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  #31  
Old 08-05-2018, 06:09 AM
NYTOM NYTOM is offline
 
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Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
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Default Refill booster pump .

Great thread since I want to build my own system. As far as refilling from a large tank and getting a full fill as the source tank empties, has anyone used a small high pressure booster pump till the source tank is empty. I found very small pumps available from scientific supply houses that are oil free and seem like they could do the job. And what?s the ideal size of tank to use in a RV that will last a reasonable time?
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  #32  
Old 08-05-2018, 06:28 AM
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majuro15 majuro15 is offline
 
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A buddy of mine and I just leased two 180 cf tanks and set up a home fill station. He had the hoses made and bought a regulator and I got the tanks and cart. The tanks are $55 per year each and $25 each fill. I have a 48 cf tank and he has a 75 cf tank in his Mooney. It was super easy to do and we are guestimating about 6-7 fills out of the two tank setup. There are plenty of other folks on our field who run O2 and since the FBO doesn't fill, we may be able to recoup our yearly costs just from helping others out.

For me, it's worth the upfront costs since my field doesn't provide O2 fill ups. My MH system is built in so not an easy thing to pull the tank to take it to a dive shop (there are a few around in NC) each time I need it filled. But then again, my buddy and I both are DIYers!
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  #33  
Old 08-05-2018, 07:35 AM
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DanH DanH is offline
 
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I also fill at home.

Remember, compressed oxygen can injure the careless. No lubricant. Keep everything clean. Open and close valves slowly, and use a slow fill rate.
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  #34  
Old 08-05-2018, 07:43 AM
BillL BillL is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NYTOM View Post
Great thread since I want to build my own system. As far as refilling from a large tank and getting a full fill as the source tank empties, has anyone used a small high pressure booster pump till the source tank is empty. I found very small pumps available from scientific supply houses that are oil free and seem like they could do the job. And what?s the ideal size of tank to use in a RV that will last a reasonable time?
Tom, this was my thought too. I researched O2 intensifier systems that used air pressure to operate the O2 side of the pump. They would pump to 3000 psi from 100 on the tank. There were no listed prices or advertisements, and the two companies found got quoted - they were around $5k but proven safe for the pressures and O2. NASA did lots of studies on oxidation rates of various metals and elastomers in high pressure O2 for the space effort 60+ yrs ago. It is a different world of science!!

If you have a more cost effective source for a pump, please share. Thanks
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  #35  
Old 08-05-2018, 08:26 AM
NYTOM NYTOM is offline
 
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[quote=BillL;1278436)

If you have a more cost effective source for a pump, please share. Thanks[/QUOTE]

I?ve found some on line for the 2 to 3 hundred dollar range from scientific supply
houses but their not very clear on the lubricant used in the unit. Any oils near pure oxygen are extremely unstable and self igniting. I remember very vividly a training film I saw years ago showing what happens when you just put oil on a oxygen regulator fitting to make it thread on easier. Nasty explosion. Cleanliness is of the upmost importance around oxygen.
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  #36  
Old 08-05-2018, 10:30 AM
patterson patterson is offline
 
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Location: Queen Creek AZ
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Default Safety first

+1 on what Bill and Dan H. said here. I've been filling my own bottle from a single 180 cylinder for 11 years now. Works well for me, but you must be slow and careful to avoid a bad result.

On my new project I will be trying out the Inogen G4 concentrator. Weighs under 4 pounds and no backpack with an 8 pound O2 bottIe in the plane. I expect good results based on what I've learned from others who have tested these portable concentrators. I'll post my results here one day...soon, I hope.
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Last edited by patterson : 08-05-2018 at 10:38 AM.
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  #37  
Old 08-05-2018, 06:18 PM
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majuro15 majuro15 is offline
 
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Having never filled one before I’m glad my buddy had. Even going slowly it produces a lot of heat to the filling tank!
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  #38  
Old 08-05-2018, 06:54 PM
gfb gfb is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by majuro15 View Post
Having never filled one before I?m glad my buddy had. Even going slowly it produces a lot of heat to the filling tank!
Cylinder should not get too warm and definitely not too warm to hold comfortably. When we fill 2L O2 cylinders for diving it takes around 15-20 min to keep the flow rate safe.
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  #39  
Old 08-05-2018, 07:56 PM
MConner MConner is offline
 
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For those of us at sea level (Florida) who think this is a mountainous terrain thread, let me share a recent experience.

I bought my -10 in Phoenix and wanted to take a trip through Napa and Tahoe on the return leg. I knew I would need O2 so I bought a 22 cube bottle and cannulas. The system worked great as high as 17,500? and one full bottle got the wife and me home with some to spare. We now use it on any longer trips when above 8000? and find we arrive fresh and feeling much better.

The use of O2 has made traveling much more pleasant and less fatiguing than before. Try it and you will never want to go without.

Mark
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  #40  
Old 08-06-2018, 08:06 AM
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Low Pass Low Pass is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gfb View Post
Cylinder should not get too warm and definitely not too warm to hold comfortably. When we fill 2L O2 cylinders for diving it takes around 15-20 min to keep the flow rate safe.
Can you elaborate on this 15-20 minutes? I am aware of the concerns with "popping" or quickly opening a bottle, regulator failure, etc. But once everything's stable, I was not aware of any flow rate limitations on oxygen when transfilling.
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