NITROX marked tanks MUST be filled to 24% or greater?

[fmerkel]

JUST informed by my LDS that it's now a DOT REQUIREMENT that tanks marked with a NITROX band must be filled with a minimum of 24%.

That sounds like BS to me.
If it's true, when did this happen and where exactly can I substantiate that specification?

 

[bl6394]

JUST informed by my LDS that it's now a DOT REQUIREMENT that tanks marked with a NITROX band must be filled with a minimum of 24%.

That sounds like BS to me.
If it's true, when did this happen and where exactly can I substantiate that specification?

That is not correct. I tried to say ******** - rhymes with smullshit - but apparently that is a word that is censored on this fine site.

Does my trimix 15 / 50 put me in violation of federal law? Lol.

 

[tursiops]

They've got it backwards. Under 23.5% does NOT require a Nitrox sticker, which is NOT the same thing as must not have a Nitrox sticker. Ask them to show you the regulation.

 

[tbone1004]

have your LDS show you the DOT mandate, then you'll believe it. Or find a new LDS... Their fill station, their rules

 

[bl6394]

Arguing with this LDS will probably be as productive as debating politics...

But among other things - federal law is concerned with employee safety when working with hazardous material (Title 29 of the US Code of Federal Regulations) and the transportation of hazardous materials (Title 49 of US Code of Federal Regulations). The requirements explicitly listed will relate to (among other things: recurring training, hydrostatic testing, visual inspections, etc.) There are no references to a Nitrox wrap - or when it is required in the US Code of Federal Regulations.

These Federal Regulations will occasionally incorporate Compressed Gas Association documents by reference. There are no references to a Nitrox wrap - or when it is required - in CGA publications.

The Nitrox wrap is solely a scuba industry practice that nominally protects uncertified divers from using a cylinder containing gas other than air - that they may not be trained to dive. It has nothing to do with the percentage of oxygen contained within. It isn't even useful to the FSO - who would use the VIS sticker to determine if the cylinder was oxygen cleaned within the past year or suitable for partial pressure blending.

Good luck with your LDS.

 

[redacted]

They've got it backwards. Under 23.5% does NOT require a Nitrox sticker, which is NOT the same thing as must not have a Nitrox sticker. Ask them to show you the regulation.

Nitrox stickers are also an LDS requirement, not a DOT requirement.

 

[jodylynn007]

Following...

 

[boulderjohn]

This is actually a very common belief. People say frequently that once a tank is a nitrox tank, it is always a nitrox tank and cannot be filled with air. the only difference in this case is the way it was stated, but it means the same thing. Some courses actually teach that nonsense.

Here's why it is nonsense.

The thinking is that normal air is not clean enough, so using it in a nitrox tank can potentially introduce contamination that could cause trouble in a later nitrox filling. the problem is that filling a tank with nitrox that is not banked includes filling it with air, so you are potentially adding contaminants every time you make nitrox unless you are using air with a higher level of filtration than a standard air fill. Of course, if you are getting your tanks filled at the same place you get your nitrox, they should be able to fill your tank with that same higher quality air they would be using to make the nitrox.

 

[guruboy]

lmao

 

[flymolo]

I sometimes fill my nitrox tanks
with air. Never had a dive shop complain. But it's always the same shop and always the same fill station. I don't think that a tank filled with nitrox can only be filled that way, though it's certainly more profitable for the dive shop to insist upon such a policy.