ChrisF
Contributor
I only know of one local shop that doesn't provide some flavor of Nitrox and they're going out of business.....
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Originally posted by detroit diver
Yes, ours does. But I don't use it. The prices are much too high.
Originally posted by detroit diver
I've gotten together with a couple of friends and put together a mix station in one guy's garage. Nitrox, helium, argon. We top off at the LDS with air.
Originally posted by gadget
Do you tell your LDS that you have Oxygen in the tank? Is the air they top up your tank with suitable for blending?
If not, you are directly and knowingly putting them in harms way. :upset:
They know exactly what is in the tanks. I would never attempt to hide the contents. In addition, it's me doing the filling so I'm taking most of the risk.
Their air is top notch (cant' remember the filter code) and the filter is changed often. This is a very busy shop and they take care of their clientele very well.
What is too high? The counter quip would also have to be what is your (increased) safety worth?
My safety is worth knowing what I'm doing and doing it well. In addition, I can blend to my dive plan and not have to take standard mixes. And that includes helium mixes, which are not available at the LDS. That's what started this all. We were forced to go our own way.
Just to provide some numbers for you, let look at this example:
T bottle O2 prox 250 cuft prices range from $25 - $40.
Using the high end, each cuft costs $0.16 (40/250).
Standard AL80 w/ 32% O2 is 25.6 cuft X .16/cuft = $4.096
Listen, if you're only diving once every couple of months, blending it yourself makes no sense at all. But we dive twice a week. It really adds up to huge savings. Especially when you add the helium into the equation. Most shops don't even carry helium, and those that do can charge up to $100 or more for a set of double 104's. Our cost-about the same as O2, or maybe slightly higher. The cost of the equipment paid for itself within one year.
Let me add this caveat. Don't even think of attempting this at home without proper training. O2 is not something to screw around with if you're not well trained. It's just not worth it.
Dive safe. Blend safe.