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Inexpensive O2 Bottle Refill SF Bay Area

Frankster13

Active Member
Where can I get my portable oxygen bottle refilled in the SF Bay Area at a reasonable price? And as I understand, out of the factory there is no difference in moisture content between aviators O2 and welders O2.
 
Frank, a while ago someone from Dublin (I think) posted that a dive shop in Pleasanton would do it for about $20 but you needed to bring an adaptor fitting of some sort - they weren’t set up for aviation fittings. (Sorry about lack of detail - that’s all I remember). Of course the maintenance shop on the south side of LVK will do it for like $60, which is not reasonable in my book.
 
Web site for dive shop in Pleasanton: https://diventrips.com/

Filled my 14.7 cu ft O2 bottle for 75 cents per cu ft. Needed this CGA-870 to CGA-540 adapter from Mountain High Aviation Oxygen Systems. It’s a spendy $117, but a) you don’t want to skimp on fittings to handle 2000 psi compressed gas; and b) two more fills and I’m way ahead of any on-airport costs at KLVK or anywhere else.
 

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At the airpark six of us went in on a charging station. Fittings and connection hoses from Mountain High, Oxygen bottles from the local supply shop (~$40 a fill for a 80 cu-ft bottle). We daisy chain the six bottles to charge (start at the lowest charge bottle, progress to the top off with the highest charge bottle). We replace the lowest bottle perhaps twice a year. This way we get the most out of each bottle and we all share the initial cost of the charging rig.

In other words I’m below $10 a year to keep my 22 cu-ft airplane bottle charged. My rule is to use oxygen at 8K’ and above - so I’m charging at least four times a year.

Carl
 
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