Thinking of switching to Homefill. Advice?

phantasyphighter · #1 2012-02-12, 8:36pm

I'm debating on switching from overpaying for my Oxygen tanks to either liquid O or the homefill system.

My gas supplier quoted me on a 265 liquid tank at $142 for a fill, and $2.50 a day rent.
I'm currently paying $26 for a K tank fill.

I was wondering how much I should expect to pay to get a Homefill setup going.
From my understanding, you can simply run one of the cheaper low end generators like the EX-5 (7 psi, 5 lpm) with the homefill system and still fill your tanks the same.

What difference will a better generator (more psi and lpm) make on the homefill system?
How long would it take to fill a K tank with the EX-5 and Homefill?
Will the tanks I fill myself have a lower Oxygen purity than the ones from my supplier?
How much do the homefill systems usually cost and where is the best place to buy one?
Where can I buy the "whip" to connect the Homefill to the tank?
Will the homefill system be more cost efficient, or should I go with liquid?

Sorry for all the questions, I've tried my best to research in the archives and other sites, but still haven't really found the answer to these questions.
Thanks for any help or advice you may have.

simvet02 · #2 2012-02-12, 9:07pm

You've done more than me, I can't wait to see some responses to this thread.

Signguy · #3 2012-02-12, 10:15pm

There's a ton of info on this over at talk glass.com. Also, people there who sell them...

Personally, I looked at them, but decided to just use oxycons instead. With the deal Jack at Unlimited has on them it's really cost effective. Even though I get tanked for $12, it does not take long to pay off the oxycons.

firefreak · #4 2012-02-13, 12:10am

Liquid has some problems. Has to be used every day or it vents off. You cant use it fast enough if your using a small torch. Some places won't deliver liquid to residence. But, it's a lot cheaper than K tanks.
About 800 for the homefill and whip. There is a guy on talk glass that is selling them. Check the member classified section. You will also need a tank or 2.
I fill 2 K tanks to 1500. Everyone claims it's less stress on the homefill unit to just fill to 1500. Takes about 16 hrs per tank to go form 0 to 1500. I tweaked my oyx-con ( inva-care mark5)to put out more pressure. Use the search feature over on talk glass to get tons of info on the home-fill.
I set mine up with a dual manifold so I can fill one while drawing out of another without changing hoses around. Added about 150 to the cost. I always have one filling.
Purity runs 93 to 94%. I can't tell the difference between my fills, and a supplier fill at the torch. I run a red-max and a 50 herbie once in a while. Red-max uses a 1500 fill in about 4 to 5 hrs. Herbie in about 2 hrs.
Cost me about 3.80 per fill at 14cents a KWH. Beats 28 a fill from the oxygen thief's!
I ran my Max for several years on 4 or 5 oxy-cons before I found out about the homefill.
Having tanked gives me another 10 to 15% at the upper end of my torch to play with. Humping tanks around for those larger pieces got old. And getting to play with the herbie is a bonus.
I think I read somewhere that there are about 16 K tanks in a 145L liquid tank. So do the math on how much O2 you will need a day. And go from there.
For me it was easy, one month of tanks is less than I paid for my home-fill setup. I don't know how long the system will hold up, but I could replace it every year and still be way ahead.

phantasyphighter · #5 2012-02-13, 1:30pm

I would love to be on just Oxycons, but it doesn't seem like there are any that are powerful enough to run my phantom. The psi just isn't there. And dropping several grand on a nice one doesn't really seem worth it.
That's why I was so interested in the home fill system, because from my understanding i can get one going for just over a grand and have the psi i need.
Going with just oxycons seems more expensive and takes up more space.

So I guess I still need the answer to the following questions:
Is oxygen purity an issue for anyone who currently uses these? Do you colors burn out NOTICEABLY or SIGNIFICANTLY more than with compressed or liquid? There seems to be mixed reports about this

If im hooking up more than 1 Oxycon to the homefill, will it fill faster? Is it the added PSI that makes it fill faster, or the extra LPM?

How much do you pay in electricity to fill a K tank to 1500psi?

How long can i expect the homefill and oxycon to work before replacing?

Is anyone running a phantom up to at least 95% capacity on a oxycon ONLY setup (for under 1500?)?

Again, any and all information you might have on the subject matter is immensely appreciated.

Maui Greenstone · #6 2012-03-13, 12:33am

The homefills rock. I just bought my 2nd that will be showing up soon. In my opinion it's better than getting a higher lpm unit to try and power any decent size burner. Get yourself a bank of 3-4 cylinders and pump into that.

Maui Greenstone · #7 2012-03-13, 12:38am

Oh and Boston is selling the units for$800 then all you need is a 5lpm oxycon (I got mime for $250 off craigslist.

So for around $1100 you can get something set up that fills a large cylinder every 2 days without much tweaking. And with some tweaking you can get faster rates.

Also with these you are making oxy while you sleep. They are pretty quite too.

Anne Elim · #8 2012-03-13, 11:01am

John, do you have a link? Thanks for the info!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maui Greenstone

Oh and Boston is selling the units for$800 then all you need is a 5lpm oxycon (I got mime for $250 off craigslist.

So for around $1100 you can get something set up that fills a large cylinder every 2 days without much tweaking. And with some tweaking you can get faster rates.

Also with these you are making oxy while you sleep. They are pretty quite too.

Silberrucken · #9 2012-03-13, 11:56am

Quote:

Originally Posted by phantasyphighter

I'm currently paying $26 for a K tank fill.

How often do you swap (refill) your K tank?

AmorphousDesigns · #10 2012-03-13, 11:57am

link to Homefill seller thread on TalkGlass (The Melting Pot)

http://www.talkglass.com/forum/showt...omefill&page=4

drew1492 · #11 2012-03-13, 8:20pm

The higher PSI is a must for the homefill in my opinion you get more fills out of the homefill over its life. The most you will probably get is 1450 psi in 24 hours into a K tank. The specs call for 14-21psi in the manual.

The tank bank is also a good idea as well you can have your tanks setup with a regulator attachment and keep the system pressure at a lower psi and never have to move a tank again.

Anne Elim · #12 2012-03-14, 12:57am

Thanks Elizabeth!

Quote:

Originally Posted by PracticalMagicGlass

link to Homefill seller thread on TalkGlass (The Melting Pot)

http://www.talkglass.com/forum/showt...omefill&page=4

boston · #13 2012-04-26, 9:42am

Hi Everyone,

I have homefills available again. Feel free to pm me if you want some info. I will give you my phone number as well. I am also happy to talk with people about torching.