NCDiver21
Registered
I am curious can the zx-50d setup from zeagle be used with regular air, i see that it can be used with nitrox but im assuming it can be used with regular air also?
air and or nitrox
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miketsp
Contributor
Air is EAN21. Any regulator that can be used for Nitrox can be used for air.
Depending on the quality (cleanliness) of the air that you use, you may then have to reclean the reg before using it again with Nitrox above EAN 21.
Depending on the quality (cleanliness) of the air that you use, you may then have to reclean the reg before using it again with Nitrox above EAN 21.
Most shops post the results of their air quality testing in the shop. Ideally this testing is done on a sample taken just before the filters are changed, not on a just installed set of filters so that they are measuring air from their worst case situation. Asking when the sample is taken can often be illuminating.
Compressed Gas Association Grade E air standards are considered the minimum standard for scuba diving, but grade E allows more hydrocarbons than is considered prudent for use with nitrox. So what you want to look at on the air quality certificate is the amount of hydro carbons/oil particles. Grade E allows 5mg per cubic meter while most OCA (Oxygen compatible) standards specify .1mg per cubic meter.
The concern is that the larger amounts potentially present in grade E air will allow hydrocarbons to accumulate over the course of several fills in the tank and then cause problems when exposed to pure O2 during partial pressure blending. So it is a big concern with regard to maintaining O2 clean tanks.
On the other hand, and liability issues aside, use of regular grade E air is not a concern in a nitrox reg used with mixes of 40% or less as the amount of hydro carbon contamination caused by plain old garden variety grade E air is not going to cause a problem, particularly is you take normal precautions of opening the tank valve slowly with the purge slightly depressed to pressurize the reg slowly and avoid the heat (ignition source) that results from sudden compression in the reg. You should be doing this anyway in any nitrox situation regardless of the quality you think you are getting in the gas.
Most reg manufacturers now allow nitrox up to 40% in their off the shelf regs with no special preparation or cleaning. It's is a different story for nitrox regs intended for use with mixes greater than 40% oxygen where special cleaning and often special o-ring materials are specified.
Compressed Gas Association Grade E air standards are considered the minimum standard for scuba diving, but grade E allows more hydrocarbons than is considered prudent for use with nitrox. So what you want to look at on the air quality certificate is the amount of hydro carbons/oil particles. Grade E allows 5mg per cubic meter while most OCA (Oxygen compatible) standards specify .1mg per cubic meter.
The concern is that the larger amounts potentially present in grade E air will allow hydrocarbons to accumulate over the course of several fills in the tank and then cause problems when exposed to pure O2 during partial pressure blending. So it is a big concern with regard to maintaining O2 clean tanks.
On the other hand, and liability issues aside, use of regular grade E air is not a concern in a nitrox reg used with mixes of 40% or less as the amount of hydro carbon contamination caused by plain old garden variety grade E air is not going to cause a problem, particularly is you take normal precautions of opening the tank valve slowly with the purge slightly depressed to pressurize the reg slowly and avoid the heat (ignition source) that results from sudden compression in the reg. You should be doing this anyway in any nitrox situation regardless of the quality you think you are getting in the gas.
Most reg manufacturers now allow nitrox up to 40% in their off the shelf regs with no special preparation or cleaning. It's is a different story for nitrox regs intended for use with mixes greater than 40% oxygen where special cleaning and often special o-ring materials are specified.
RIDIVER501
Contributor
NCDiver21:
Always double check with the manufacture, but these days almost all regulator are capable of supporting nitrox mixes of less then 40% right out of the box.
if you are going to use it for mixes above 40% then it needs to meet O2 service standards. most regs can meet those standards simply by having a qualified repair tech put in a nitrox service kit when you get your annual service.
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