Is purchasing an analyzer really necessary?

[sam1]

I don't think you need your own analyzer if you KNOW that the shop, boat, etc., will have one. However, in my experience, once in Sicily and once in Belize, you cannot count on the shop or dive operator to have a tester. After these two experiences, I decided that, since I am responsible for my safety, that I would get an analyzer, which I have.

 

[miketsp]

Matt, I carry my own analizer everywhere I go if I am breathing Nitrox but I have never used a tank of air to calibrate it. I usualy just wave it slowly in the surrounding air to set it then test the mix. Is this a bad idea?

Depends on the sensor type. You need to read the manual. Some types are free air calibrated, others (most) on a cylinder.

Personally I like to calibrate on an air tank, measure the cylinder under test, recheck on the air tank (to ensure calibration didn't drift) and finally wave it around in free air just as a check that the air tank really had air in it. The final free air reading shouldn't deviate more than 2% from the air tank calibration.

 

[Scott M]

Depends on the sensor type. You need to read the manual. Some types are free air calibrated, others (most) on a cylinder.

Personally I like to calibrate on an air tank, measure the cylinder under test, recheck on the air tank (to ensure calibration didn't drift) and finally wave it around in free air just as a check that the air tank really had air in it. The final free air reading shouldn't deviate more than 2% from the air tank calibration.

I have the OMS analizer, this one requires me to hook up my inflator hose to a tank to analize so I would have to hook up my regs to a tank of air, calibrate it then disconnect it and hook to the EANx to test. This would be easy enough to do in some situations but on the boat dives I have been on it seems unlikely they are going to want me hooking up to a tank to test then to my tank of EANx to test. Maybe it's not a problem, I have never asked. When picking my tanks from my LDS I calibrate it using just the waving method and it is always right on with the LDS's tester so I never went much farther than that.

Thanks

 

[Randy43068]

Hello...

My question is really for when I travel to foreign countries in the Caribbean and Asia. If I'm using EANx and getting my fills from a dive shop in a foreign country, should having my own analyzer be a must or can I trust the dive shop's analyzers?

I know its one of those depends on the shop question... but I guess I'm just wondering if its a good idea to invest in one. I plan to travel maybe once or twice outside of the country for diving. Majority of my dives will be here so I know I can trust my local dive shop. I just hate to throw another $400+ or so for an equipment I probably won't use more than a couple of times a year.

Thanks!
cmk

I have two of them and I never anymore take either of them with me on a dive trip.
If you like to have lots of gadgets get one. I find that any trip I've been on where I used NITROX the tank filler had a good one.

My advice, spend the money on something else other than a NITROX analyser.

 

[SeaLevelScuba]

Responsibly you should have your own analyzer, period. Owning your own will do several things, first and foremost give you the ability to analyze your air when and where ever you want/need to. Additionaly there are several configurations on how these work, having your own and knowing how to use it will assist you in adapting to another configuration should the need arise such as when traveling without yours, not sure why you would but if you do.

Most people that do not own their analyzer believe the dive operator is required to provide an analyzer for you which simply isnt true, if one is provided it is from a convienence standpoint. Additionally with the wide range of quality of nitrox courses being delivered by a wide range of instructors experience, many nitrox divers have never been taught how to use any analyzer of any sort, they dont know what they look like or what they really are doing. When you have folks using these analyzers who havent been properly trained in the use of one, things tend to go south pretty quickly, so the reliabilty of the analyzer may or may not be reliable, at least with your own you know the history of the handling and care of the analyzer. As you can imagine by the jist of this thread, analyzers aren't cheap, sensors aren't cheap, otherwise everyone would own one and this thread would exists . With that in mind if an analyzer at least works at all, the operator is not likely to replace it until it can no longer produce a analysis, how accurate that analysis is strictly based on whether you have something to compare it to, having your own gives you that second reference. You may even be able to help the operator out by knowing when the analyzer isnt up to par and bringing it to their attention.

A quick story of 1 of the 2 analyzers we've eaten at a cost to us, first one, an individual who was certified in nitrox use had came in to get a fill, after the fill the individual picked up the analyzer to check his mix, after seeing folks on the boat put their analyzers up to the tank valve, he proceeded to doing the same, opened his valve and was in dis-belief when I asked him to pay for the analyzer after shooting it into the tank bath.

We are now on our third analyzer we provide for use at our store on bottles we pump nitrox in. By the time the customer gets their cylinders back the gas has already ran through 4 other independent analyzers as part of the fill process. Just for clarification purposes, our fill station uses 4 analyzers (2 O2, 1 He, 1 CM) which are securely positioned and off limits to customer use to provided the ability continue to mix, any of them go down can make a decision on whether or not we can pump gas or not.

On one of our Cozumel trips, we were supposed to be diving 32% on all the dives, luckily enough of us had our own analyzers on board to check our bottles before using and found mixes ranging from air to I think the high was 33.

 

[mksmith713]

Hey Don, where did you get your portable carbon monoxide tester?
I carry a Nuvair QuickStick for testing the O2 content but I'd like to test the carbon monoxide levels as well.
While on my last dive trip to Roatan, there were many scooters and taxis as well as street vendors with huge open cooking fires less than spitting distance from the fill stations.
Fills can become contaminated very quickly and inadvertantly in those conditions.

 

[Scott M]

where did you get your portable carbon monoxide tester?

KWJ Engineering » Home 1-800-794-4296

Regards

 

[DandyDon]

Hey Don, where did you get your portable carbon monoxide tester?
I carry a Nuvair QuickStick for testing the O2 content but I'd like to test the carbon monoxide levels as well.
While on my last dive trip to Roatan, there were many scooters and taxis as well as street vendors with huge open cooking fires less than spitting distance from the fill stations.
Fills can become contaminated very quickly and inadvertantly in those conditions.

Carbon Monoxide Detection - Pocket CO More information in the two links in my Sig about tank air, with the second one based on my field trials...

 

[Rick Inman]

How would you know, other than the calibration, whether the one you own is any more accurate than the one at the shop?

I used to wonder that, too. But it's funny, you start to know your analyzer through experience. I've used the shops and my buddies and know how mine compares. I test mine against those and air and O2 once in a while. I'd done hundreds of tests with mine. You don't gain this type of experience with the odd shop or boat analyzer, and you start knowing yours and trusting it.

I have two of them and I never anymore take either of them with me on a dive trip.

I'd be happy to help you un-clutter.

 

[miketsp]

I have the OMS analizer, this one requires me to hook up my inflator hose to a tank to analize so I would have to hook up my regs to a tank of air, calibrate it then disconnect it and hook to the EANx to test. This would be easy enough to do in some situations but on the boat dives I have been on it seems unlikely they are going to want me hooking up to a tank to test then to my tank of EANx to test. Maybe it's not a problem, I have never asked. When picking my tanks from my LDS I calibrate it using just the waving method and it is always right on with the LDS's tester so I never went much farther than that.

Thanks

It's not a problem, it's standard practice in a situation where an operator is providing a bunch of tanks, mixed EAN and air.
Don't feel inhibited about uncapping an air tank to calibrate your sensor, the amount of air you're going to drain is minimal. Just don't forget to recap it.
In a situation where the only air tanks are obviously private and have been brought by one of the other divers, then I'd ask permission - out of courtesy.