Do Nitrox Regs need Nitrox everythings?

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edaresek

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Hi all,

I'm aware that for mixes up to 40% 'normal' regs are considered fine by most etc..

This is NOT another thread for that pointless and endless debate. Let's just assume my dream in life is to only dive with 41% and above ;)

I'm a Rescue boy who wants to go Tech and Divemaster this summer, so time for my own reg setup.

Assuming I want to buy a Nitrox-specific 1st+2nd stage regulator (budget is currently pointing to the Mares Rover 12 Nitrox), does this then mean that everything connected to that reg also has to be Nitrox grade?? Will I need a Nitrox-grade 2nd octopus? Will I need Nitrox-grade gauges? Does the BCD hose also need to be O2 cleaned??

Small sub-question: Assuming the answer to the above is yes and I buy a completely Nitrox-grade setup, can that setup ever be used with normal compressed air? Or would doing so contaminate the whole setup?

Thanks in advance for any light you guys can shed on the matter...

Ed
 
Nitrox reg, or Oxy clean reg?

Most any reg can deliver Nitrox, but blends over 40% O2 require an oxygen compatible/clean solution.

Pony bottles set up to handle those mixtures rarely have an octo attached. You do not need to worry about your SPG being Oxy clean.
 
Nitrox Regs: which my research suggests are 'supposedly' cleaned more strictly after manufacture and during services than normal regs.

That in itself makes no sense to me: why don't we just clean all regulators to the same higher standard!

Edit: ARGH MY BROWSER MESSED UP. NetDoc, I only just saw your full post. Thanks for that.
 
edaresek:
Nitrox Regs: which my research suggests are 'supposedly' cleaned more strictly after manufacture and during services than normal regs.
Click to expand...
They might have Christolube (or equivalent) and that would be about it. No real difference other than fancy colors.
edaresek:
That in itself makes no sense to me: why don't we just clean all regulators to the same higher standard!
Click to expand...
Welcome to marketing 101. Label something as Nitrox and you will sell some regs to people convinced that they need a Nitrox regulator.

An oxygen compatible'/clean regultor simply costs more money. If you exceed 40% O2, I would suggest that you abandon this quest for a Nitrox reg and start one for an oxygen compatible/clean one.
 
Thanks Netdoc.

But then what is the point of, or rather: what is the physical difference between any given regulator, and it's Nitrox-safe branded brother???

For example: The Mares Rover 12 and the "Rover 12 Nitrox" - Is there any difference apart from the green plastic casing? Is there any substantial mechanical or metallic difference?

Ed
 
LOL you guys are too fast, chill out! But thanks.

Dr. Wu: I'm not actually on planning on any mega-technical diving (yet). That comment was purely to dissuade people from breaking down into an argument about regs and the 40% safety line (which is what happens on all of these Nitrox threads).

So, further question: If I go buy myself a non-nitrox-branded reg setup, and then enroll in a PADI tec course around Easter time, will they let me use that setup with Nitrox fills? Do all the dive schools just use normal regs for nitrox students???
 
The answer is yes, all components that are exposed to oxygen tensions about 40% have to be cleaned to oxygen-compatible standards, and contain combustion-resistant o-rings and other components.

But, as has already been observed, rich mixes are generally only used for decompression, and those regulators are usually set up with a single first and second stage.

You CAN run compressed air through O2-clean tanks and regulators, but you must get it from a place that filters its air to O2-compatible standards. The standards for ordinary compressed air are lower.

Being this careful with pure oxygen really IS important. You CAN have fires that destroy the internal components of first stages or valves, or do even worse.
 
edaresek:
Thanks Netdoc.

But then what is the point of, or rather: what is the physical difference between any given regulator, and it's Nitrox-safe branded brother???
Click to expand...

Some parts can be made of a different material. Most importantly is how it is handled when it is first made, and how it is handled when it is serviced later. An O2 clean reg is extremely clean, and creating/maintaining a normal regulator at that level would be unnecessarily costly and burdensome.

In many cases, using an O2-clean reg for normal diving would result in a reg that is no longer O2 clean. The air you breathe safely in normal diving might not be clean enough and may contaminate the reg.
 
I haven't inspected the Mares Rover 12 to speak specifically about that regulator. But most regs and their Nitrox counterparts use the very same service kits. The only difference being the lubricant used in assembly. Below 40% O2, I don't even see a need for this.

You might want to ask your LDS if the service kits are one in the same. Perhaps Zak can weigh in on this.
 
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