Bought an air compressor...21% fills for now...concerns?

[SentinelAce]

so I bought an Air compressor off of Jim Sheldon. This thing is sweet! Works awesome. I have a few scuba buddies that say it is super dangerous and only recommend a dive shop to do fills. This is 21% not nitrox. I get better fills and save a ton of $. Am I missing something? The safety valves goes off at 3500 PSI. He's sold a ton of units. Military grade. Thoughts?

 

[Superlyte27]

You won’t save any money when it’s all said and done, but the convenience is worth it.
It’s dangerous if you’re not filtering properly or if you’re trying to be cheap, or if you’re trying to use the wrong oil.

What you need to know is that you need to use the proper filtration, and have it tested. I’d be sending it off for analysis before I breathed any of it (after it’s set up and filtered).
Use the proper oil. Petroleum based oil is sure to keel you.
Get a CO tester and I’d test it.

Here’s why you won’t save a penny.
The cost of oil changes, valve jobs as needed, complete overhauls as need, the cost of filtration as needed, and the cost of electricity as needed... On the small scale like you’ll be doing... you won’t break even.

But it’s really friggin nice to have your own compressor.

 

[SentinelAce]

You won’t save any money when it’s all said and done, but the convenience is worth it.
It’s dangerous if you’re not filtering properly or if you’re trying to be cheap, or if you’re trying to use the wrong oil.

What you need to know is that you need to use the proper filtration, and have it tested. I’d be sending it off for analysis before I breathed any of it (after it’s set up and filtered).
Use the proper oil. Petroleum based oil is sure to keel you.
Get a CO tester and I’d test it.

Here’s why you won’t save a penny.
The cost of oil changes, valve jobs as needed, complete overhauls as need, the cost of filtration as needed, and the cost of electricity as needed... On the small scale like you’ll be doing... you won’t break even.

But it’s really friggin nice to have your own compressor.

I might fill 4 tanks every week to 2 weeks. Lots of guys have bought these units. Filtering system is good. Oil is correct. He's well known

 

[Superlyte27]

I'm not saying the unit is unsafe or anything. Just giving advice.

But, check the maintenance requirements. I don't know the exact numbers but I think at about 500 hours I do a valve overhaul. That's about $1k. I think at 2k hours I end up with a complete overhaul. That's probably $3k. And that's if there are no surprises.

I think you should track it for 5 years and see at the end if it would have been cheaper to pay for fills. We've tracked it for a decade.

Not to discourage. The convenience is worth it.

 

[Superlyte27]

What do you know about the filter requirements? Do you know when and how to replace/rebuild those filters? Is it grade E air? Do you know how to get it tested?

If the answer to any of these questions is "no", then your buddies are right and I'm scared for you.

 

[nadwidny]

What is Jim Sheldon?

 

[Damselfish]

Shelden Sporting Goods Inc. - High Pressure Air Compressors ?

 

[AfterDark]

Having my own compressor has been a life long dream. Good for you OP! According to a friend that owns a LDS air fills are a loss leader to a dive shop, that is they lose money on air fills but it's what keeps customers coming back and it's expected of any LDS. He tells me each fill is worth about $25.00. So paying $8.00 for 21% may seem outrageous to someone like me that paid .25 cents for air fills when I 1st started diving but it is a win for the consumer. As superlyte27 posted the convenience is well worth any extra money you'll pay. Do a lot of research on compressor service and servicing your life is in your own hands. Good luck.

I'd been careful about filling tanks for others, there could be lots of liability in that.

 

[ajduplessis]

Great to own a compressor, also very convenient. Not so sure about saving a ton of money, unless you need to travel huge distances to get a fill. As already mentioned the filtration system and the maintenance thereof is critical to ensure dry, clean breathing gas.

Blending gas mixtures (nitrox & trimix) typically is the next step/evolution with more costs such as analyzer, transfer whip(s), gauges, Haskell and air banks.

 

[clownfishsydney]

A lot of BS being sprouted here. My wife and I have owned a compressor (Bauer Junior II) since 2001. We have done over 4,200 fills since then. The cost per fill is currently AU$1.74, that is, about US$2.45. This includes all electricity, filter materials, oil, repairs and a total write off of the cost of the compressor (of course we could sell it now for at least AU$2,000 and further reduce the cost per fill). We have replaced ONE valve, cost was under AU$200.

We fill Nitrox to 40% as well, easy. In our dive club we have at least 25 privately owned compressors. So far we have saved over AU$20,000 based on a dive shop fill of AU$8. As long as you work out a good regime for replacing/repacking filters, then you are totally safe. The time saved waiting at a dive shop for a fill (and listening to their BS about how they lose money on fills) is worth the expense, even if you never saved any other money.

Welcome to the compressor owners' club!