I Don't Need A Bumper Sticker For Nitrox

[HowardE]

playing devils advocate here a bit - by definition, people renting tanks have to touch tanks that aren't theirs.

I understand what you're saying here too...

However... any time I've rented Nitrox tanks... I have been required to

1. Write my name on a piece of tape (attached to the tank)
2. Write the O₂ percentage of the mix on the label.
3. (sometimes) they also want MOD on the label as well.

So - essentailly - it is my tank for the day.

Also - any time I've rented tanks, they have the HUGE - NITROX stickcers on them. I've (almost never) seen rental tanks w/o Nitrox bands (labels) on them.

 

[MikeFerrara]

If I was questioned ,that I did not have the large sticker on my tank. I would then ask to see his certifict of air quality, very few dive shops have their air tested and it would shut him right up.

Ed

It probably depends on the area and the agency affiliations but most of the shops around here do have their air tested quarterly.

When I owned a dive shop we did and posted the certificate on the wall and had the actual test report on file. In fact I still have them on file even though the shop and the compressor are both gone. LOL. We would have been glad to show it to any one who wanted to see it.

We did our mixing by partial pressure and we used a "hyper filter" for added insurance but our air met modified grade-E standards right out of the compressor filters.

Additionally we tried to time our testing/filter changing so we were getting out air tested right before we swapped out filters. The idea was to try to get a "worst case" in regard to a normally oporating (non-broken) system.

A visual inspection sticker is all I required and a contents tag went on filled tanks. Duct tape makes a fine contents tag as far as I'm concerned.

Tanks I dive (stage and decompression tanks) have the MOD prominantly displayed because that's what matters under water.

 

[ekewaka]

How do they know it's yours ??? I'm guessing there's something that distinguishes your tanks from everyone else's ?

My name is on my tanks, and I have 300 bar din valves, but they really don't need to know that it is my tank. They only need to know that it is not their tank.

I am all for having the stickers on rental tanks, but no one is renting my tanks.

 

[SparticleBrane]

Sounds to me like people are just making excuses for idiots.
When you rent a tank, take a good look at it. Memorize any distinguishing features. Note that your tanks probably don't look exactly like mine. In fact, if you touch my tanks just because you think they're yours even though my gear isn't anywhere close to yours on the boat, you're automatically qualified as an idiot.
Don't touch my gear...it's as simple as that.

I refuse to put huge ugly stickers on MY gear because of other people's stupidity.

 

[Lead_carrier]

But calling people stupid when there is a good chance they have no way to know better is a little harch.

Damsel, you should know by now that the only way for some to get a message across is to let them know that they are far superior divers, they are incapable of making a mistake and if you don't follow their philosophy then they fall into the stupid catagory. That is much easier than simply explaining the obvious and correcting the situation.

 

[in_cavediver]

How do they know it's yours ??? I'm guessing there's something that distinguishes your tanks from everyone else's ?

Yep, the size, color, valve and serial number in total give a unique set of criterea to distinguish my tanks from everybody elses. All of my tanks have a contents label, VIP and in some cases prominent MOD stickers. (20 oxygen and 70).

Same principal. Your tanks are marked/different to avoid confusion - that's exactly what a Nitrox sticker is for. The stickers are a dive industry standard, and it's when selfish idiots think they can operate outside the standards that people get hurt.

Guess what. I'm selfish because I refuse to part with $100 bucks a year for a silly sticker for all my tanks. The answer here is SO obivious its lost on many. Rental tank - put a piece of duct tape on it with the divers name and what's inside or just what's inside if air. No more confused undertrained divers. They all know to look for the contents label.

If this was any other industry, OSHA would have a cow. Think about this. If its unlabeled, it means its Sulfuric acid. We use so much of it and some use nothing but it, we thought we'd elimate that step to make it simpler for new people to learn and not be confused. Now, was that water or Acid?

 

[hlsooner]

To those making the argument that some poor newbie will pick up and use the wrong tanks, let me say this: Anyone who mistakes my Worthington HP 130's for the AL 80 that they rented is probably so clueless that no amount of warning labels will help. Assuming they try to use one of the 130's, the newbie is likely to have the following thoughts:

1. The tank is an odd dark gray color, looks different from the silver tanks everyone else has.
2. The tank is much heavier than my normal tanks.
3. The tank does not sit in the tank rack normally, and appears to be a larger diameter.
4. My BC's tank strap does not fit, and has to be let way out to get it around the tank.
5. There is this odd green sticker, 4" x 5" which says something about oxygen service.
6. There is this strange sticker near the tank valve which says 32%, I hope that does not mean the tank is less than half full.
7. When I hooked up a regulator, I am surprised to get a 3600 psi fill, much more than the 2950 I normally get from a rental.

Any one of these should be enough to warn even the most dim witted of divers that something is amiss.

 

[wedivebc]

I've been told that race crew pit crews use nitrogen in their air tools to change tires in pit stop because it allows the impact guns to run cooler and not overheat, which could cause delays in the pits and decrease the chances of winning.

Huh? Please explain that.

 

[SparticleBrane]

hlsooner wins this thread

 

[Zieg]

To those making the argument that some poor newbie will pick up and use the wrong tanks, let me say this: Anyone who mistakes my Worthington HP 130's for the AL 80 that they rented is probably so clueless that no amount of warning labels will help. Assuming they try to use one of the 130's, the newbie is likely to have the following thoughts:
...
Any one of these should be enough to warn even the most dim witted of divers that something is amiss.

You would think so. In my experience there are a lot of clueless out there. For years I have used Steel 98's that are O2 clean. They weigh a ton. I am a big man and I don't use weights with a 3 mil. They are a larger diameter than aluminum. I've been on boats that I am the ONLY person using non-rental tanks, with the rentals painted blue and white with the shop's name on them in those protective plastic mesh thingies. I would even have the big nitrox sticker, my name in big leters, buried under several other tanks so they would have to move a couple layers of rentals to get to them. I'm usually one of the first in the water. When I get back on the boat my other tank is gone. I've seen the smallest, skinniest, little person with my tank, their weight belt, BC fully inflated, struggling to stay on the surface, with MY tank. When I get myself under control, and question their choice of tank, I get the same answer: "What?, this is a rental, isn't it?"

Sorry, I guess I still have issues. My point is don't count on someone not mistaking your tanks for aluminum 80 rentals. Wire them so that anyone who touches them gets a hell of an electrical shock that will at least knock them on their butt.