The joy of Mixing

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salty

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Location
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So I mixed my first tank last night. It was only a 13 of 30% because thats all I could do with the gas on hand but its a start. The best part is I just figured out that I will be saving $120 a month in gas fills. After the first summer the expense of puting togther a mix wip and O2 analizer will be payed back, the following year will be a break even between gas and air top offs. Maybe with a slick presentation of theas numbers and the amazing savings Ill be able to get a compressor :) . Now I am realy feeling the itch to go out diving, I just need the weather to cooperate. And now for a question....I priced out UHP helium at 117 for a T bottle, what grade of He are other mixers using and what cost?

Ps: Oxygen Hackers Handbook= best thing I bought all year:D
 
salty once bubbled...
I priced out UHP helium at 117 for a T bottle, what grade of He are other mixers using and what cost?
I picked up a T of UHP yesterday.... I see by the invoice that I am paying $49.50.

If you are PP blending then you will need multiple Ts to form a bank or you will be giving back a lot of your gas to the supplier... and that will effectively double your gas price.

You need to factor in cylinder leases into your overall expense.

I pay $65 a year cylinder lease on one T of UHP and one T of ABO. Since I continuously blend I could suck a vacuum on them (I usually leave about 50psi just to keep the rodents out :D)

Now that works to justify a compressor!
 
I live in Shoreham, your name looks familiar did you ever dive off the Jean Marie?
 
Uncle Pug:
I factored in all my costs, I figure 3-5 bottles of o2 should last me most of the year mixing 30% in my double's and stages and 50% for deco and a few tanks of O2. 2 bottles of He will give me enough to do Trimix for the number of dives that Im planning past 120, although I know Ill probly be using trimix below 100 if the deeper dives get blown out. I have been diveing 30% all year round. But for this year dives from to 120 to 140 Im planing 25/18 and for stuff to 180 20/30. Using theas mixes I should be able to lower the He bottles enough that it wont hurt too much. BTW I figured actual gas cost(with lease/delivery included) to be $.09 per cf of O2 and $.42 per cf of He. Bottle lease is 5.70 per bottle per month and is the lowest of three suppliers I contacted, the last supplier also said they would work with me on the deposit( $ 120 cash per bottle) by using a CC #. I think if I keep shoping I might be able to get the He for less but maybe not as good as a deal with the deposit.
Ron

on edit: Ill probly have the continus mixer built befor I get the compressor:)
 
Eric:
Where abouts is Grafton? I use to live in Beverly, North of boston.
 
I pay $80 for a T of Zero grade. If they are out of Zero they give me UHP for the same price although I have paid as much as $120

I pay $10/month for rent on tanks from one company and I lease tanks for $100/5 years from another. I keep about 4 bottles of He on hand and 6 or 8 of O2. I have alot of money in gas.

The problem is that I am my best customer as most of it I use myself. I get bottles down to 500psi or so before I lose patience with them and turn them in.

Someday I'll set up for continuous mixing but I don't have the bank capacity right now all I have is an air bank and I can't get rid of it.
 
Small world! We (my fiance and I) justed moved from N. Beverly (Beverly COmmons, RT 1a). Grafton is in Central Mass.

Eric
 
Look around and see if you can find a gas supplier that "sells" you the bottles. Linweld out here in the West (http://www.linweld.com/) charges you a "deposit" of about $230 for a T bottle. For filling this bottle is swapped just like any other bottle and when you're turn it back in they give you a full refund.

So there's no lease money going down the drain, though the initial investment is high.

Roak
 
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