Question Why can I find only one very large (30l) air tank?

[djbclark]

I am looking for a very large high pressure tank (say around 30 liters) I can get filled at the far away dive shop and then use for a week or two to feed a pony tank I would like to use several times a week.

For some reason, I must really be missing the right search terms, because I can find exactly one, and it's unfortunately not where I live, in the US.

My limited knowledge is that many dive shops have cascades of such tanks for doing simultaneous fills without working straight from their compressors. Where do they buy them?

Buffer cylinder tank 30L 300bar with DIN 300bar valve - DIVEAVENUE

Buffer bottle 30L 300bar for sport shooting or paintball activities. Capacity of 30L with its DIN 300bar tap. Allows a fast inflation of small sport shooting bottles. All high pressure cylinders at the best price are at DIVEAVENUE.COM.

www.diveavenue.com

 

[Johnoly]

Good luck getting a scuba shop to agree to fill that to it's working pressure of 4500psi, because they won't.

 

[CT-Rich]

I am looking for a very large high pressure tank (say around 30 liters) I can get filled at the far away dive shop and then use for a week or two to feed a pony tank I would like to use several times a week.

For some reason, I must really be missing the right search terms, because I can find exactly one, and it's unfortunately not where I live, in the US.

My limited knowledge is that many dive shops have cascades of such tanks for doing simultaneous fills without working straight from their compressors. Where do they buy them?

Buffer cylinder tank 30L 300bar with DIN 300bar valve - DIVEAVENUE

Buffer bottle 30L 300bar for sport shooting or paintball activities. Capacity of 30L with its DIN 300bar tap. Allows a fast inflation of small sport shooting bottles. All high pressure cylinders at the best price are at DIVEAVENUE.COM.

www.diveavenue.com

That is a mighty expensive tank. I would say either buy as many used tanks as you think you'll need or look at getting a compressor.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I am looking for a very large high pressure tank (say around 30 liters) I can get filled at the far away dive shop and then use for a week or two to feed a pony tank I would like to use several times a week.

For some reason, I must really be missing the right search terms, because I can find exactly one, and it's unfortunately not where I live, in the US.

My limited knowledge is that many dive shops have cascades of such tanks for doing simultaneous fills without working straight from their compressors. Where do they buy them?

Buffer cylinder tank 30L 300bar with DIN 300bar valve - DIVEAVENUE

Buffer bottle 30L 300bar for sport shooting or paintball activities. Capacity of 30L with its DIN 300bar tap. Allows a fast inflation of small sport shooting bottles. All high pressure cylinders at the best price are at DIVEAVENUE.COM.

www.diveavenue.com

You can get cascade bottles at a welding supply store. Or used. BUT, you are going to need to have your own compressor to fill it because I don't know of many shops that are going to let you bring a cascade bottle in for a fill. They are usually plumbed into the shop's fill system. And they weigh between 160 and 200 lbs each.
And they won't be 30 liters. No shop is going to mess with one that small. They'll be using 300-450 cu ft bottles. Cylinder ISO/UN 5000 PSI Steel Breathing Air Cascade System Scuba Fire Dept | eBay

 

[rongoodman]

What are you using the pony for? I hope not to bail out on “several times a week”.

 

[GF99/99]

I am looking for a very large high pressure tank (say around 30 liters) I can get filled at the far away dive shop and then use for a week or two to feed a pony tank I would like to use several times a week.

For some reason, I must really be missing the right search terms, because I can find exactly one, and it's unfortunately not where I live, in the US.

My limited knowledge is that many dive shops have cascades of such tanks for doing simultaneous fills without working straight from their compressors. Where do they buy them?

Buffer cylinder tank 30L 300bar with DIN 300bar valve - DIVEAVENUE

Buffer bottle 30L 300bar for sport shooting or paintball activities. Capacity of 30L with its DIN 300bar tap. Allows a fast inflation of small sport shooting bottles. All high pressure cylinders at the best price are at DIVEAVENUE.COM.

www.diveavenue.com

As others have suggested 99% chance a regular scuba shop will not fill this or a bank/cascade cylinder.

If you’re looking to setup an air bank and you don’t have a compressor check your local industrial gas supplier. They will have tanks suitable as well as filling capabilities. I don’t know where your located but AirGas or Praxair are a good start, they are all over the country. I have used both for O2, acetylene, Argon, co2/argon mix and have alway been very happy with them. They way it generally works is you buy the tank (in your case HP air tank, a 300 cu in is pretty standard) and then you just drop it off on there loading dock and swap it out for a full one (similar to your BBQ propane tank exchange) Just specify Grade D breathing air or USP.

Also most industrial gas supply shops can set you up with a 6pack or 12 pack rack. You can ask about setting up an account with them.

 

[Tracy]

As others have suggested 99% chance a regular scuba shop will not fill this or a bank/cascade cylinder.

If you’re looking to setup an air bank and you don’t have a compressor check your local industrial gas supplier. They will have tanks suitable as well as filling capabilities. I don’t know where your located but AirGas or Praxair are a good start, they are all over the country. I have used both for O2, acetylene, Argon, co2/argon mix and have alway been very happy with them. They way it generally works is you buy the tank (in your case HP air tank, a 300 cu in is pretty standard) and then you just drop it off on there loading dock and swap it out for a full one (similar to your BBQ propane tank exchange) Just specify Grade D breathing air or USP.

Also most industrial gas supply shops can set you up with a 6pack or 12 pack rack. You can ask about setting up an account with them.

Considering most gas suppliers don't have a compressor. They typically get filled by a dive shop.
I fill breathing air bottles for my local gas supplier regularly. I would fill them for anybody, a tank is a tank.

Depending on where you are in the US, I sell bank bottles and have a building full of them on hand.

 

[CT-Rich]

It seems to be that the best solution would be to invest in a compressor and just top off tanks as needed and dragging around a bank tank of air seems like a PIA. Also, you aren't going to get full use out of the tank. Once tank's pressure gets down to around the working pressure of the tanks you are trying to fill, you need to drag it back to the shop to refill it. At $50-100 a pop, you could buy a five or ten individual used tanks and just get them all filled at the same time. for the same amount of work.

 

[djbclark]

What are you using the pony for? I hope not to bail out on “several times a week”.

As a primary tank to swim in a pool. Want to make like 20min of scuba part of my usual 1h swim training.

 

[djbclark]

That is a mighty expensive tank. I would say either buy as many used tanks as you think you'll need or look at getting a compressor.

It is expensive, but not compared to a compressor, which even used seems to be on the order of $3000 plus maybe $500 a year in maintenance and air testing costs.

The multiple used normal sized tank idea has merit. Made me realize I need to ask local fill places if they really have a flat rate per tank fill or if that rate assumes an 80 or 100 cylinder. So thanks!