Have you ever been filled with Nitrox when you wanted Air?

[AfterDark]

What's this "air" you speak of? Is that the stuff you used to put into tires?

That would be the stuff you're breathing when you're driving your car or riding your bicycle.

 

[raftingtigger]

Some interesting points have been brought up. I like the idea of teaching all divers, Nitrox trained or not, to analyze their tanks. There are some very good points made for everyone analyzing. BUT, this will meet some significant economic resistance.

In reality, universal CO monitoring would probably do more good to the recreational air diver than O2 analysis would.

 

[The Chairman]

So everyone should own an analyzer and know how to use it because so many shops are confused and switching up air/nitrox fills? Can't say that being so super conservative is bad seeing as it can prevent problems but....really?

I think every diver should own and use both an Oxygen analyzer and a CO analyzer. You are what you breathe.

 

[diverrex]

I think every diver should own and use both an Oxygen analyzer and a CO analyzer. You are what you breathe.

In theory I agree though dealing with reputable shops the risk is very minor. Just asking, do you check O2 and CO on every tank you dive?

 

[Dr. Lecter]

We were taught on our TDI deco course to analyse ALL cylinders for the dive. Never assume you have air in your bottom gas and say 50% and 32% in your deco tanks. Always, always, always analyse before use.

I thought that was what I said, though I limited it to deco dives. If I climb on a rec boat for a couple of single tank dives to 100', I'll check them for CO but I'm not going to make sure they gave me air rather than some flavor of EAN, trimix, or 100% helium or oxygen.

Would be safer in some way to run a full analysis on those two 80s that come with the rec charter? I suppose so. But there are some risks I just accept, and among those are red meat, loose women, whisky, air to 240', and that I probably won't die from rental tanks as long as they don't have CO in them.

 

[The Chairman]

In theory I agree though dealing with reputable shops the risk is very minor. Just asking, do you check O2 and CO on every tank you dive?

I can't remember the last air tank I dove, even in the pool. Ergo, I analyze every tank I dive right now.

Oh wait, there was one dive in Bonaire I did on an non-analyzed air tank for a photo shoot. I think my max depth was 30 ft on that.

 

[diverrex]

I can't remember the last air tank I dove, even in the pool. Ergo, I analyze every tank I dive right now.

Oh wait, there was one dive in Bonaire I did on an non-analyzed air tank for a photo shoot. I think my max depth was 30 ft on that.

OK, so someone only ever diving nitrox would normally test every tank. Do you test every tank for CO?

I have mostly been diving with Nitrox but recently got some air fills also. The last time out, and I also loaned a filled tank to a buddy, I remembered my tanks had air and they didn't have any stickers but I did analyze them just in case to make sure they were 20.8%. It was partly because I was loaning out a tank that I took the extra step to analyze just to double check, if it had been just a tank for me not sure I would have bothered but rather trusted my memory and the fact that there were no stickers. Also knew we wouldn't be diving over 60'. Silly though not to analyze every time I since I do own an analyzer and it just takes a second. I don't own a CO tester but have thought about it after all the Dandy Don posts. Mistakes do of course happen but I do go only to a very high quality shop for fills, and have never heard of anyone every having any CO problems with any of our local boat fills. Of course you never want to be the first one.

 

[Mustard Dave]

This is copied from a UK dive forum, from an article by Gareth Burrows, a GUE instuctor:

Rule 4 – ALWAYS ANALYSE YOUR GAS (BEFORE EVERY DIVE)

Logic would suggest that this would be the least emotive rule. Surely everyone would agree this is a sensible idea. But every now and again, someone dies for the lack of adhering to it. A couple of years ago, I tested my twinset on the boat as I prepared for my 40 metre dive, and found to my consternation that I had 200 bar of pure Oxygen in my twinset. How my body would have reacted to a partial pressure of Oxygen of 5.0 I cannot precisely determine, but I think it’s far to say the dive would have been both brief and somewhat eventful. Another diver I know blacked out whilst sitting on the side of a rib as he prepared to roll off the side into the sea. He can be thankful to an unnamed and unknown gas filler for the low price he had been charged for a very expensive fill, and thankful to his body’s swift reaction to the 100% helium in his twinset for probably saving his life.

 

[drbill]

Can't even imagine that happening at my LDS... they have a totally separate Nitrox fill setup from the air fill whips. The other LDS I get my tank filled at doesn't even offer nitrox.

 

[PfcAJ]

I've had a tank that was supposed to have 18/45 trimix end up with 50%. That's a show stopper right there.

If the shop has the capacity to fill anything other than air, I analyze it. People goof from time to time.