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  #11  
Old 06-19-2017, 09:56 PM
BruceP BruceP is offline
 
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Location: Bakersfield, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gfb View Post
Try your local SCUBA store, they usually stock O2 and don't get weird about filling other kinds of breathing cylinders.

Google got me http://www.bakersfieldscuba.com/ Call ahead to make sure they have 100%
Might give that a try too, thanks!
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  #12  
Old 06-20-2017, 06:10 AM
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Auburntsts Auburntsts is offline
 
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I know it's usually more expensive, but why not go to an FBO? As John stated in post 5 Bakersfield Jet Center at KBFL offers O2 service according to AIRNAV.
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  #13  
Old 06-20-2017, 07:41 AM
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Plummit Plummit is offline
 
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If you want to fly down to Long Beach (40 min.) we can pick you up at the airport and run you over to Air Source to get the tank filled. They will check to make sure it's in hydro and refill while we wait. They are on the West side of the airport so it's really close.

-Marc
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  #14  
Old 06-20-2017, 07:51 AM
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Ironflight Ironflight is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Auburntsts View Post
I know it's usually more expensive, but why not go to an FBO? As John stated in post 5 Bakersfield Jet Center at KBFL offers O2 service according to AIRNAV.
If there are no other choices, then sure - the FBO is an option. But my problem with them is that I used to be on a Fire Department, where we had an O2 cascade system. We had the bottles changed out a couple of times a year, and O2 wasn't even a line item in the budget...it was THAT cheap. Years before that, I worked in the diving business, so I know that the labor involved in filling an air or O2 bottle is pretty minimal. (Owning the air or O2 station is the biog cost for a commercial operation.)

Our little bottles are so tiny as to use a negligible amount of O2 out of a storage system - so the thought of paying fifty or sixty bucks to fill one just goes against what I was taught by my depression-era father, if you will. If you're going to use O2 regularly (like every flight), for the price of a couple of FBO fills, you can rent a big bottle from a welding supply house, and buy a transfill line, and you'll have O2 on hand to use all the time. Think long-term, and you can do much better than an FBO.

And remembrance, just because you live a certain place doesn't;t mean you have to buy your O2 there. Find another friendly pilot (or a few) within a half hour flight, and share a system. If you REALLy want to use O2 all the time, build an infrastructure that will serve you economically. Think outside the box (or local area).
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  #15  
Old 06-20-2017, 08:11 AM
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Auburntsts Auburntsts is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ironflight View Post
If there are no other choices, then sure - the FBO is an option. But my problem with them is that I used to be on a Fire Department, where we had an O2 cascade system. We had the bottles changed out a couple of times a year, and O2 wasn't even a line item in the budget...it was THAT cheap. Years before that, I worked in the diving business, so I know that the labor involved in filling an air or O2 bottle is pretty minimal. (Owning the air or O2 station is the biog cost for a commercial operation.)

Our little bottles are so tiny as to use a negligible amount of O2 out of a storage system - so the thought of paying fifty or sixty bucks to fill one just goes against what I was taught by my depression-era father, if you will. If you're going to use O2 regularly (like every flight), for the price of a couple of FBO fills, you can rent a big bottle from a welding supply house, and buy a transfill line, and you'll have O2 on hand to use all the time. Think long-term, and you can do much better than an FBO.

And remembrance, just because you live a certain place doesn't;t mean you have to buy your O2 there. Find another friendly pilot (or a few) within a half hour flight, and share a system. If you REALLy want to use O2 all the time, build an infrastructure that will serve you economically. Think outside the box (or local area).
I get that and agree 100%. However, my post was aimed at the OP's post #10 where apparently he's tried some of the suggestions and is still having trouble finding an inexpensive a local source (barring installing his own fill system) -- at a certain point sometimes the effort exceeds the benefit. YMMV....
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  #16  
Old 06-20-2017, 09:06 AM
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DanH DanH is offline
 
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All you really need is a transfill line, and a buddy with an oxygen/acetylene rig getting dusty in the corner of his shop. You can pay to keep his big bottle refilled (or swapped) pretty cheap, and tap it many times.
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  #17  
Old 06-20-2017, 09:25 AM
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Paddy Paddy is offline
 
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Default O2 for frugal folks...

As an admitted and committed tight-wad, there was no way I could stomach shelling out $50 or more for 22cf of oxygen, so I spent way too much time scouring the forums and elsewhere trying to find the cheapest solution. As usual, Paul and the VAF collective wisdom have already figured this out - get your own welding tanks and a fill whip and you're sorted. Sounds like a lot of capital investment huh? NOPE - check this out...

https://weldingsupply.com/cgi-bin/ei...:terms::PH#H12

$3 per month tank rental and $26.41 for a 251cf refill!

I decided to mosey into the affiliated store in Chicago to see if this was real and after showing them the internet link, left with 2 "K" cylinders for the advertised price. There was a $150 security deposit per cyl but I'm fine with that as I'll get it back when I return the cylinders.
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  #18  
Old 06-20-2017, 09:28 AM
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Dugaru Dugaru is offline
 
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Default I had the same problem

I also struck out with welding shops and medical supply places. Got my bottle filled right before a trip at the FBO for $65 (!), and they only got it about halfway full (!!).

Finally realized that my scuba shop could do it. They didn't even blink. $10!

At that price, and given my low usage (love the Mountain High O2D2) I can't really justify buying my own transfill hose and setting up a big tank.

Incidentally, I now use oxygen starting at 5000 feet if I'm going on anything like a long trip. I started using a pulse oximeter and was really surprised to see how low my oxygen saturation was even at relatively low altitudes -- and even though I'm a nonsmoker in good health.

My doc says response to altitude changes is very idiosyncratic. Or maybe he called me an idiot, I was probably oxygen deprived, whatever.
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  #19  
Old 06-20-2017, 09:35 AM
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bret bret is offline
 
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How many fills can you get out of a single 251, into a 22 CF D tank, say....with the big tank dropping down to 1500 PSI?
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  #20  
Old 06-20-2017, 09:52 AM
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Paddy Paddy is offline
 
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Default Number of fills

Quote:
Originally Posted by bret View Post
How many fills can you get out of a single 251, into a 22 CF D tank, say....with the big tank dropping down to 1500 PSI?
Dunno - one so far
I would expect the pressure in the primary tank to drop off fairly quickly though, that's why I got 2 tanks. Oh, and don't even think about paying $300 for a fancy fill whip either, the same website has 3000psi hoses and T fittings so you can assemble your own whip for a 2 tank cascade for under $100.
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