How many of you have failed to analyze a tank that you thought had air?

[beaverdivers]

How many of you have failed to analyze a tank that you thought had air?

Does this question point to an inherent fault in our training process from day one of Open Water training?​

 

[Colliam7]

How many of you have failed to analyze a tank that you thought had air? Does this question point to an inherent fault in our training process from day one of Open Water training?

Interesting question. I am guilty of always failing to analyze a cylinder that I think has air. IF it is not placarded for enriched air use. Any cylinder placarded for EANx, I analyse before use. Now, your question has me pondering the wisdom of not doing it.

 

[crosshairs]

I dont analyze my tanks...but my fill shop only does air......he is in the process of getting the equipment for offering other mixes and when he does,I'll buy an analyzer

 

[rhwestfall]

I don't analyze my 21% fills (shop does PPB, so no worry of getting something banked by mistake). For any specific mix, they analyze and label when tank is filled. Upon picking up the tank, you must analyze it, and sign the log book, thus verifying the label, and listing the MOD.

 

[CT Sean]

To me, failing means I should have done something but didn't. I did not analyze any of my fills that were supposed to be air (for the record, I've only used 2 tanks that needed to be analyzed) but I'm not sure I'd say that I failed to analyze them.

This exact topic was covered very recently but I'm not sure in which subforum.

From a pure curiosity standpoint, how many dive boats really want to wait while 20 open water divers pass around the shop's analyzer to do 40 tanks of air?

 

[ScubaSteve]

Interesting question. I am guilty of always failing to analyze a cylinder that I think has air. IF it is not placarded for enriched air use. Any cylinder placarded for EANx, I analyse before use. Now, your question has me pondering the wisdom of not doing it.

+1 to this. I test every enriched tank however do not test air (I only keep air in my pony anyway as all backgas is enriched to some degree). The tanks get tested and tagged at the shop and not at the dive site however that all may change after Xmas this year.

---------- Post added August 21st, 2013 at 10:46 AM ----------

From a pure curiosity standpoint, how many dive boats really want to wait while 20 open water divers pass around the shop's analyzer to do 40 tanks of air?

Testing could be done at the shop or even in transit. No need to wait until people are waiting to splash to start testing. Just food for thought.

 

[redacted]

The only air tanks I have ever analyzed was to calibrate the analyzer.

 

[chrpai]

Interesting question. I am guilty of always failing to analyze a cylinder that I think has air. IF it is not placarded for enriched air use. Any cylinder placarded for EANx, I analyse before use. Now, your question has me pondering the wisdom of not doing it.

IMO...

Until someone can show me evidence and statistics quantifying substantial risk that someone puts a gas other then air in an air only tank, I'm not prepared to worry about this. Until then, I think the current training and protocols for air divers is reasonable.

I think this is a knee jerk reaction from an accident that is a totally different situation. I don't think this even rates in the top 10 things I should be worried about from a safety perspective. There are many other things such as CO analysis that should come first.

---------- Post added August 21st, 2013 at 10:04 AM ----------

To be clear, recent advocates have said no, that it must be done just prior to the dive to ensure it really is what you think it is.

 

[ScubaSteve]

There are many other things such as CO analysis that should come first.

When I am referring to testing air, I am not referring to O2 levels but CO levels. I suppose when I have both testers I will likely test for both but until that time,. I do what I am today.

To be clear, recent advocates have said no, that it must be done just prior to the dive to ensure it really is what you think it is.

But that does not necessarily mean at the last possible second. Like I said, it could be done 20 minutes before splashing. I have read those other threads and they are simply saying that it is a good idea to check a tank before diving (remember, that particular thread, is about a person that filled tanks, did a dive, waited 2 weeks and took tanks to FL......a lot of time has passed for markings to come off or for tanks to get mixed up or for someone to forget what they did).

 

[616fun]

Unless I'm doing a dive that calls for a specific mix I usually just have tanks topped with air, so there is always a bast*rd mix in them. I find no benefit to EANx on a typical quarry weekend. I check them religiously because of this.