Atomic T2 Interchangeable with Air and Nitrox?

[DCBC]

My husband and I have the Atomic T2 regulators that we have been using with air since we purchased them. We have become interested in using Nitrox, but the Atomic owners manual says the T2 must be dedicated to air or nitrox only. In researching this, I found a website, scubamarketusa.com, that claims that the T2 is interchangeable with air or Nitrox to 40% without dedication. Does anyone have experience using a T2 (not the T2x) with both air and nitrox? Thanks.

The question you ask has less to do with the capabilities of the regulator, than it does with the compressor / filters / cascade system used. Commercial diving often uses hyper-cleaned air for all applications using air, regardless of if it's air or standard Nitrox mixes (less than 40%). My regulator remains the same. If however I had my scuba cylinders filled at an LDS with marginal "E class" air, the oil content in the fill may require me to O2 clean my equipment (cylinders and regulators) before using Nitrox.

It's all about how the LDS does its filtration and the quality of the air provided. This is even more true if the fill station doesn't fill Nitrox, or if it's air quality is questionable. Using a number of different filling stations may complicate this.

I'd question the owner / manager of the LDS to better understand how often his air is tested and the results of the independent test. This will provide an indication of the air quality. He will also explain the processes in greater detail. It's important to ask the questions.

 

[Downing]

You can "upgrade" your T2 into a T2x with a kit from Atomic Aquatics. Take your reg to your LDS and they'll take care of it for you. AA will need to know the reg's serial number so they can match up the proper kit.

If I remember right, the kit cost $75, for which I got a small plug stamped "monel," an o-ring or two and a new purge cover replacing the "T2" logo with "T2x."

Then you'll have AA's official blessing for non-dedicated use of air and nitrox.

 

[scubafanatic]

You can "upgrade" your T2 into a T2x with a kit from Atomic Aquatics. Take your reg to your LDS and they'll take care of it for you. AA will need to know the reg's serial number so they can match up the proper kit.

If I remember right, the kit cost $75, for which I got a small plug stamped "monel," an o-ring or two and a new purge cover replacing the "T2" logo with "T2x."

Then you'll have AA's official blessing for non-dedicated use of air and nitrox.

...so in reality, the 'upgrade' to the T2X was just a cosmetic 'pimp my reg' thing.....

 

[halocline]

If I remember right, the kit cost $75, for which I got a small plug stamped "monel," an o-ring or two and a new purge cover replacing the "T2" logo with "T2x."

It sort of reminds me of buying a small part for a mercedes or BMW, the part cost has nothing to do with it's actual cost to produce, but is based on the market segment of the product it's going in.

I imagine the o-rings are viton (big deal) and who knows what the monel plug is for. It's a metal that has resistance to corrosion and is O2 friendly. Maybe a seat carrier?

 

[scubafanatic]

It sort of reminds me of buying a small part for a mercedes or BMW, the part cost has nothing to do with it's actual cost to produce, but is based on the market segment of the product it's going in.

I imagine the o-rings are viton (big deal) and who knows what the monel plug is for. It's a metal that has resistance to corrosion and is O2 friendly. Maybe a seat carrier?

...since even the 'old' T2 is a $ 1500-ish reg, I'm going to assume that the two O-rings that were replaced in the upgrade WERE ALREADY Viton in the 1st place......

 

[halocline]

I would not assume that the o-rings are viton. It doesn't make that much difference anyways, viton is supposed to degrade slower in a high O2 environment, which the regulator never sees, and only sees 40% when in nitrox use, a tiny fraction of the time. It's much more important for say, a tank neck o-ring that will be used to store a high O2 blend.

I think I read somewhere that the aviation industry uses regular nitrile or EDPM o-rings for 100% O2 equipment. I really don't think it's a big deal. Using Christolube rather than silicone is probably much more important.

 

[Downing]

...so in reality, the 'upgrade' to the T2X was just a cosmetic 'pimp my reg' thing.....

The monel plug is functional rather than cosmetic as you can't see it once it's screwed into the reg.

I used to switch back and forth between air and nitrox with no worries on my T2 all the time. I "upgraded" more out of curiosity's sake than anything else and was surprised so little was actually involved.

I was also pleasantly surprised to get the T2x purge cover as part of the kit. It's both functional, in the sense that the air/nitrox supplier will know the reg isn't "required" to be dedicated (the reality is that hardly anybody knows or cares), and cosmetic.

 

[scubafanatic]

The monel plug is functional rather than cosmetic as you can't see it once it's screwed into the reg.

I used to switch back and forth between air and nitrox with no worries on my T2 all the time. I "upgraded" more out of curiosity's sake than anything else and was surprised so little was actually involved.

I was also pleasantly surprised to get the T2x purge cover as part of the kit. It's both functional, in the sense that the air/nitrox supplier will know the reg isn't "required" to be dedicated (the reality is that hardly anybody knows or cares), and cosmetic.

...yeah, I really hate it when some tank monkey/DM in a remote 3rd-world, who maybe speaks 3 or 4 words of English gives me a hard time about how I really should be diving the T2X and not my creaky 'old' T2 with NITROX......

 

[Downing]

...yeah, I really hate it when some tank monkey/DM in a remote 3rd-world, who maybe speaks 3 or 4 words of English gives me a hard time about how I really should be diving the T2X and not my creaky 'old' T2 with NITROX......

Zactly! :snicker:

 

[Russ525]

....let's just say I have absolutely no worries diving my 'older' T2 with recreational levels of Nitrox as Atomic claims their new T2X is 'nitrox proof' (for recreational mixes) and I'm convinced there is absolutely no difference between the T2 and the T2X other than the purge cover...unless someone, in plain English spells out EXACTLY the technology/materials/design differences that justify the distinction Atomic makes between the two regs.

From what I understand, unless you're going to use greater than 40% O2 then it's not a problem