Is a Nitrox Analyzer worth the money?

[Sonic04GT]

To truly know... You need to have known gasses in tanks. The best way is to have 100% O2 and dry compressed Air as comparison gasses to verify the ability of your sensor to calibrate properly. Sensors are like batteries, in that they are deteriorating from the day you open the package, and they have a lifespan from the born date.

That's the thing I'm worried about. Don't really have anything to crosscheck it with.

I'm basically sitting with your logic on using the shop's. As mentioned above, Divers Direct is basically the biggest dive shop chain in South Florida so I assume I can trust their air and analyzers.

 

[BoltSnap]

If you dive Nitrox very much, then Indeed it is. You might consider a CO tester too.

I am looking for a CO tester, do you know of any that are simple to use please?

 

[Pullmyfinger]

Just out of curiosity, say your numbers are off from the shop's. How do you know that the sensor in yours isn't bad and that shops is right? Do you take it back to double check or do you assume your analyzer is always correct and the shop screwed up?

I've ran into this before. I borrowed a friends analyzer and compared with that. Two of them were within a fraction of 1 percent, the other one (mine) was off by a few percent.
The first thing to do is change the battery, then compare with other sensors. Logic voting, the odd one out is probably bad.
I replaced my sensor.

**I'm also looking for a CO tester.

 

[willembad]

Depending on how handy you are there are some less expensive options as well. I bought my first one and still use that to check all my fills. I do my own fills and when I set up the nitrox stick I built an analyzer that monitors the mix going into the stick. A $60 sensor and $10 worth of parts was all it took. They are really volt meters so it's not hard to make at all.

Let me know if you need some info although it's readily available online.

 

[HowardE]

That's the thing I'm worried about. Don't really have anything to crosscheck it with.

I'm basically sitting with your logic on using the shop's. As mentioned above, Divers Direct is basically the biggest dive shop chain in South Florida so I assume I can trust their air and analyzers.

They have air tanks. Check the analyzer against ambient air, then the tank air. It shouldn't vary that much.

Also... Divers Direct uses a nitrox system where they can dial in the mix. It's not partial pressure blending, and the mixes are usually pretty accurate to what they punch into the computer

In other words... if their analyzer was off... they should notice sooner. I advise against spending $250 on your own analyzer at this stage of your game.

 

[Sonic04GT]

They have air tanks. Check the analyzer against ambient air, then the tank air. It shouldn't vary that much.

Also... Divers Direct uses a nitrox system where they can dial in the mix. It's not partial pressure blending, and the mixes are usually pretty accurate to what they punch into the computer

In other words... if their analyzer was off... they should notice sooner. I advise against spending $250 on your own analyzer at this stage of your game.

Good to know. I think I'll wait.

Do they check for CO with all of their fills? I never saw that as a concern until this thread, and see that analyzers for that exist as well.

I wonder if that's what could have given me headaches and weird feelings in the past. Could have been my mask though as well.

 

[LakeCountyDiver]

If you have the money Go for it. If you have to scrape it up to pull it together than maybe a later date would be best.

 

[vladimir]

While it's certainly not a necessity, I find it to be a nice convenience on a liveaboard not to have to share the boat's analyzer with 15 other divers--it lets me cut the queue, in a sense. I calibrate with ambient air (and correct for humidity in the tropics) using the analyzer you are considering, which I can recommend--it is easy to use and sturdily made.

 

[robertarak]

IMHO, an O2 analyzer is simply a must. I use my always. The piece of mind alone is worth every penny. I check my mix before each dive. Think of a boat that fills air (21%) and NITROX 32. The SOP is that divers who want NITROX place a colored ring on their tank, those wanting 21% do not. I would hate to drop in thinking I have 21%, when I am really filled with 32% by mistake. Most of the time 21% divers don't even check because there is "no need" since they are not diving NITROX. I never hurts to check, it sometimes hurts not to.

I use the Analox O2 and CO analyzers, and love them both!

O2EII Nitrox Analyzer: Analox - Looking after the air you breathe.

EII CO Carbon Monoxide Analyzer: Analox - Looking after the air you breathe.

 

[DiverLS]

I use steel tanks. There is always a chance of rust in a steel tank. Rust is oxydation. I always analyze my tanks right before I use them. I'd hate to breathe of a hypoxic tank.