Bad breathing gas on liveaboard trip

[Akimbo]

My apologies if I missed it but did they have a CO monitor on their compressor system? The odor is likely an indicator of a failure that may or may not have generated measurable CO. Did they only check the compressor system or did they inspect Nitrox/O2 generator system as well?

As a minimum, they should have saved a cylinder of bad gas and sent it to a lab for analysis on a gas chromatograph. That would be their best bet for finding the contamination source. Getting it to a lab could be challenging depending on how remote the site is.

I would be considerably more irate. The dives you did make were tainted, literally and figuratively, and would demand another trip as a minimum. This still does not make you "whole" because of your travel expenses and lost time.

 

[rddvet]

It's listed @ 3500psi, but I'm sure it can take a little more?...

Yeah, I have to agree there. I'm not sure what it was like before 2017, but it's hard to get emails responded to. I try to call, and that seems to work better.

I've run 5000 psi through it without a thought

 

[Scared Silly]

Most fill stations I’ve used have some inline monitor plumbed into the system. I assume it’s looking for CO, and will sound an alarm if it smells any? (Not experienced with these things, I just pay for the service and trust them to provide it) Is that not a common feature on liveaboard compressor systems? If not, would a boat usually have a tank monitor like yours to check random samples or suspect tanks, if not every cylinder? Was this operator lax in apparently not having one or is that just how it is? Kinda weird to be self-reliant for this sort of thing: do you have to personally check there’s no pesky holes in the ships hull too?!

IME most fill stations do not have an inline CO detector. I have rarely seen a hand held CO monitor on a boat. Therein lies the issue. Further, in many cases one shows up for the dive an there are your cylinders for the day. As such, my motto is trust but verify.

As for this operator. Who knows what might have lead to the incident being described. It could be a one off, someone missed something, or poor maintenance. While primary issue was bad gas the real issue is the response by the operator.

Long ago I learned the way to judge a company is not when they get it right as that is what you are paying them to do. But how the respond when they get it wrong. CO occurs but now that it has what did the company do?? Rightfully they canceled the diving until they figured it out. But that was mid week. What did folks do for the rest of the week?? I am hoping the OP will chime with the rest of the week.

 

[rjack321]

If it passes CO and Oxygen but tastes funny I still won't dive it. But at least if you're someone that would you will know you won't fall asleep underwater from CO

Yes and no.
Many volatile organics in compressor oils are narcotic and can induce delirium. So while you may not be incapacitated in the same way as with CO you can still have major issues.

 

[rjack321]

CO doesn't stink, so that was not the problem.

I wonder, in all the talk about CO analyzers - those that went to the trouble to buy and use - not those that are speculating or have second, third, fourth, out to infinity-hand "heard from/knew of very highly regarded and absolutely reliable" -

How often has it returned a positive, valid warning that saved your life? Not could have *if* CO had been there (but wasn't but could have been, maybe).

Or is it more of a feel good solution?

I had a CO "dot" stuck on the panel of the Aeronca, but its cabin heating came into the cockpit through shrouds that kinda coaxially wrapped the exhaust manifolds... And if flying and it turned cute colors, I could just open the windows for fresh air.

OMMOHY

The CO dots are not really reliable (they dry out and crumble) and even under the best of circumstances only change at 50+ppm. Canadian and EU breathing gas standards are 5ppm CO. In the US it's 10 ppm and widely regarded as too high. There's at least one CO fatality a year in the A&I forum here and probably many more unreported.

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

CO occurs but now that it has what did the company do??

"CO occurs but now that it has"?

Nobody ever said that there was CO contamination. Or even any suggestion that there was a likely possibility of such.

I am leaning towards the probability that the incidence of occurrence for CO contamination is so remote as to be an honest-to-dog non-event. Kinda like broken brake lines happen, but nobody ever gets under the car and checks everytime they go to start the car because it is a non-starter statistically speaking.

If the station is properly designed where the intake is out away from sources of combustion exhaust, it's mostly as likely as remote a danger as breathing air in the park down the street.

OMMOHY

 

[DrWilliam]

IME most fill stations do not have an inline CO detector. I have rarely seen a hand held CO monitor on a boat. Therein lies the issue. Further, in many cases one shows up for the dive an there are your cylinders for the day. As such, my motto is trust but verify.

As for this operator. Who knows what might have lead to the incident being described. It could be a one off, someone missed something, or poor maintenance. While primary issue was bad gas the real issue is the response by the operator.

Long ago I learned the way to judge a company is not when they get it right as that is what you are paying them to do. But how the respond when they get it wrong. CO occurs but now that it has what did the company do?? Rightfully they canceled the diving until they figured it out. But that was mid week. What did folks do for the rest of the week?? I am hoping the OP will chime with the rest of the week.

They stalled for 2 days “working on it” before they called it and motored back to port. Then they arranged and covered a 2 tank shore dive locally once we got back to port.

 

[rddvet]

Yes and no.
Many volatile organics in compressor oils are narcotic and can induce delirium. So while you may not be incapacitated in the same way as with CO you can still have major issues.

I sure as hell won't breathe stinky gas, but there are people who would. So at least checking for CO is some sort of safety net. But I agree, for me if it's not 100% normal it's not going in my lungs

 

[rmssetc]

Sensorcons are substandard for diving imo. They are not highly accurate and their accuracy is highly dependent on flow rate. You can get false positives and negatives.https://scubaboard.com/community/threads/semi-diy-o2-and-co-analyzer.613272/

Here's my DIY O2 and CO analyzer, using a Sensorcon.

 

[Gone for diving]

I have been CO poisoned, not on scuba,
But with a badly tuned, forklift, yes it stank, but that was raw fuel,
Believe me, if it was CO someones going to have spitting headache at some point,
Doesn't sound like CO, but without testing who knows....
Kinda sounds like there was a O2 oring that has partially burn.... but thats just a guess,