $1 to $3.
Since Im here and I am in the Dive Shop Business and have been for 16 years now, with a smirk, I feel that you are asking why the extra charge and the milking of the financially poor diver so feel like it no more. Here is an answer. This may get long winded, sorry!!
The extra filter in my Robbins Aviation 3 Tower dual Moister Collector Filter System that was over $3000 when new is $125 + shipping and the other 2 are $100 + shipping and are changed on an annual and during summer as needed basis. Yes, this is expensive and there are cheaper filters on the market but they dont fit and the cost of a new system hurts to much. The synthetic oil that is used to reduce Hydrocarbons and such is $40 per gallon + shipping and on an unfortunate note, high pressure compressors do use oil and anyone that owns one of these $20,000.00 entities changes the oil on a regular basis. A rebuild after 5 to 8 years on my unit is right at $6000. Because I do partial pressure Blending, I have an industry standard that I live by and it is Not standard Grade J or Just a Grade E, it is Grade E Modified for Blending gas and I only use Aviators 0/2 which is filtered a bit more than Medical Grade 0/2 and yes due to the filtering, it cost more and I charge more and the Air Tests that I do quaterly are $45 + shipping and if I fail, I change filters @ $325+ shipping and retest @ $45 + shipping. The air storage banks that I use are cleaned and Inspected (labor intensive) on a regular basis and I have all 8 of them hydrostaticly tested every 3 years and lucky that it is only $20 each for this. The whips and lead lines are serviced too on a regular basis. And in the least, we get to pay for the 3 Phase Commercial Electricity that it take to run all of this.($400 to $600 per month) I dont know why the big HYPER thing, jesus,Hyperlinks, Hyper stretch neopreme, Hyper-Filtered, Hyper Activated, Hyper Active, may just be Hype!! Just Like the word TITANIUM. It was and is in everything now. I suggest we all get ready for HYPER cause its on its way. To get to the skinny, until a diver has had the fun of owning an air station or has worked and maintained one and has been through accusations of Stinky Air, or experienced a filter breakdown or as some shops, dealing with Oily Air and those accused of Distasteful air and get a chance to feel what the rumors from the people that spent $4 for a tank of Air do to you as you sweat it out and feel as if its going to destroy you and your hard work as you work harder and longer to get it back where it needs to be and clean all 250 of your rental and class tanks you keep inspected, hydroed and ready to rent for $2 bucks for the divers that cant and or won't own their own. With no exageration, I have 100 tanks going to hydro this season, Should I expense that from air fills or rentals??, We wind up spending numerous days and hours cleaning Air lines and such and have seen what exploding tanks do and the injuries that they create as well as dealing with the cut downs about our pricing, cause its cheaper on the internet. We have to deal with the internet shopper that comes to our Shop to get information and try on, touch, feel, see and fondle what they want to buy from the internet while we help them do it, for free????? And then when the size is wrong or they find out that they got seconds or it craps out on them, they are back expecting us, The non profit making free try on place to make good on the product????? We go through alot just trying to pay the $3000 rent that Houses the one thing that makes us a SCUBA SHOP, our beloved Compressor!!. I hope this will help you and other divers to understand the cost of Air and what it takes to be in this business,I could keep going you know. Appreciate the air fill station you use and be grateful that you can go get Air. I dont know what people pay all around the world, but we only get $4 a fill when it should be $10 a fill and be able to make a profit. I have looked at it closely and the cost on average is near $3 per fill to produce the air, this does not include my labor. I have to do alot of fills just to break even and most of the time, I don't. No one is making a living on their air fills, at least where Im at we're not, so support your local shop, and buy your things there, they need to get paid for what they do, profit from gear sales keeps your local shop going and able to produce air. Everyone else gets paid for doing their job, why should't your local Dive shop\operator. Just think, if things keep on the way that they are going, all the money that people save on the internet, will get to buy their own compressor and keep it up or, they could do mail order air and hope that they are doing as good a job as your local shop. If that ever came about, how many would just stop diving?? At least at the dive shop you can hang out and chat and meet new people and gather information and tell lies and stories about diving. Pay the fee friends and Divers, air is not free. Anyone want to help me tear down and clean my system? Didn't think so.
