How to "O2 clean" regs?

[bada3003]

Not to get too far off track but you may want to give some consideration to standardizing your setups so you do not need to purchase special tools for each regulator and you can also standardize service kits.

Yes, I'll have to do that should I go into more serious tech diving.

BTW, you may want to look at some of the DIY threads regarding Apeks. I remember people saying that two pin spanners make disassembling the regulator easier.

I saw that too. I ordered a plastic version from DRIS and a metal version
(JH Williams) from amazon. Had to use a calyper to measure the pin size
that would fit.

---------- Post added April 26th, 2014 at 10:21 PM ----------

let me add nauii to that list. their course is glas blender and o2 tech. I took my cuorse from the nauii tech director and was very pleased with the skills I left with. and got nitox and trimis gass plending to boot.

Thanks. Will keep that in mind.

---------- Post added April 26th, 2014 at 10:25 PM ----------

no, don't put non-metal parts in a vinegar solution. simple green or dish washing soap will work for those.

Thanks. That's good to know. Another question that popped up: is it
safe to speed up drying by using a hair dryer or are impurities a potential
concern?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

You do not want to put heat to any of the parts. I allow to air dry or use a small blowgun attached to a tank. Drying is not going to take long in any case. On stuff like this it is like everything in diving. It's not a race so relax and take your time. Don't use your garage air compressor.

It is advised to wear gloves so the oils and sweat from your hands don't transfer to the parts. I put on surgical gloves and wash my hands with mild dishwashing soap. Then start on the reg lubing and assembly after the parts are clean. For O2 cleaning when removing the parts from the cleaner and rinsing I wear gloves and have them on while drying the parts.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[bada3003]

You do not want to put heat to any of the parts. I allow to air dry or use a small blowgun attached to a tank. Drying is not going to take long in any case. On stuff like this it is like everything in diving. It's not a race so relax and take your time. Don't use your garage air compressor.

Air drying it is.

It is advised to wear gloves so the oils and sweat from your hands don't transfer to the parts. I put on surgical gloves and wash my hands with mild dishwashing soap. Then start on the reg lubing and assembly after the parts are clean. For O2 cleaning when removing the parts from the cleaner and rinsing I wear gloves and have them on while drying the parts.
Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

Yup, that's what I was planning on doing.

BTW, I found a reference on the web that, as a single document, contained a lot of useful information. It is also incomplete, however, and multiple sources and cross-checking is required to arrive at a meaningful, sufficiently detailed process for O2 cleaning. The document can be found by googling

sita-02-clean-2012-1.doc

One of things it recommends is checking the reg with ultraviolet (black) light. If the O2 cleaning process discussed is carefully followed, the check should be superfluous. However, just in case. The spectrum of the UV light is relevant. I ordered one with 375 nm wavelength which should be adequate. Just a caution that default searches on amazon will yield UV lights with 400+ nm wavelengths which is outside the recommended range.

 

[matt_w]

Just to be clear, cleaning parts from the service kit that are not O2 compatible will not make them O2 compatible. You might consider some training or at least a Good Book. It's not hard, but if you are going to do O2 cleaning, I think it would help to understand what it is you are trying to accomplish.

Matt

 

[bada3003]

I don't think anyone is claiming that cleaning parts transforms O2 incompatible parts into compatible ones. That would be more voodoo than science/engineering.

Just to be clear, cleaning parts from the service kit that are not O2 compatible will not make them O2 compatible. You might consider some training or at least a Good Book. It's not hard, but if you are going to do O2 cleaning, I think it would help to understand what it is you are trying to accomplish.

Matt

 

[matt_w]

I don't think anyone is claiming that cleaning parts transforms O2 incompatible parts into compatible ones. That would be more voodoo than science/engineering.

It was his question, not a claim. Here is what he said:

"Thanks. Can I dump everything that came in the Apeks service kit (the packet label specifies "not O2 clean") -- including o-rings, diaphragm, air filter (the air filter has some corrosion/discoloration) -- in water/vinegar solution (ultrasonic), followed by simple green soaking? I plan on rinsing (ultrasonic) using distilled water before O2 clean..."

The question shows a significant lack of understanding which is why I recommended a book or class as a good starting point.

 

[bada3003]

It was my question.

Yes, you're correct about the worrisome part. However, I did read much of the SB posts on O2 cleaning and there are wide range of opinions. From those that proclaim distilled white vinegar should not be used (the other expensive solution ...), to those pointing out other industries (welding, health services, etc.) where oxygen is used in more frequent/precarious circumstances without the (somewhat pseudo-hysteric) attitude that pervades the scuba industry when it comes to diving equipment.

In the same way that Harlow's reg maintenance book doesn't help one with the nitty gritty of reg service (I can tell you all the things that went wrong when servicing an MK15 test reg, most of which were not addressed in Harlow's book), reading his O2 book won't address the ultra practical questions I was concerned with. Same with the document name I posted, same with

XS_Scuba_o2cleaning_manual.pdf

that can be found by googling. Useful, but generic info. If a tech diver has been O2 cleaning his deco/stage bottles by dumping everything in x-part vinegar/y-part distilled water solution for z mins and it has worked fine for a couple of decades, I'll take that into serious consideration. Doesn't mean I will follow it. DIY, ultimately, should be discussed at the level where the rubber meets the road. And the specific info posted by others has helped.

The Apeks compatible pin spanner arrived today, fully disassembled, cleaning completed, air drying now. Last step: UV light inspection. If any hint of impurities, repeat. And, XS Scuba recommends using non-powdered gloves which makes sense. The latex gloves I had turned out to be powdered. None of the latex gloves sold at the local home improvement store were powder-free. Nitrile gloves were so had to make a switch. Could I have used powdered latex gloves? Possibly. But in what book are these and other issues authoritatively discussed? SB is a great resource for this reason, albeit also incomplete.

It was his question, not a claim. Here is what he said:

"Thanks. Can I dump everything that came in the Apeks service kit (the packet label specifies "not O2 clean") -- including o-rings, diaphragm, air filter (the air filter has some corrosion/discoloration) -- in water/vinegar solution (ultrasonic), followed by simple green soaking? I plan on rinsing (ultrasonic) using distilled water before O2 clean..."

The question shows a significant lack of understanding which is why I recommended a book or class as a good starting point.

 

[ams511]

BTW, I found a reference on the web that, as a single document, contained a lot of useful information. It is also incomplete, however, and multiple sources and cross-checking is required to arrive at a meaningful, sufficiently detailed process for O2 cleaning. The document can be found by googling

sita-02-clean-2012-1.doc

Keep the links coming. Usually when someone asks a question about O2 cleaning the normal responses are take a course or read a book. It is good to get links with real information.

I was looking at XS scuba document and found a few grey areas. For example there is no table on page 4 discussing aqueous solutions. Also the formula for the neutralizing bath has to be wrong. There is no way 8 cups of baking soda is going to dissolve in 1 quart of water, they must mean 1/8 cup (2 oz).

BTW, there is a DIY formula for LFW.

 

[bada3003]

One more bit which may be useful for those thinking about O2 cleaning regs or those who haven't been doing it for long:

I did the UV inspection (375 nm wavelength) after "thorough" multi-step cleaning. The 1st stage metal components still had impurities. Not much, perhaps not enough to be a real issue, but clearly detectable under UV light (but not otherwise). The impurities were mostly in the threads, but there were small spots (maybe less than 1mm in diameter) here and there. So those who suggest using a brush to clean using Joy/detergent in warm water speak from experience. I soaked the regs in warm water with joy, used ultrasonic cleaner (with warm water in joy detergent) after the soak, then ultrasonic white vinegar, etc. but that wasn't enough. A brush may be needed. I did not do the wipe test with a lint free cloth as I wasn't sure the benefit would outweigh the potential danger of introducing impurities (I don't know how particulate free those lint free cotton swaps at HD are).

---------- Post added April 30th, 2014 at 05:20 PM ----------

One clarification: when I said "If a tech diver has been O2 cleaning his deco/stage bottles by dumping..." I meant "... his regs for deco/stage bottles..."

 

[ams511]

I only know about O2 cleaning from what I read in your links but I do know a little bit about ultrasonic cleaning. If you put a dirty reg into a UC what happens is the oils on the reg will create a slick on the surface. When you remove the basket the items will pass through this slick. That is why it is recommended to pre-clean the regulators first before putting them into a UC. A dirty regulator will contaminate the solution.

One trick is to float a paper towel on top of the tank to soak up the oils before removing the items being cleaned. Another trick is use separate containers in the UC with the proper cleaning solution in each container so that you don't waste the solution and it is easier to pour the solution out.