Is My Tank Safe For Nitrox? - Scuba Tech Tips: S16E21

[@benoitkabul1]

Alec, you are simply the best…

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

That sounds like a song i know. Appreciate the feedback. A

[@jonathanventresca8299]

Love your videos. I’ve seen every single one! Can you make a video about choosing a dry suit undersuit? Don’t think you’ve done one about those yet. Keep it up!

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I have a list of more dry suit topics but most stores don't have a variety of items to show, just one and usually 5th element. Will do more when I can sir. A

[@NormaTLeon]

Thanks! That was quite helpful!

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Thanks for watching. A

[@brendonnashca]

It just needs a good rinse at home with some varsol. Lube up the threads and valve with some vaseline to keep everything running nice and smooth.

[@kevindavison6019]

I see your humor here 🤣but maybee a disclaimer for the uninformed this is sarcasm just the opposite of what you want to do.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

We both know its not true but put it on tictok and many simple folks will do it (because tictok is right, right?) A

[@kevindavison6019]

Like every tool Nitrox has its place. It definitely is worth the training. For local shore dives to 30 ft, not necessary, but Multiple dives on a the boats preset schedule, or deeper wreck dives to buy a little more bottom time, its devinitely advantageous. As far as tanks go I'd stick to one shop or fill station that knows you and your maintenance program, as you might run into problems with one shop not trusitng another shop's air quality.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Any LDS in North America has to have an Air Quality certificate. If in a new shop for fills, ask to see it and look for the pass. I did a video on just this topic a year ago and the key measurements. If the certificate is good, get filled with confidence. No human could tell the difference between two LDS's with valid certificates. This standard is what makes diving so widely available and safe. A

[@doxop6109]

For shore dives to 30’ it’s perfect in a place like Bonaire where you can stay under practically all day. Most shops in Bonaire have unlimited air packages even with free Nitrox for this very reason.

[@jonnieinbangkok]

I would have thought recreational nitrox diving has been around longer than a couple decades; I must have been a real pioneer when I got my card over 20 years ago 🤗 🤗 🤗 The benefits in terms of NDL times are quite dramatic; at a local Bali wreck at 26 meters, my NDL on air is about 12 minutes but on EAN32, it's over 25!

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

You are an old diver to have used EAN so early. It was not easy to get EAN accepted into training agencies at first. I have in my Skin Diver magazine articles on avoiding that crazy "Voo Doo Gas". Scientific benefits were not accepted without a lot of proof to those old double hose divers. A

[@jonnieinbangkok]

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter 59 and going strong (like you 😉).

[@michaelchristenbury552]

You forgot to cover banked or premixed Nitrox! Here in SE Florida that is the standard and to my knowledge no one in this area still uses partial pressure filling.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I did a previous video on how nitrox is made and covered all 3 major types. I know of two PP blending sites specializing in tech gases. So it's not common but still done. A

[@jacquespoirier9071]

I'm sure that on a short term, NITROX is an improvement of diver's safety but in long term, I fear the effect of the NITROX on the general health so for my activity, I don't use such a mixture excellent topic excellent video.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I'm hoping it's safe after decades of using and selling it. More to come. A

[@michaelchristenbury552]

I have only been using Nitrox for 29 years with no side effects, I think it may be safe!

[@bodengilley9572]

Finally got my old man gas certification from padi two weeks ago.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

You will love this crazy new 'voo doo gas' all the cool kids are trying. Take care and enjoy nitrox diving. A

[@Teampegleg]

The wraps aren't really required. They are highly recommended for shop tanks to make sure you don't give a nitrox tank to someone expecting air. But IME they are rarely required for personally owned tanks.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Standards state that tanks should be easily identified as nitrox and stickers are the best way so far. I filled tanks for thousands of divers, some had multiple tanks; some nitrox, some AIR Only and other tec blends. All depends on what you're comfortable with as divers signing for the mix. A

[@warrensalerno5484]

Alec - At about the 1:20 mark, I was surprised to hear you say, without clarifying it, that Nitrox gives you “longer time underwater” As you know, “some people” think that a diver somehow consumes “less air” using Nitrox. Therefore, they think they have a “longer time underwater”. To my knowledge, that has never been proven. The way a diver stays underwater “longer” pertains to making repetitive dives, since there is less residual nitrogen reducing a diver’s repetitive dive times and thereby increasing total bottom time potential. I’ve been a fan of your videos for many years. Keep it up!

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

Thanks for the feedback. If a diver took a proper EAN course they learn proper terms like; longer bottom times plus pros and cons of using nitrox. It's others who make wrong claims that others pickup. When nitrox was first introduced to diving. Skin Diver magazine said don't use it! A decade latter, with education, training and safety steps, it was accepted and is the most popular course offered today. A

[@benheckendorn2696]

I just wonder abou the senes and nonsese. The Scubapro (g260 mk25) in Switzerland it's save to, i guess Nitrox30, in Germany you must buy another Regulator-set just for Nitrox. To me this is just nonsese, because it's the very same Scubapro, but in Germany I would need to buy another one. I don't know but why don't they just follow the rule Scubapro says? To me it sounds just like: how could we make your spend more money. 😢

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

It maybe that. The EU rules are very strict about diving safety. What does your local dive shop say about better options than buying another reg? A

[@benheckendorn2696]

In Switzerland, it's fine. The Scubapro reg. allows Nitrox30 oder even bit more. I just don't understand, it's the very same reg. world wide, so the law about Nitrox should be made by Scubapro not the Gouvernement, because Scubapro tested this. 😢 Maybe with even more O2 then they recommend. Just in n case it would be Nitrox37 not Nitrox36 etc.

[@adammarston1891]

Dont tell DAN 😅 They claimed to have had a o2 fire with 40 % In testing..... But in the same lecture acknowledged receiving the wrong gas in several tanks from there supplier ...lol To my knowledge NASA is the only place that can truely oxygen clean cylinders. Ive seen dive operations do it in some very qustionable ways,

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

I won't tell DAN so be careful out there. A

[@BDJ-n1q]

I’m confused. In S10E02, you said O2 cleaning wasn’t necessary for any concentration < 40%. I have also had a dive shop make two claims that seem to be BS: 1. I need a Nitrox sticker to transport any gas >21% O2 by DOT regulations. I’m somewhat familiar with what DOT placards look like as a firefighter, and I can promise you that the dive shop’s NITROX sticker wouldn’t qualify even if a DOT regulation required it. It certainly looks nothing like the 100% O2 bottles we carry on the ambulance. 2. Secondly, the shop used a membrane system to enrich air, and the tech told me that since he had filled my tank with regular air, it would no longer be compatible with Nitrox. That struck me as odd since it indicates his air (the same that he uses to create Nitrox) isn’t of OCA quality. Why would he be using one level of filtration for air and another for EAN? I feel like he wanted to charge me to get another O2 clean and buy a sticker (or really, buy a “Nitrox” tank that would never see EAN = 21%) Here’s my gripe. O2 cleaning seems like a scam for recreational gas mixes. Also, I test my gas and label the tanks appropriately (as I learned in tech training), but I don’t always use the same concentration. I don’t want to put a stupid green band on the tank that I use for different mixes in different conditions. If the shop's air is clean, the gas is tested, and the tank is labeled with the correct date and mix it contains, that should be adequate or someone is giving out bad information. Shops can adopt whatever procedures they want, and I can choose where to get tanks filled, but enough with the BS already.

[@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter]

OK. I understand your frustration. Got to 5 different dive shops & you'll get 5 different answers. What I say is the absolute truth. That is, it is the technical or practical truth but that may NOT be what dive shops use on a daily basis. Strictly speaking from a technical point of view, O2 cleaning is only necessary if the tank will be exposed to O2 concentrations greater than 40%. Provided the diver uses NITROX at less than 40% only, cleaning is not necessary. However, since a dive store has no idea what concentration an O2 stickered tank will be subjected to in the future, they simply insist on O2 cleaning for all. That is not a unreasonable assumption or policy to take. It is the safest route. So if taking your scuba tank in for a fill of 32% NITROX, while technically not requiring O2 cleaning, the dive shop will not fill it if not stickered as O2 clean. And, a fill of 32% using the Partial Pressure method, user 100% oxygen as part of the process. So you are kinda' stuck. If you have an O2 cleaned tank & someone puts non-OCA air, that is, regular scuba air, into it, it is no longer O2 clean. Many dive shops will have regular scuba air (Grade E) as their go-to air for filling air tanks. Hyper-air or OCA (Oxygen Compatible Air) requires extra filtering so dive shops will charge more for divers who want (need) that air, whether to provide the diver with an enriched air fill or just an air fill. One store I know charges $15 for an air fill, $25 for an OCA fill &, of course, more for a NITROX fill based on the amount of oxygen used. While it makes sense to supply only OCA for all fills to eliminate confusion and/or mistakes, that would also eliminate a source of income. The extra time & cost of producing OCA in slight but profitable. Re the stickers, you are quite right. There is no universal NITROX sticker in scuba. Some stores make up their own. Whether or not the sticker meets DOT standards (they don't) is of no concern. Interestingly, the DOT standard only applies if the NITROX tank is being transported by someone other than the owner of the tank. Neat huh?