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Thread: Owning a Compressor

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    Registered Users Rcontrera's Avatar
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    Default Owning a Compressor

    I have been asked numerous times if owning a compressor would save a diver a lot of money or cost a ton per fill. I thought I would post this information just to set the story straight.


    Operation and maintenance ... the cost of running a compressor has been greatly exaggerated. For filters, it is about $1 per fill. For oil, it is $12.95 for an oil change on the Coltri MCH6 and you do that about every 50 fills which is another $ 0.26 per fill. Then the 100 hour maintenance (valves, relief seat, drain valve seats, inlet filter) is about $150 and that adds another $2 to the cost of your fill. Without adding in the cost of the compressor itself, you are at $3.26 per fill.

    Equipment ... if you want to add in the cost of the compressor, it should give you 1000 hours of operation with care before incurring major overhaul costs. That adds another dollar to the cost of the individual fill. On the $3290 Coltri that means that your fill is about $4.26 for a standard 80.

    Power and/or fuel is a HUGE variable depending on where you are in the world but you can plan on anywhere from about five to seventy five cents per fill.

    Now, that said ... will you save a lot of money buying a compressor? No ... unless you dive a LOT.

    Is there an advantage to owning your own compressor then? Sure ... convenience. Even if you trust your local dive shop's air, they aren't always open when you need them. In addition, there is the air quality factor. You know the quality of the air that you are pumping because you take care of changing oil and air filters regularly.


    Now, with all that information, does that mean that compressors are for everyone? NO WAY! In order to operate a compressor you need to be willing to learn something about how they work, how to operate them safely, how to maintain them and how to tell when they need service. And we all know that divers in general don't read directions.

    OK ... I think I have covered what I intended.
    Ray
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    SMN Publisher The Publisher's Avatar
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    That was some interesting numbers crunching, thanks!
    SMN Publisher

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    Yeah and there's a lot of other stuff I could buy with my 3 grand before I get to a compressor. Some of it's even dive related!
    Take only pictures, leave only bubbles!

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    Registered Users Rcontrera's Avatar
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    OK Compressor owners ...

    CHANGE YOUR DAMN OIL!!!

    It is the height of the season and 100% of the compressor problems that have been brought to us this year are oil related. Over heating, valve leaks, ring scoring, blow by, etc can all be traced back to too infrequent of oil changes.

    While you are at it, how about blowing down your separators more often. Yeah ... I make money selling parts, oil and filters. But if you blow down more often, you will replace your filters less often. And if you change your oil, you will be buying less parts.

    Sorry for harping on this subject, but apparently people aren't listening.
    Ray
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    Wreck Diving Moderator acelockco's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rcontrera View Post
    Sorry for harping on this subject, but apparently people aren't listening.
    It is not that we are not listening, it is that none of us have our own compressor. It does not make any sense to own a compressor for almost any diver.

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    Registered Users Rcontrera's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by acelockco View Post
    It is not that we are not listening, it is that none of us have our own compressor. It does not make any sense to own a compressor for almost any diver.
    Not to be argumentative, but just because you don't have a compressor doesn't mean that nobody needs one. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many sold every year.

    More and more home compressors are selling every year because of the slow decline in dive shop air quality and serious increase in fill costs. While there are a lot of very fine air systems out there, junk air can still be had in almost every city with two or more dive shops. Additionally, more divers are diving a ways from their home shop and taking a dozen tanks to the camp ground for a weekend at the lake just doesn't make sense.

    Oh ... and it is compressor owners that are sending stuff in for service ... not non compressor owners.
    Ray
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    Wreck Diving Moderator acelockco's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rcontrera View Post
    Not to be argumentative, but just because you don't have a compressor doesn't mean that nobody needs one. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many sold every year.

    More and more home compressors are selling every year because of the slow decline in dive shop air quality and serious increase in fill costs. While there are a lot of very fine air systems out there, junk air can still be had in almost every city with two or more dive shops. Additionally, more divers are diving a ways from their home shop and taking a dozen tanks to the camp ground for a weekend at the lake just doesn't make sense.

    Oh ... and it is compressor owners that are sending stuff in for service ... not non compressor owners.
    It is cool, we are all entitled to our opinions here. I don't know where you live, but here in the USA the air we get at the local dive shops is of the highest quality and only costs a few dollars.

    One of my dive buddies does have his own compressor. It cost him $4000 used and also needs the filter replaced pretty often. Just the cost of the filters is $2 per fill plus electricity (220volts) plus the cost of the compressor. I just can't imagine filling enough cylinders to make up the difference when the local shop charges $5 per fill.

    That being said, most divers that dive enough to warrant a compressor also dive nitrox or some other gas not air. The home compressors can not fill nitrox or trimix which makes them useless in my opinion.

    I do agree with you that there are some situations where a compressor would be of great benefit and the cost is not as much of an issue as convenience. Trying to dive at a remote location that doesn't have a dive shop reasonably close by would definitely be easier with a compressor. Owners of boats that spend long amounts of time at sea could also benefit as they don't want to return to the mainland to refill cylinders.

    In the end though, most of us do not and most likely will not own dive compressors in our life. It doesn't make sense for most of us. In the bigger picture, we need to support our local dive shops with fills and other purchases. If we do not support them and they go out of business getting air fills will become a very difficult thing.

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    Wreck Diving Moderator acelockco's Avatar
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    One more thing, compressors are way overpriced. Get us some $500-$1000 compressors and they will start making financial sense.

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    Registered Users Rcontrera's Avatar
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    I am very glad that you get top quality air where you live. Unfortunately, that is more the exception than the rule.

    I have been part of the diving industry since 1981 and air systems were what got me into it so I have seen just about everything you can see in a dive shop.

    I make my living selling compressors and especially oil and filters and only a few shops actually pay as much attention to their system as they should. Of the 500 or so dive shops that I have contacted over the years and "sampled" their air, I personally would not dive with about 3/4 of them.

    Don't get me wrong ... I am not attacking all the dive shops. I have several customers that have outstanding systems ... both air and nitrox. But there are a lot of them out there that just don't give a damn about their air or their compressor until it breaks. That is where the home compressors are selling.
    Ray
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    I have a compressor or 6! It is far more convenient than the 1hr round trip to the nearest shop. I have my own air test kit and test the air regularly.

    Quote Originally Posted by acelockco View Post
    The home compressors can not fill nitrox or trimix which makes them useless in my opinion.
    Why not? Nitrox & Trimix are usually made by partial pressure blending, add the O2 &/OR He then top up with clean air. Having your own supply of O2 & He makes it all much cheaper.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rcontrera
    For oil, it is $12.95 for an oil change on the Coltri MCH6
    Not sure what oil you use but I use Anderol that cost £44 per 5L, the Coltri takes 0.3L. That makes it less than $5 per oil change. I re-pack the MCH6 filter which costs about $1 per refill.
    For PSAI/SSI/SDI/TDI Diver Training or RHIB Charter in Cornwall visit - Atlantic Scuba

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