At what point is filling doubles two fills?

[Chris H]

Many of the people that I know on this board are diving doubles. You come to the LDS of your choice to essentially get your 1/2 full doubles topped off and typically get charged for two air or Nitrox fills.

Throw a $25+ set of fills on a two charter dive and your relaxing morning on the big pond ends up costing $100. At what point should you be charged for 1 fill or 2, and like I've wondered aloud on this board before, WHY CAN'T WE GET FILLS BY THE CUBIC FOOT? I know it is done for the Tri-mix fills. Heck, the PDA program "mixer 1-2-3" even lets you enter the cost per cu.ft in the program and it gives you the $ with the PSI to add to the tanks.

Somebody please step up to the plate so we can use Nitrox all the time and still have money to get on a boat and use it. I know that it will only get more expensive when Helium gets added to the equation, but Nitrox should be cheap!

[scubert]

sounds good to me, I just spent $6 to fill a pony bottle with air.

[divegeek]

I think the issue is whether the shop is over charging for air in the first place. Some divers think that airfills cost the shop nothing, other than the compressor filter changes. Being in a financial type of business, I know there's more that goes into anything anyone sells. Payroll for the kid filling your tanks, building insurance, electricity to run the compressor, parking lot maintenance if the shop has a leased space, etc. etc. Someone once told me that air fills at dive shops are a loss leader. They make no profit from them.

I'm not trying to start an argument, but frankly, IMHO six or seven bucks to fill a tank when you consider all the fun we have seems like a pittance to me.

Let me get my nomex suit on before anyone replies, please.

ChirsH I also see your point. charging by the cu.ft. does have merit.

[jasondbaker]

One of my local shops sells air fills for around $3. I bet a significant number of local divers go to his shop now. I probably spent $500 last year in his shop on impulse purchases.

[FreediveWI]

I know of one shop owner who complained that it was the last part of the fill, when the tanks were at their highest pressure, that did most of the wear and tear on his compressor, and thus he didn't have a problem charging for any fills that he did.

The last time I actually bought an air card was from Pirate's Cove. They used to sell 50 fill cards for $100- which brought the price down to $2 a fill. I don't know what people are charging now.

Charging by the cubic foot makes sense, especially for trimix fills. If the shop has a Helium analyzer they could do that very easily.

Chris, since you have a core group of guys you dive with you could all look into going in on a compressor together. Mixing gas isn't as hard as some people make it out to be and both Gert and I are nitrox/trimix blending instructors who could certify you to run your own show.

I will say that, while it might make trimix diving cheaper, you might be suprised to find out how much just a standard air fill costs you.

Jon

[Chris H]

We've briefly touched on the cost of fills in another thread, so back to my original question. I have low pressure double 80s. If I bring them in to get topped off from 1500psi, should the charge be for one or two fills?

Let me just add the discalimer that this isn't directed at any specific LDS, but meant as a blanket question to see what others think.

[Omicron]

I'd say one fill.

You are only getting 80cf of air....not 160.

[jasondbaker]

One fill.

[Bubblemaker]

I would say one fill, But running a shop once myself air is free its the process in which your paying for. But since most people run Isolators here you can fill both cylinders with one whip independent doubles I would say two fills.

I would also agree with Jon in that the compressor is being worked harder at the end of the fill. Usually you have to replace your high end stage more often then your lower end ones.

K

[dfreeman]

One fill

By the way, what makes the final stage of the compressor wear more at higher discharge pressures?

Doug