New tank ordering question

[CompuDude]

I refuse to get nitrox from any shop offering PP fills for that very reason. The sole exception would be a deco bottle which will likely always have greater than 40% in it. That one makes sense to maintain o2 clean.

Any other tank gets filled from Stik, Membrane or banked systems, or just gets air. I'm not maintaining a redundant supply of tanks when I have a choice of where to get my fills.

 

[mike_s]

It gets expensive to maintain such flexibility.

Tell me about it. It cost a lot of money to keep that many tanks in visual and re-o2 clean as needed (which of couse isn't every year).

Assuming you can trust all of your nitrox sources to be using o2 clean air. If they're not doing PP fills, I bet many of them don't use o2 clean air.

correct and correct. Which is why I didn't sell my air tanks when I got my nitrox ones.

In addition to that there are many shops that I don't trust their air much less their EAN. Too many shops out there using WWII or Korean War compressors are so old that the people who made them have already died. I'd rather pay an extra buck or two and get a quality air fill....

I refuse to get nitrox from any shop offering PP fills for that very reason. The sole exception would be a deco bottle which will likely always have greater than 40% in it. That one makes sense to maintain o2 clean.

Any other tank gets filled from Stik, Membrane or banked systems, or just gets air. I'm not maintaining a redundant supply of tanks when I have a choice of where to get my fills.

unfortually CompuDude, we have little choices because most of the dive shops here do partial pressure blending.

 

[CompuDude]

unfortually CompuDude, we have little choices because most of the dive shops here do partial pressure blending.

Bummer. Time to move out West! LOL

 

[mike_s]

Bummer. Time to move out West! LOL

Heh.. actually I used to live a couple miles from Studio City where you are.... (Behind Universal & WB)

I don't miss the high rent or high gas prices, or traffic out there.

 

[deepstops]

It was my understanding Luxfers and PST tanks were O2 clean from the factory and only the valve needs to be updated for O2 service. Is this no longer the case?

What about Worthingtons??

 

[Divin'Papaw]

It was my understanding Luxfers and PST tanks were O2 clean from the factory and only the valve needs to be updated for O2 service. Is this no longer the case?

What about Worthingtons??

I'm not sure I'd trust any tank or valve to come O2 clean. If I were using them for nitrox above 40% or partial pressure nitrox fills, I'd have both the tank and the valved specifically O2 cleaned. But that's just me. I tend to be very conservative.

 

[pescador775]

There is a guy in the tech room who says that he washes new Worthington tanks. Moreover, he claims that the drain water looks cruddy. That aside, I have filled several new tanks with oxygen including PST, Faber and Heiser. I don't clean them but I do an internal inspection looking for dirt and chips. Haven't seen any problem in the eight tanks that I have checked. They looked very clean. The valves have all been fine but I changed out O rings in the Thermo valves and replaced with Viton. Probably unnecessary but...
WRT air, I don't pump "O2" clean or certified air, I wing it but my compressor has some large filters, more filtration than stock machines. Personally, I'm satisfied that ordinary compressors of modern design but without extra filtration deliver air quality which is better than Grade E, especially with regard to oil mist.

 

[deepstops]

I'm not sure I'd trust any tank or valve to come O2 clean. If I were using them for nitrox above 40% or partial pressure nitrox fills, I'd have both the tank and the valved specifically O2 cleaned. But that's just me. I tend to be very conservative.

Well, the scuba market is actually pretty small for Luxfer. Most of the bottles they make are intended for use as medical O2 bottles. If Luxfer says their cylinder is O2 clean, why would I doubt them

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Well, the scuba market is actually pretty small for Luxfer. Most of the bottles they make are intended for use as medical O2 bottles. If Luxfer says their cylinder is O2 clean, why would I doubt them

Good point. My Luxfer AL80s were definitely spotless when I bought them from Dive Rite Express last year. My Worthington HP100s are a bit of a different story. Definitely had a bit of dust on the threads. Since I don't use them for PP fills or rich mixes, I didn't worry about it. Now I'm wondering, based upon a post on another thread about Worthingtons being a bit "dirty", if I should have them O2 cleaned anyway.

 

[Leadking]

All Worthingtons in current production are O2 clean and grit blasted as a final clean and are spotless-look for the green O2 label on the tank. Be aware they are being phased in as older production moves through the supply chain