Filling Air into a "Nitrox" Tank ILLEGAL?

[Steve Lawson]

I went to Sport Chalet today to get my doubles filled. One of the two tanks had a NITROX sticker on it, which hasn't been a problem in the past. The genius that filled my tanks only filled one side (he shut off the isolation valve) stating that it was illegal to fill the tank labeled NITROX with air. He showed me a copy of an article that appeared in March, 2007 Northwest Diving News that stated on page 33 "It is illegal to thereafter fill that cylinder with air until the dedicated markings are removed."

I offered to remove the NITROX label, but was told that I would have to take it home, remove the label, then bring them in the next day. I thought it was silly to only fill one tank in a set of doubles.

I'm going to follow up to see what statute specifically states that bottles can only be filled with the media as labeled. Has anyone else heard of such a thing?

Steve

 

[DiveSite]

Find a new shop!

 

[daniel f aleman]

As suggested above, find a different shop.

 

[Upstate Scuba OWI]

find a new shop fast

 

[grazie42]

Ask him if the magazine is how he got all his "diving education"...

 

[wedivebc]

Ask him if the magazine is how he got all his "diving education"...

Yeah really, when everyone knows the only true place to learn about diving is the internet

I gotta find a back issue of NWDN now

 

[lamont]

"Sport Chalet" sounds really familiar... I think this shop may have been doing fillmonkey stuff like this for years... Check the search function...

 

[daniel f aleman]

I found the article mentioned above by the Sport Chalet tank filler concerning, "nitrox tanks being filled with air as being illegal". He alluded to an article written by Bill High, founder and President of PSI, published in the March, 2007, Northwest Dive News, starting on page 32. It seems that the tank filler quoted the article correctly.

Cylinder Safety, by Bill High, PSI, Inc. Page 32, referenced comment begins in last paragraph, #3:

Page 33, article continues, with referenced comment in first paragraph:
http://www.nwdivenews.com/back_issu...MDMgLSBNYXJjaC8zMy5qcGc=&width=594&height=554

Northwest Dive News magazine:
http://www.nwdivenews.com/

My guess is that it's PSI regulations to not fill a Nitrox marked tank with air.

Here are Fill Express views on tank fill policy: If you wish a fill with other than the permanent contents label, the label must be removed or obscured (i.e. covered with tape). Although, they don't cite a law.
http://www.fillexpress.com/library/fillfaq.shtml#contents

 

[DennisS]

Get a 21% nitrox fill

 

[DennisW]

What a tank monkey. Like DennisS said, tell him you want a 21% fill. He will never know the difference.