which i assume he couldnt do at a fire house?
Sticker SHOCK!!!!
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SparticleBrane
Contributor
When I worked for a LDS two summers ago we charged:
$12 for Al VIPs--more than the steel because we did the Visual+ inspection too
$10 for steel VIPs
$16 for Hydro--We only made $4/tank on this because the hydro facility charged us $12/tank.
We didn't offer O2 cleaning because our nitrox system was continuous blend.
None of the above prices include fills, but when I was there an air fill was $4 for an Al80. I believe it's $5 now.
If your LDS charges a lot for hydro, find out who their hydro facility is, then just cut out the middleman and go directly to the fire-extinguisher place or whatever it is. There's no reason to charge $40-$50 for a hydro except for greed. Perhaps I could see it if the hydro facility charged the dive shop close to that amount, then it's completely understandable. But if most hydro facilities charge anywhere close to what ours did, your LDS is screwing your over. If the hydro facility charges the LDS $15 and your LDS charges you $50, your LDS is literally making $35 by taking your tank, passing it to the facility, and passing it back to you. There's no work involved for them other than perhaps printing out a receipt.
Seems like a lot of you guys' LDS are trying to nickel and dime you to death.
$12 for Al VIPs--more than the steel because we did the Visual+ inspection too
$10 for steel VIPs
$16 for Hydro--We only made $4/tank on this because the hydro facility charged us $12/tank.
We didn't offer O2 cleaning because our nitrox system was continuous blend.
None of the above prices include fills, but when I was there an air fill was $4 for an Al80. I believe it's $5 now.
If your LDS charges a lot for hydro, find out who their hydro facility is, then just cut out the middleman and go directly to the fire-extinguisher place or whatever it is. There's no reason to charge $40-$50 for a hydro except for greed. Perhaps I could see it if the hydro facility charged the dive shop close to that amount, then it's completely understandable. But if most hydro facilities charge anywhere close to what ours did, your LDS is screwing your over. If the hydro facility charges the LDS $15 and your LDS charges you $50, your LDS is literally making $35 by taking your tank, passing it to the facility, and passing it back to you. There's no work involved for them other than perhaps printing out a receipt.
Seems like a lot of you guys' LDS are trying to nickel and dime you to death.
TomP
Contributor
Dugout
Based on some of your other posts i'm going to assume that you aren't Nitrox certified and don't intend to do your own partial pressure blending.
Whether or not that's the case 2 points made earlier in separate iterations bear repeating.
1) Once any air that is not O2 compatable (hyperfiltered) is introduced neither the tank nor valve should be considered O2 clean.
2) Partial pressure blending, irrespective of the desired mix, requires that the tank and valve are O2 clean and that the air source is delivering O2 compatible air.
Kind of a long winded way of saying that if you're thinking that you'll continue to fill your tanks at the FD then you need to know a bit more about its filtration system.
Relative to your LDS woes, why not post a query in the Mid-Atlantic forum looking to see if they can guide to some reptutable shops.
In any case,
Based on some of your other posts i'm going to assume that you aren't Nitrox certified and don't intend to do your own partial pressure blending.
Whether or not that's the case 2 points made earlier in separate iterations bear repeating.
1) Once any air that is not O2 compatable (hyperfiltered) is introduced neither the tank nor valve should be considered O2 clean.
2) Partial pressure blending, irrespective of the desired mix, requires that the tank and valve are O2 clean and that the air source is delivering O2 compatible air.
Kind of a long winded way of saying that if you're thinking that you'll continue to fill your tanks at the FD then you need to know a bit more about its filtration system.
Relative to your LDS woes, why not post a query in the Mid-Atlantic forum looking to see if they can guide to some reptutable shops.
In any case,
First, the quote was $150.0 to O2 clean one tank. I did not bring up multiple tanks.
Hydro is not an issue. It is $9.00 and they pick up and deliver. I have an account for welding gas with the same company. I was just going to do everything at the same time and didn't mind the DS making a fair profit. I generally don't VIP but I do look at them at least twice a year. Anyway, this is about 02 cleaning.
The closest LDS is 2 hours round trip. Lets just say DS from now on. There is no local dive shop.
I was planning to cull out these tanks and dedicate them to EANx even if it's 21. They would not get Fire House air any longer. I don't need EANx locally. I have a bunch of tanks; a bunch! Spending 800 bucks on new tanks for destination dives was not in the plan. I don't need more tanks.
I don't feel I'm qualified to o2 clean tanks or mix gas, for that matter, so I'm going to do this through a dive shop. A man has to know his limitations, right? These are for 40% or less but I'm doing the cleaning in case where I end up only has PP blending.
Many are referencing Hydro tests. Again my issue is with O2 cleaning; not Hydro tests. I have had the cylinders hydro tested for 30 years without issue. EANx is new to me. I'm trying to follow the guidelines and do this correctly.
I'm going to call the other shops in the area. I travel a bit and maybe I'll find a shop on my path who is reasonable. $30 bucks, each, to clean these tanks would not be an issue for me at all! I'll either buy the valves from scubatoys, Diverite, or who ever. If the shop is reasonable I'll buy the valves from them.
I know the DSs are feeling the pinch by E-trade but sometimes I feel the DSs are their own worst enemies. We are not blessed with a LDS so we have to make do. There are many folks like myself who don't have a LDS. Catalogs and E-trade keep us diving. As far as a DS goes, loyalty needs to be earned and the shop in question is doing nothing to that end.:shakehead
I appreciate all y'alls comments. It has helped me a lot.
Thanks!
Hydro is not an issue. It is $9.00 and they pick up and deliver. I have an account for welding gas with the same company. I was just going to do everything at the same time and didn't mind the DS making a fair profit. I generally don't VIP but I do look at them at least twice a year. Anyway, this is about 02 cleaning.
The closest LDS is 2 hours round trip. Lets just say DS from now on. There is no local dive shop.
I was planning to cull out these tanks and dedicate them to EANx even if it's 21. They would not get Fire House air any longer. I don't need EANx locally. I have a bunch of tanks; a bunch! Spending 800 bucks on new tanks for destination dives was not in the plan. I don't need more tanks.
I don't feel I'm qualified to o2 clean tanks or mix gas, for that matter, so I'm going to do this through a dive shop. A man has to know his limitations, right? These are for 40% or less but I'm doing the cleaning in case where I end up only has PP blending.
Many are referencing Hydro tests. Again my issue is with O2 cleaning; not Hydro tests. I have had the cylinders hydro tested for 30 years without issue. EANx is new to me. I'm trying to follow the guidelines and do this correctly.
I'm going to call the other shops in the area. I travel a bit and maybe I'll find a shop on my path who is reasonable. $30 bucks, each, to clean these tanks would not be an issue for me at all! I'll either buy the valves from scubatoys, Diverite, or who ever. If the shop is reasonable I'll buy the valves from them.
I know the DSs are feeling the pinch by E-trade but sometimes I feel the DSs are their own worst enemies. We are not blessed with a LDS so we have to make do. There are many folks like myself who don't have a LDS. Catalogs and E-trade keep us diving. As far as a DS goes, loyalty needs to be earned and the shop in question is doing nothing to that end.:shakehead
I appreciate all y'alls comments. It has helped me a lot.
Thanks!
Hey Tom;
I have the material and will sit for the evening PADI course next month. As you know from my other posts, EANx is TOTALLY new to me. That is why I'm not trying to skirt the issue. I'm culling 4 tanks just for EANX, which will not see the VFD compressor again, and checking out dive shops for support.
I don't need a dive shop for air, or most anything else. None has chosen to plant themselves here and like country folk do, I get by without one, just fine. If I didn't take trips to dive warm water with real vis, I wouldn't be doing this, trust me. An air diver is an inconvenience to some dive captains and that is the last label I want hung on me. What I wanted to know was the average cost to 02 clean a tank. I know the shops in the area and happened to get a ridiculous quote from the one where I'm taking the certification. I'll check the other shops in the area, now, with a better understanding of the "market".
I have the material and will sit for the evening PADI course next month. As you know from my other posts, EANx is TOTALLY new to me. That is why I'm not trying to skirt the issue. I'm culling 4 tanks just for EANX, which will not see the VFD compressor again, and checking out dive shops for support.
I don't need a dive shop for air, or most anything else. None has chosen to plant themselves here and like country folk do, I get by without one, just fine. If I didn't take trips to dive warm water with real vis, I wouldn't be doing this, trust me. An air diver is an inconvenience to some dive captains and that is the last label I want hung on me. What I wanted to know was the average cost to 02 clean a tank. I know the shops in the area and happened to get a ridiculous quote from the one where I'm taking the certification. I'll check the other shops in the area, now, with a better understanding of the "market".
my shop charges 4 dollars for a vis on aluminum, 7 dollars for a steel. 25 for hydro. 5 dollars for an air fill. we dont do nitrox so i had to get my other tanks done at another shop.
they charge 15 for a vis, 30 for 02 cleaning
they charge 15 for a vis, 30 for 02 cleaning
in_cavediver
Contributor
dugout:
First, O2 cleaning isn't rocket science. To quote oxyhacker its 'kitchen science'. If you have a lot of tanks, I'd recommend taking a PSI tank inspector course (or its equivalent) and do your own visuals. Then you could clean your tanks and visual them when they needed it and cut out the 2 hour drive to the LDS. For me, if I had to pay the $15 vis fee for each tank I have, it would pay the PSI course fee each year. (let alone O2 cleaning fees)
As for the o2 compatible air. My opinion is that since the contamination is a cumulative effect, if you do get fills in an 02 cleaned tank from a non-02 compatable air source, you should merely increase your o2 cleaning frequency. (another reason to do it yourself).
Simply stating that since it wasn't a 'blessed' source, its now magically a death trap as far as o2 clean standards is absurd. Any air fit to breathe at high PP's when diving is NOT going to cause a significant hydrocarbon buildup with a single fill and therefore should not violate the o2 status of the tank. If you do fill it a lot with 'normal' air, clean it more often.
Steve_Dives
Contributor
My LDS does not use the partial pressure blending method and therefore does not require O2 clean tanks. Rather than maintaining a set of O2 clean tanks, you might ask the DS's you visit if they require O2 clean tanks for a nitrox fill.
If you bring tanks with a nitrox mix in for an air fill, make sure the shop knows the tanks have EANx as it could affect their filling procedure.
If you bring tanks with a nitrox mix in for an air fill, make sure the shop knows the tanks have EANx as it could affect their filling procedure.
TomP
Contributor
dugout:
Sorry, I see now that I got sidlined by the Nitrox issue and neglected to answer your question. I've paid between $20 and $30 to have AL 40/80 tanks cleaned.
$150 for an O2 cleaning is obscene and if this is an indication of their ethics i'd get my training elsewhere.
I mostly use two dive shops that I consider to be exceptional and each are about a 2 hour round trip. There are several that are closer and they aren't bad, just not exceptional. So if you can find a good DS be glad - some don't even have that.
I got a quote for 25 per tank/valve to O2 clean as long as they did not need tumbled.
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