I posted this in response to a thread talking about sources of CO in breathing gas but decided to post in the Accidents and Incidents Forum as the results could have been serious:
I have just returned from a trip to the Caribbean and I am really glad that I took my Analox CO analyzer there. The resort has always provided clean air and just recently installed a new compressor and bought new steel tanks. First day of diving I tested my own tank and as expected it read 0 ppm. I gave the analyzer to my son to test his own tank. He called out and said his tank was reading 75 ppm so I assumed he had done something wrong and upset the calibration. I re-calibrated it to ambient air and then went to show him what he did wrong. Meter read 81 ppm which I thought was damned near impossible so I tested my own tank again and every other tank that was set up for the divers. Sure enough none of the other tanks registered more than 1 ppm. Tested my son's tank yet again and it still read 81 ppm, replaced his tank with a new one and set the contaminated tank to drain. When the interior of the tank was inspected they found 3" of seawater and a great deal of rust, somehow the tank had drained and had must of taken on seawater when being swum in from the boat. Hate to think of what would have happened if my son had used the tank. It also goes to show that an inline tester on the compressor would not have prevented this incident. I have vowed to test every tank that I, my son or my dive buddies dives regardless of the reliability of the source. I am sure that the other divers that were present will be in the market for an CO analyzer.
I have just returned from a trip to the Caribbean and I am really glad that I took my Analox CO analyzer there. The resort has always provided clean air and just recently installed a new compressor and bought new steel tanks. First day of diving I tested my own tank and as expected it read 0 ppm. I gave the analyzer to my son to test his own tank. He called out and said his tank was reading 75 ppm so I assumed he had done something wrong and upset the calibration. I re-calibrated it to ambient air and then went to show him what he did wrong. Meter read 81 ppm which I thought was damned near impossible so I tested my own tank again and every other tank that was set up for the divers. Sure enough none of the other tanks registered more than 1 ppm. Tested my son's tank yet again and it still read 81 ppm, replaced his tank with a new one and set the contaminated tank to drain. When the interior of the tank was inspected they found 3" of seawater and a great deal of rust, somehow the tank had drained and had must of taken on seawater when being swum in from the boat. Hate to think of what would have happened if my son had used the tank. It also goes to show that an inline tester on the compressor would not have prevented this incident. I have vowed to test every tank that I, my son or my dive buddies dives regardless of the reliability of the source. I am sure that the other divers that were present will be in the market for an CO analyzer.