I found CO in tanks

[49north]

Why didn't you test when you picked up these rental tanks?

They weren’t rental tanks that we had picked up, they were provided by the dive op.

When we got on the boat, they showed us which tanks were ours. We analyzed immediately and were able to call the dive before the boat left the dock.

 

[49north]

I ordered it and am hoping it was a huge waste of money - meaning I hope to never have to call a dive for contaminated tanks. I will, of course, if necessary. But gosh, the peer pressure!!!!!!

I hope so too. It’s kind of an uncomfortable situation. That said, passing out at depth would be worse.

 

[Patoux01]

Just a side-note to those that think it doesn't happen to "civilized countries" (as if the US were ), we had a case last year of a diver getting pretty damn near death in Switzerland. After 4 minutes at 100 feet, the victim had to be brought up by his buddy, he survived thanks to that, and the docs looking at CO intoxication after having ruled out a bend. I think I had reported this already somewhere... I haven't had the results of the tank analysis, but I suspect it was ugly.

 

[BertStevens]

I think Ronald Regan said it best... “Trust, but verify!”

 

[DandyDon]

Just a side-note to those that think it doesn't happen to "civilized countries" (as if the US were ), we had a case last year of a diver getting pretty damn near death in Switzerland. After 4 minutes at 100 feet, the victim had to be brought up by his buddy, he survived thanks to that, and the docs looking at CO intoxication after having ruled out a bend. I think I had reported this already somewhere... I haven't had the results of the tank analysis, but I suspect it was ugly.

Why wasn't the tank tested immediately with some diver's personal tank tester? Because no one had one?

If I am ever around a need to test, I'll be happy to - but wouldn't just loan my kit to anyone after an incident. I'd want to test myself. I don't want to load my kit only to have someone claim they used it to confirm there was no problem. Too many liars protecting business.

I think Ronald Regan said it best... “Trust, but verify!”

My home dive bud is a Reagan fan who likes to use that term, which never made sense to me. I trust only after confirmation.

 

[BertStevens]

My home dive bud is a Reagan fan who likes to use that term, which never made sense to me. I trust only after confirmation.

I trust the shop filling my tanks to take precautions to supply clean air. But I verify that he doesn’t have a problem that just developed!

 

[Patoux01]

Why wasn't the tank tested immediately with some diver's personal tank tester? Because no one had one?

In all likelihood, nobody had one. It was filled at a dive club however, so not much business to loose. I didn't get the end of the story, but that's when I bought my analyser (especially as solo diver, even with as few as 10 dives a year depending on the years).

 

[nadwidny]

Just a side-note to those that think it doesn't happen to "civilized countries" (as if the US were ), we had a case last year of a diver getting pretty damn near death in Switzerland. After 4 minutes at 100 feet, the victim had to be brought up by his buddy, he survived thanks to that, and the docs looking at CO intoxication after having ruled out a bend. I think I had reported this already somewhere... I haven't had the results of the tank analysis, but I suspect it was ugly.

It doesn't matter what you "suspect". Without the results you are just guessing and your guesses mean nothing.

 

[Patoux01]

It doesn't matter what you "suspect". Without the results you are just guessing and your guesses mean nothing.

Well a friend of him told me it was CO. The guy was treated for CO at the hospital. So I suspect an ugly number because incapacitation in 5 minutes takes a lot of CO.

 

[Wookie]

It is really boring to find 0ppm tank after tank until the one day your son's tank reads 80ppm. At first I thought he had used the Analox unit incorrectly but after testing the tank 3 times and all the other tanks that had been put out for other divers reading 0ppm we confirmed his tank was 80ppm. Could of been a very bad day if I didn't have the unit.

I don't understand how you get 80 PPM in one tank and none of the others. I'm not questioning you, not at all. It's not like a slug of CO gets released into a compressor and then goes away. CO in a compressor comes from an engine nearby but the hopcalite in the filter tower should take care of that in small doses. The other way is to burn the compressor oil, but again, that's a slow process, and should contaminate more than one tank.

Someone needs to spend a fortune studying the phenomena.