Etiquette if the shop doesn't fill the tank completely

[spool]

Hi all, I'm a new diver, I got my Open Water not too long ago.

It depends on the people working but I have these issues:

• They fill it too fast and it comes back hot (either because you're waiting or they're being lazy)
• Some of the cooler people will overfill it by a couple hundred pounds so it comes down when it cools (e.g. 3300 on a 3000 psi working pressure tank. the test pressure is 5000 psi so that's not particularly dangerous from what I understand)
• Some of the not as cool people will fill it to working (3000) and it will come down when it cools (2700). This especially sucks for pony bottles, I'm my learning phase so I practice bailout to pony and I don't get as much time but they still charge $8
• The most egregious is they fill my HP40 to 3000, and I get 2700 when it cools down when it's rated for 3442 working pressure. I don't like that they're not reading, as if they get a weird tank like an HP40, it could theoretically be a lower rated tank than 3000.

How do you guys approach to make sure you get the full fill?

Do you bring a regulator or pressure tester? If it's low do you send it back (especially if they didn't read that it's a Steel/HP?)

Do you make sure to leave it with them and not "while you wait" so they don't feel rushed?

Thanks!

 

[Marie13]

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

 

[MaxBottomtime]

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.

 

[Tom_Ivan]

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.

 

[The Chairman]

Leave overnight or longer is the best solution. Then, be sure to check them before you leave and ask nicely if they're lowish.

 

[The Chairman]

FWIW, I hardly ever come back with less than 1000psi, so I really don't care.

 

[Cio]

Just ask nicely and they will usually correct it. Overfilling so the bottle cools to the proper temp is not an issue by any standard out there.

 

[bakodiver391]

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.

 

[Rick Brant]

FWIW, I hardly ever come back with less than 1000psi, so I really don't care.

This is my mindset as well. Maybe on a boat dive you want to make sure you are not way under but for everything else, I don't care. Shops don't make any money on this service anyway so I would not make their job harder.

 

[-JD-]

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.

Not practically. For me, every dive it is charged and test-breathed pre-splash. After a while that will add up. (Or subtract down )

-AND-

Emphasis mine.

Hi all, I'm a new diver, I got my Open Water not too long ago.

It depends on the people working but I have these issues:

• They fill it too fast and it comes back hot (either because you're waiting or they're being lazy)
• Some of the cooler people will overfill it by a couple hundred pounds so it comes down when it cools (e.g. 3300 on a 3000 psi working pressure tank. the test pressure is 5000 psi so that's not particularly dangerous from what I understand)
• Some of the not as cool people will fill it to working (3000) and it will come down when it cools (2700). This especially sucks for pony bottles, I'm my learning phase so I practice bailout to pony and I don't get as much time but they still charge $8
• The most egregious is they fill my HP40 to 3000, and I get 2700 when it cools down when it's rated for 3442 working pressure. I don't like that they're not reading, as if they get a weird tank like an HP40, it could theoretically be a lower rated tank than 3000.

How do you guys approach to make sure you get the full fill?

Do you bring a regulator or pressure tester? If it's low do you send it back (especially if they didn't read that it's a Steel/HP?)

Do you make sure to leave it with them and not "while you wait" so they don't feel rushed?

Thanks!

Good for you!