So do you get bored checking tanks for CO when you never get readings?

[DandyDon]

SPECIAL NOTE, PLEASE: This thread is only for those who do test tanks for CO or are interested. Yes, I know that some experienced divers still don't - but that discussion is for another thread. Want me to start a new one?

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This boredom thing has happened to me, especially with my first tester that didn't register anything until 5 ppm - but when it did get 5, 7, 9 at times, it made all that blank testing worthwhile. Then I dropped it water - damn, as it wasn't water resistant like my newer one.

Fortunately, I was diving with an anesthesiologist who also wanted to make sure our tanks were safe and he tested our remaining tanks - and he got 17 ppm on all tanks the last day as we were headed to a 130 ft dive! 17 is not much on a bad air day in a city, but taken to 130 feet it's like 85 ppm - still survivable probably, until you ascend, then it gets iffy. At depth, the increase in PPO helps offset the toxicity of the CO, but the latter binds with hemoglobin in your blood and remains as the PPO decreases on ascent! There are good reasons by 10 ppm CO is the maximum allowed by US regulations even tho they are weakly enforced, and of the few countries with such regs - many have lowered the max to 3 as the max!

We were halfway to the site, wishing we had checked at the dock, but we just turned the boat. We shouldn't have used those tanks for even the shallow dives we did, but we survived those - and will refuse such tanks in the future even if it means a missed dive. My last trip, I did not get a single reading and it got a little boring again by the end of the week, but I guess I should just enjoy the reassurance.

I carry two CO analyzers now, and will calibrate both before my next trip. I replaced the cheaper Pocket CO, which I use with slider ziplocks, and their newer model starts reading at 3 ppm now, but it's my backup for my Analox EII CO analyzer which is much easier to use and somewhat water resistant. There are a couple of others that will test in the ultra low range we need to see now, unlike when I first got interested, but these are my favs.

And yeah, I will test even in Cozumel where the main fill facility has Analox Clear monitors and others there are receiving monitors in a DAN project. Every fill station should have those as they cost pennies/tank, but that's to protect their business quality, not me. There are things that can wrong with them too, like not having auto shut off, etc. You can trust your air source and that's nice, but you don't know about your tank unless you test it personally.

 

[suprane]

I would rather be bored than dead! :reaper:

I also get tired of the hassle of putting on my seat belt anytime I get in the car. But, at the same time, I realize that it too may very well save my life some day!

 

[DandyDon]

I would rather be bored than dead! :reaper:

I also get tired of the hassle of putting on my seat belt anytime I get in the car. But, at the same time, I realize that it too may very well save my life some day!

Yeah, I have rolled vehicles both ways, remember thinking on the slow roll "Damn, I wish I had my seat belt on!" but came out pretty lucky. I've been wearing seat belts since before they were common in cars, but get careless at times.

You've had trips since with no CO readings haven't you?

 

[EastEndDiver]

Bored is Good.

 

[markmantei]

It can get monotenous at times, particularly when you don't expect to get a reading (at home with trusted LDS and electric compressors), but it only takes one tank to cause a major issue, particularly with deep dives. Have never seen more than 3ppm on a tank that I can recall, and hope I never do.... but I'll keep testing anyway.

 

[rmh84]

I know you said not for those who don't use one - but I feel the same way about analizing my nitrox (that's all I dive on now). Honestly, the idea of analizing air is new to me. Untill I got a read of 50% on a nitrox tank once (it was false, but still). That scared me out of the boredom!

 

[DandyDon]

I know you said not for those who don't use one - but I feel the same way about analizing my nitrox (that's all I dive on now). Honestly, the idea of analizing air is new to me. Untill I got a read of 50% on a nitrox tank once (it was false, but still). That scared me out of the boredom!

Nice, polite hijack there. How did you get a mistaken reading?

On my last trip, I saw two divers go deep by mistake on the 36% Nx tanks they had scheduled for the second, shallower dive. I guess it'd be wise to test every tank for O2 and CO both, and I have the Analox analyzers.

You have stricter CO regs up there I think, but caca happens! You don't know what's in your tank unless you check it...

 

[suprane]

You've had trips since with no CO readings haven't you?

Yep! In Barbados this past spring everyone (every day!) tested "zero". Sort of got boring testing them!.... But we did it just the same!

Before the week was out the dive master's attitude was sort of like, "why don't you just give up?!" "Haven't we demonstrated our air is good?!"...... Well yeah!.... But I'll check just the same!

 

[Damselfish]

I don't have a CO analyzer, but I don't see why it's any different than Nitrox - I don't get bored or not with that anymore than any other little diving chore, I just do it. And I've had a couple unexpected Nitrox tanks, like a 40 when I was expecting 32 (and it wasn't an error.) In any event, bored is better than the alternative.

 

[markmantei]

You have stricter CO regs up there I think, but caca happens! You don't know what's in your tank unless you check it...

Regs don't mean a thing if nobody's checking.

Can I safely assume that there are no government mandated checks?

Now that PADI has removed air sample testing as a requirement, is the only thing keeping shops doing any testing at all either their own goodwill and/or liability concerns in the case of a bad fill?