what sort of compressor do you need to fill your own tanks

[captain]

I have been having a personal compressor since 1969, I have said it before and will say it again, without it I would probably quit diving or done much less if I had had to put up with the inconvenience of dive shop fills.
If you just want to pump air the cost of operation of a personal compressor are greatly over stated. Even mixing nitrox is not that much more up front cost with a do it do it yourself mixing stick.
Although expensive, since most small compressors use only about a pint per change a gallon of oil will last for about 8 oil changes. Cartridge filter are also expensive but by using a hand packed filter towers and buying charcoal and sieve in bulk greatly reduces cost. For the price of one filter cartridge you can buy enough bulk media to do several changes. The only advantage to cartridges is convenience.
Either electric or gas powered, the power cost is more than compensated by not have to make trips to a dive shop to get tanks filled.
Is it for everyone, no but if you are planning on a 30+ year diving career than it's justified.

 

[drdaddy]

I have been weighing the options for a long time and finally decided to take the plunge and buy a compressor. It really is not about price for the casual diver, it is about availability. I wanted to dive over the weekend a little while back but couldn't because my tanks were empty. I realize I will never get my money out of a compressor but then I'll never get any financial return from my other dive equipment. I buy it to use. Eventually most of it wears out and then you buy it again.
Why treat a compressor any different?

I considered it too, but decided against it.

Fills are $5.00 here.

For the price of a compressor, I could buy 25 to 30 aluminum tanks.

I decided to buy tanks. I own 4 steel HP/3442s 100s, 3 steel HP/344s 80s, 3 aluminum 80s and a steel LP 72 (and 2 12s & 1 19cf ponies).

I would suggest that one would consider buying more tanks, rather than a compressor.

 

[dgreenh]

More tanks are always a good idea but you still have to haul them to the LDS and pay someone to fill them for you. I guess the choice of getting a compressor or more tanks really depends on your needs. We don't have an LDS and fills where we do open water classes are $15 each. :amazed:

 

[Hank49]

Hi, forgive me if this has been asked before, i have just joined Scubaboard and not read many posts yet. i was wondering if someone could tell me how to fill your tanks at home and what type of compressor you need. Cheers! Victoria

I have a Bauer Jr 2 compressor. I believe it's the smallest Bauer makes. It pumps about 3.2 CFM (cubic feet/minute) Coltri Sub makes one that's comparable.
I paid US$2500 for it used. I had to spend another $1000 to get it working good. I got screwed though.
You can get gasoline or electric motor driven.

 

[gfyrasng]

Here you go.

Bauer Screw Compressor 30 HP - eBay (item 320552501625 end time Jul-02-10 13:11:03 PDT)

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Here you go.

Bauer Screw Compressor 30 HP - eBay (item 320552501625 end time Jul-02-10 13:11:03 PDT)

This is a low pressure compressor (150PSI) for a manufacturing plant. It is also 480V, available in most homes. Not for diving.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Here you go.

Bauer Screw Compressor 30 HP - eBay (item 320552501625 end time Jul-02-10 13:11:03 PDT)

It is only 150 psi. Fine for nailguns but not enough for scuba tanks.

 

[willembad]

Reasons for owning a compressor varies greatly and it's hard to boil it down to a simple yes or no answer as to whether it makes sense. I live in a town that has 2 lds's but wouldn't fill tanks at either. The next closest fill station is 2 hours away. I could fill where I dive but the average trip consumes 12 to 15 tanks of Nitrox, so that would add 2 or 3 hours to my day waiting for fills.

My solution was to find 3 buddies and buy a compressor between the 4 of us. The up front cost stated before is deceiving because I bet I can get most if not all of my money back when I sell the machine. After maintenance including filters and O2 costs we spend ~ $3.00 per tank on 36% mix. That alone is a pretty good deal, but the convenience of walking to my garage and pumping what I need when I need it is priceless.

Willem

Sent from my phone with Tapatalk

 

[diver 85]

check with your local fire department------some won't mind filling your tanks, esp if you can 'help' them out in (some) ways..

 

[skydiver30960]

Uneducated question:

I'm a volly firefighter and all our tanks (and every FF tank I've ever seen) is a DIN connection. I guess it's OK to fill a tank using DIN/yoke converters?

Ike aka "firehouse nearby = compressor across the street"