Scuba Tank Filling - Buy Your Own Compressor Or Use A Dive Shop?
I am a keen scuba diver. I own all my own gear including two 80 cu.ft cylinders. It costs me about $5 a tank to fill, so that makes this a pretty cheap sport given the hundreds of dives I have done on the same equipment. What I don't have is my own air compressor for tank fills (or refills if you prefer).
I have looked at the compressors available and I must say there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First of all your life will depend on the product of the scuba compressor. The air must be clean enough to breathe, not just power a snap-on tool or fill a bike tire! Your tanks are filled under immense pressure and have the potential to be portable bombs just waiting to explode if you get it wrong.
Make sure you have the correct fitting for your first stage, there are two kinds remember. Always follow the rules and have your tanks tested every year. You don't want to save a few dollars on an inspection and end up having a serious malfunction sixty feet down.
Always buy the best you can afford but do look at second hand units and give them some thought. You might save considerable amounts of money and still have a top class air compressor. Then again you might not and like any piece of machinery they do require servicing and occasionally spare parts. Are these available?
Are you going to position the unit on a boat or in your garage? Do you need a gas operated unit or an electric one? What about paying a little extra for a diesel powered compressor? How many tanks need filling at any one time and how often?
The bottom line is do the math. Good new units start at over $3000. At $5 a tank that means you will need to refill 600 tanks to recoup that investment. That is a lot of diving. If you did two dives a weekend, that's 300 weekends or about 6 years of diving. By then you will need to service the compressor and that will mean more refills to cover you expenses.
Where it makes sense to invest in a good quality air compressor is where you run a dive boat or dive shop or are buying for a club. Other than that you really need to be a marine biologist or making your living scrubbing yacht hulls. If you are in business then expect to spend two or three times that basic amount.
I have looked at the compressors available and I must say there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First of all your life will depend on the product of the scuba compressor. The air must be clean enough to breathe, not just power a snap-on tool or fill a bike tire! Your tanks are filled under immense pressure and have the potential to be portable bombs just waiting to explode if you get it wrong.
Make sure you have the correct fitting for your first stage, there are two kinds remember. Always follow the rules and have your tanks tested every year. You don't want to save a few dollars on an inspection and end up having a serious malfunction sixty feet down.
Always buy the best you can afford but do look at second hand units and give them some thought. You might save considerable amounts of money and still have a top class air compressor. Then again you might not and like any piece of machinery they do require servicing and occasionally spare parts. Are these available?
Are you going to position the unit on a boat or in your garage? Do you need a gas operated unit or an electric one? What about paying a little extra for a diesel powered compressor? How many tanks need filling at any one time and how often?
The bottom line is do the math. Good new units start at over $3000. At $5 a tank that means you will need to refill 600 tanks to recoup that investment. That is a lot of diving. If you did two dives a weekend, that's 300 weekends or about 6 years of diving. By then you will need to service the compressor and that will mean more refills to cover you expenses.
Where it makes sense to invest in a good quality air compressor is where you run a dive boat or dive shop or are buying for a club. Other than that you really need to be a marine biologist or making your living scrubbing yacht hulls. If you are in business then expect to spend two or three times that basic amount.
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