Children die playing with scuba gear left in pool - Jensen Beach, Florida

[formernuke]

Dr mike is right. You pay rent on helium bottles, but if you have empty Al-80s laying around, you boost the helium into the Al’s so you don’t pay rent on the T bottles.

Ok, that makes sense thanks.

 

[boulderjohn]

Dr mike is right. You pay rent on helium bottles, but if you have empty Al-80s laying around, you boost the helium into the Al’s so you don’t pay rent on the T bottles.

I was the one who mentioned it earlier. I usually have a cylinder with pure He in my garage. It is always labeled as such, of course. That is not just for the obvious safety reason--when I am ready to fill the next batch of tanks, I don't want to have to analyze all the tanks I own to see which one has the helium. All my stored tanks have their contents labeled for that reason--but I still analyze them before using because you never know when you screwed up.

 

[stuartv]

Interesting I would think you would blend from a bank bottle bottle rather than a actual scuba tank

@boulderjohn addressed that not too far upthread.

 

[Wookie]

I was the one who mentioned it earlier. I usually have a cylinder with pure He in my garage. It is always labeled as such, of course. That is not just for the obvious safety reason--when I am ready to fill the next batch of tanks, I don't want to have to analyze all the tanks I own to see which one has the helium. All my stored tanks have their contents labeled for that reason--but I still analyze them before using because you never know when you screwed up.

Sorry, I didn't read through the whole thread, I jumped in in the middle.

 

[DandyDon]

Ok, I'm not trimix certified but why would someone have a scuba tank with pure helium? I understand a bank bottle but a regular scuba tank, why even have that?

I rent my helium in big T-bottles. It is very expensive. So is the daily tank rental. When I have finished a dive trip and have helium left over, I will fill a regular tank with it so I am not paying rent until the next trip. I will, of course, label it when I do, since I will be using it for mixing when I am preparing for the next trip. I have a booster that makes this possible. I would guess that it is an unusual circumstance--there can't be many people in that position.

 

[DandyDon]

The kids, Zale Dudas, 9, and her brother Saxon Nairne, 7, were with their father Rodney Nairne. Rodney Nairne and Suzie Dudas own Submerge Scooters
Two young siblings die after possible drowning incident in Jensen Beach
and https://weartv.com/news/local/2-young-siblings-die-after-using-scuba-equipment-in-florida-pool

 

[Marie13]

The kids, Zale Dudas, 9, and her brother Saxon Nairne, 7, were with their father Rodney Nairne. Rodney Nairne and Suzie Dudas own Submerge Scooters
Two young siblings die after possible drowning incident in Jensen Beach
and https://weartv.com/news/local/2-young-siblings-die-after-using-scuba-equipment-in-florida-pool

Below screen shot is from the first story DandyDon linked to. Rolling Trimix tanks to “mix” the fill. Huh?

 

[OTF]

Trimix separates (not unlike salad dressing) due to helium being significantly less dense than oxygen and nitrogen. It is standard operating procedure to rock or roll them (or take them for a bouncy car/boat ride) before analyzing if they have sat still and upright for a while. However, I've never heard of this killing someone, only throwing off analysis. Usually the tank has been moved around quite a bit by the time anyone is breathing it. Maybe the effect is more dangerous with higher-helium mixes than the baby trimix I usually dive.

 

[DandyDon]

Maybe the effect is more dangerous with higher-helium mixes than the baby trimix I usually dive.

I have not seen a report on what the helium content of the tank was, nor who supplied the tank. I have a hunch that the husband of the "woman who lived at home" filled the tank with close to 100% helium but failed to mark it and was away at the time. But I am guessing.

 

[John the Pom]

I was the one who mentioned it earlier. I usually have a cylinder with pure He in my garage. It is always labeled as such, of course. That is not just for the obvious safety reason--when I am ready to fill the next batch of tanks, I don't want to have to analyze all the tanks I own to see which one has the helium. All my stored tanks have their contents labeled for that reason--but I still analyze them before using because you never know when you screwed up.

Isn't this like one of the basic principles of safety engineering - human error is inevitable, and if it is possible to screw up then someone will? For example, on twin-engined aircraft, the fire suppression systems for L and R engines have physically different connectors so that it is impossible to connect them the wrong way round. If you rely on a human to do the right thing for safety, then it is really a matter of "when" not "if" an accident will occur.

I recall an incident at work where a piece of equipment had keyed connectors so that they couldn't be inserted incorrectly. The service technician (for some reason) filed off the keying. You can guess what happened. Fortunately it was only an expensive piece of equipment that was damaged, not a life lost. But even people who clearly know much better will sometimes make the most stupid and inexplicable errors.

It seems to me it would be much safer to use different valves for such cylinders, to avoid what seems like a very foreseeable tragedy.