Carbon monoxide found in tanks
- Thread starter Nirvana
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OP
Nirvana
Contributor
W W Meixner
Banned
They were not my cylinders; I was renting them for the dives. I used another set, that tested free of CO. The contaminated tanks were taken by the operator to be further inspected.
As for CO not being detectable by smell, I know that. That is one of the reasons why I brought an analyser with me. In fact, as I tried to convey before, I was taken aback by the reaction of the instructor beside me, who seemed to have an absolute confidence that he’d be able to smell any dangerous contaminant, apparently including carbon monoxide.
Maybe he thinks CO smells like car exhaust...
Best...
Warren
Yeah, that’s what I was getting at in my reply above.
The oxycheq beeps at 10ppm, not very loudly though. When I first got mine I waved it near my truck exhaust to confirm it was alive
Expedition Carbon Monoxide Analyzer with Alarm
I fear more and more incidences of co poisoning are going to occur with the appearance of the mini bottle/airgun 200$ air compressors with no filters except a sponge, no warnings or recommendations for gas monitoring,no proper instruction on filter cartridge maintenance, they are good little units if used properly, and blatant promotional video's showing no filter towers used and direct filling of breathing air bottles. There is a lot of education that could happen out there, co is insidious you dont know you are poisoned until it happens, the euphoria,blue lips drowsiness, headache and more noticable symptoms coughing, and sore throat and days of lethargy afterward( indicative of products of combustion in ac head or contaminated exhaust gas's in intake) At the very least there should be a education campaign about oil selection/compressor temps and proper filter media size and change intervals as well as gas monitor selection for purchasers of these home use compressors for scuba maybe a few shop owners/instructors may benifit as well. you cant buy experience but it costs alot. specialty course in home gas bottling perhaps. taught at your local dive store maybe save a few garage or boat mishaps with burst disks,blown lines and run away whips. or worse cylinder explosions but i am getting off topic, A more indepth education on breathing air is required as part of scuba it took me over three incidents with CO before realizing the importance of quality control that I am sure many scuba divers like myself have taken for granted.
@Nirvana - I'm impressed with the dive op's response. They didn't get defensive and actually asked to borrow your sensor to analyze other tanks. Much better response than I would have expected (sadly, I expect so little).
@ScubaTexas - I also carry and use a sensor.
@ScubaTexas - I also carry and use a sensor.
OP
Nirvana
Contributor
I have a CO analyzer and test every tank before diving, whether it's from my local shop, Cozumel, Aruba, you get the idea. Mine is an Analox, which isn't manufactured anymore.
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