Best Air Mix for Pony Bottle

[grf88]

Let’s not forget if you have different gas mixes you are now mixed gas diving. Conciderable training involved.

Poppycock

 

[hroark2112]

21%

It's for emergencies, not for deco. If you want to carry deco gas, take the appropriate training and gear up properly.

 

[TrimixToo]

First, you must travel to Nepal in the spring, but you must do so after the most perilous phase of the avalanche danger no longer threatens your passage through the steepest clefts of the Alps, those that lead to the hidden mountain meadows of lore. Then and there, not too high, and not too low, but just where the eidelweiss will eventually bloom, and only in the two days (no more, no less) before they are in full flower, you must find the High Priest of Compressordom in the cave at the Northeast corner of the Meadow of Wisdom to fill your pony bottle with the rarefied Essence of the Alps, which will have the perfect balance among the scented essences of the meadow, O2, and N2. It will protect you against all evils. You will have to take a boat back, of course, because airport security won't let you take a full tank on the airplane. Unless, of course, you happen to be diving in Nepal.

Alternatively, you can simply put air in your pony, stay within the NDL, keep an eye on your SPG, and use the pony if an emergency develops.

One of these is a lot simpler than the other...which is a long way of saying "don't overthink this." Get it rigged comfortably and make sure you can deploy it reliably. Extra points if you can quickly hand it off to someone else, which could be important someday if they are on the edge of panic.

(It's been a long week. Sometimes my sense of humor gets the better of me. Hope you're not offended!)

 

[WorkNPlayScuba]

Hello and welcome. It depends . First off to fill a tank with EAN 50 , the tank needs to be 02 cleaned along with the valve. Then you will need to have whatever regulator you are putting on it 02 cleaned as well. Then there is the hit or miss rule that some dive shops have that they will not fill you with anything over EAN 40 without a Tech diving certification. (my LDS has a sign at their fill station on this) You can put EAN 40 in it without any cleaning provided they have a membrane system but most membrain systems are set up for EAN 32. If your fill station does partial pressure fills you are back to 02 cleaning even for EAN 32. Some people just put air in the pony on dives where if something is dropped, they can switch to air and go deeper than the MOD and retrieve the item and then switch back to their EAN when they return back above their MOD for the mix they are using.

That’s interesting I never thought about using it to retrieve an item dropped at a depth deeper than your MOD and then returning to the EAN mix after.

 

[WorkNPlayScuba]

First, you must travel to Nepal in the spring, but you must do so after the most perilous phase of the avalanche danger no longer threatens your passage through the steepest clefts of the Alps, those that lead to the hidden mountain meadows of lore. Then and there, not too high, and not too low, but just where the eidelweiss will eventually bloom, and only in the two days (no more, no less) before they are in full flower, you must find the High Priest of Compressordom in the cave at the Northeast corner of the Meadow of Wisdom to fill your pony bottle with the rarefied Essence of the Alps, which will have the perfect balance among the scented essences of the meadow, O2, and N2. It will protect you against all evils. You will have to take a boat back, of course, because airport security won't let you take a full tank on the airplane. Unless, of course, you happen to be diving in Nepal.

Alternatively, you can simply put air in your pony, stay within the NDL, keep an eye on your SPG, and use the pony if an emergency develops.

One of these is a lot simpler than the other...which is a long way of saying "don't overthink this." Get it rigged comfortably and make sure you can deploy it reliably. Extra points if you can quickly hand it off to someone else, which could be important someday if they are on the edge of panic.

(It's been a long week. Sometimes my sense of humor gets the better of me. Hope you're not offended!)

Nah I got thick skin, I get what your saying. It makes sense. That’s why I ask.

 

[WorkNPlayScuba]

21%

It's for emergencies, not for deco. If you want to carry deco gas, take the appropriate training and gear up properly.

Yeah that’s seems to be the general consensus. Thanks for your posts!

 

[The Chairman]

Unless it's a dedicated deco bottle, use air and only air. Why? Anyone can breathe it from any depth.

 

[Bob DBF]

It is a bailout why not just use air. If you do choose a nitrox mix make sure that it is suitable for your maximum hard bottom.

^^^
This

@WorkNPlayScuba, to overstate the case, if your emergency puts you at 130', with 50% you now have two emergencies.


Bob

 

[lowviz]

How about another viewpoint?

My trusty 19cuft is my slop tank. It is clearly marked 'AIR' and always contains between 21-28%. Get a transfer whip and an O2 sensor. Steal a scootch from your hot fills and save bigtime. Charging and releasing the regs is all you will ever do with it.

All this talk about mixes! I would take a breath of pure O2 at depth in an emergency ascent if it were the only thing I had left. How long do you plan to breathe off that thing?

 

[grf88]

How about another viewpoint?

My trusty 19cuft is my slop tank. It is clearly marked 'AIR' and always contains between 21-28%. Get a transfer whip and an O2 sensor. Steal a scootch from your hot fills and save bigtime. Charging and releasing the regs is all you will ever do with it.

All this talk about mixes! I would take a breath of pure O2 at depth in an emergency ascent if it were the only thing I had left. How long do you plan to breathe off that thing?

Not sure where the savings would be over filling the pony once a year after VIP unless it had been used, especially when a VIP usually includes a fill.