My New Diving Nickname - Mr. ShortFill

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

sabbath999

Contributor
Messages
1,032
Reaction score
6
Location
Edina, MO
# of dives
200 - 499
What is it about people not putting 3000 psi in my tanks?

There is exactly ONE place I get my fills that will actually give me at least 3000 in my tank consistantly. One LDS I am lucky to get 2700 out of. Unfortunately, we do a lot of our training right there and they are the only place handy.

My wife pretty much ALWAYS gets 3000 in her tanks (she dives a '63 so we can't just swap, even though my SAC is much higher than hers being 9 inches taller and well more than double her nearly nonexistant weight)

It has become a ritual for us to hook up our SPG's and laugh at how short my fill is this time (and no, before you ask, there's nothing wrong with my SPG... I checked it out).

I did get ONE 3200 fill last weekend out of four, the others were 2600, 2700 and 2700.

Sigh.
 
Shall we change your screenname then.:D
 
Do you bring this to the attention of the dive shop?

When I get my tanks filled, I feel like I am paying for a service and a product - I don't like paying for something I don't receive. Talk to the shop and ask that they top their tanks for you (hopefully for everyone) after they have cooled. It sounds like you are getting quick fills that gauge to 3000 or even higher when hot - but they don't top them after they cool.

I dive steel 120's at home - and insist on proper fills - try getting some shops to fill your 3442psi tank - it can be onerous, but again, you are paying for it - so why not insist on getting what you paid for?
 
There is a dark cloud hanging over your head, and I think I'm standing under it also.....even on a sunny day in the caribbean :)
 
What is it about people not putting 3000 psi in my tanks?

There is exactly ONE place I get my fills that will actually give me at least 3000 in my tank consistantly. One LDS I am lucky to get 2700 out of. Unfortunately, we do a lot of our training right there and they are the only place handy.

I bought LP steel tanks. 2700 is an overfill for me. :D

Terry
 
I'm almost always shorted just a little bit (3200 instead of 3400+), but it's not so big of a deal seeing that it's an HP130 and I'm small (and dive with buddies who have higher air consumption than me)....but I'd probably call them on it if they couldn't fill to 3000 consistently.

How long do you give them? Most of the time, I drop my tanks off and pick them up a few hours later....if I'm in a rush and need them right away, I generally expect that I'll be shorted a bit.
 
It's a common problem ... and the logical solution is either bigger tanks or low-pressure tanks (which are easier for most shops to give you an "honest" fill).

If I were you, I WOULD bring it to the attention of the dive shop. Most likely they're filling them to 3,000 and just not topping them after they've cooled down. Most times, especially if a shop respects your business, they'll be more careful about topping them once they've cooled off a bit.

But first they have to know that it's an issue for you ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
find a shop with banked air up to 4000. you'll never get a short fill after that. the shop that i get fills from has banks up to 5000, I always get a good fill.
 

Back
Top Bottom