Aviation Oxygen

[chuck_northrup]

I would like to preface this statement by saying that saving money on gas fills is NOT a reason to buy a rebreather  :-*  Saving money on a gas blending station however  >

By the time everything is "said and done" with a rebreather (CCR Trimix ready) you are looking at an investment of around $7000-12,000 depending on the unit and "aftermarket" additions (training included)  :-\

BUT, a (GUDC retail price) gas fill is about $20 for Mix and $20 for O2.  These cylinders (13-25 ft3) provide an approximate 6-12 hours of diveable time.  This would equate to around $200-800 worth of OC gas (depending on SAC).  Greg mentioned earlier that mixing is a lost leader for diveshops so even mixing yourself those numbers should be fairly close (especially adding in compressor costs)  :o

Stage bottles could stay filled all season long...unless the SHTF or you are prudent about practicing bailout drills    I once had a former student diving with OC Mix divers for the first time...he couldn't get over the fact that EVERY dive they made they had to drain their stages 

I dive AL 19's on my KISS and  I can dive 4-5 dives (at almost any depth) without changing cylinders.  With larger cylinders the gas would last longer, but considering you have a 3 hour scrubber duration it doesn't make much sense.

You may be wondering about bailout options, I have high-flow quick-disconnects plumbed into the Open Circuit DSV so all of the "off-board" or bail-out gas I carry can be directly injected into the unit without needing to "switch" mouthpieces or regulators  ;D 

Take these numbers and apply them to your "average" diving year and see where you end up...but don't let that number justify whether or not you dive a rebreather  8)

Chuck Northrup
Going Under Dive Center