shipping tanks within USA

[Roman_66]

I have to drive at least an hour to the nears 'dive site'......A weekend rental will cost me $24 and I only get one free air fill.... If new tanks cost me $190 after tax then $190 / $16 = 11.875 weekends. So if I buy new and use them for 12 weekends I'm actually spending less than renting.

I don't know exactly where do you life in Dallas area, I like scubatoys.com (highway 35) and www.adventurescubaonline.com (highway 75).
Fill air in adventure $5 (Nitrox $15). If you are member (annual $35), fill air is free. Sounds good for 12 weekends during an year?
Don't forgot in your calculation, that you will sell new AL80 after year use at least for $40-50 on craglist-Dallas. I may be a candidate, evenI like steels.
Sent you PM also.



www.adventurescubaonline.com

 

[scubadiver888]

Hmm, I haven't been to Adventure Scuba yet. Might have to pop up there soon. I'm actually on 35 just south of ScubaToys. I did some looking and that Adventure Diver's Club has a $35 annual membership which includes free air fills at Adventure Scuba. I'll definitely look into joining that group. Thanks for pointing them out.

I'll still need to pay $8 to get an air fill at CSSP and $10 at Athens Scuba Park. With the free air fills through ADC I think it might be worth getting at least 2 tanks. Fill the tanks, go to CSSP on Saturday, get back before the store closes, fill the tanks, go to CSSP on Sunday.

 

[Roman_66]

Sounds doable, but also think about gas cost for your travels
I also thought about second tank, but from different reason - only for air, as my primary cleaned for Nitrox and in scuba parks they have only old compressors for air only.
May be you also would like to join Flower Garden three days trip this Labot day or Valhalla Missile Silo & Balmorhea State Park ?
Looks you don't see PMs....

 

[scubadiver888]

Saw the PM about Valhalla. Was still trying to figure out when I'm going to be in Dallas.

Won't be here for Labor Day so I cannot join you for the trip to Flower Gardens. I will be here for September 20-21 so I could make the trip to Valhalla. If I read the trip correctly, we would drive 5 hours to Valhalla, dive Saturday, drive 2 hours to Balmorhea, dive Sunday, drive 7 hours back to Dallas. I have to be at work 7am on Monday so I'm not sure if I'd make the trip to Balmorhea. If I read this correctly, $35 to join Adventure Divers Club, $50 to dive Valhalla plus a hotel stay. Is Valhalla really worth $50?

 

[Roman_66]

They said yes. Anyway have a good diving around Dallas.

 

[halocline]

You might drop by Lone Star scuba in Ft Worth to see if they have any rental tanks they'd be willing to sell. I would have a very tough time personally buying new AL80s unless they were really cheap. There's got to be a better way.

It's easy to send tanks by UPS or even US mail, but it's one in a box, probably about $40 each, that's a guess. I'd leave the valves on but bleed the air out then close them. Alternatively, take the valves out and tape the openings, put the valves in plastic bags, and put the bags in the box. IMO there is zero reason to pay for another VIP (unless it's due anyway). Just look inside the tanks with a little light and make sure it's clean and dry in there. Not rocket science. If the valves come off, when you put them back on, lightly lubricate the threads and install a new dry tank neck o-ring.

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

We moved to Hawaii from NYC and shipped our tanks. We bled them dry, removed all valves, bands, and manifolds etc, and taped over the top with clear tape. Had to VIP everything on the other end, of course, but it was relatively painless.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk