Nitrox ready or not???

[Safety Stop]

Is that right if I buy a new tank marked NITROX READY, that tank have to be clean-up before buying it? I talked to a tec at a dive shop and he confirmed it by saying ``you sould see the color of my cleaning stuff after I clean-up on a brand new tank.``

 

[J.A.S.]

The obvious thing is to check with manufacturer.

Not being an expert this is what I know. Though this is stuff they should have explained to you in the nitrox class!

There are to two types of "nitrox ready" and which one you use depends on the shop you get the air from.

There is "Banked Nitrox" which is a ready made mix of nitrox which usable with most "out of the box" nitrox ready tanks. 32% and 36% nitrox standard

Then there is O2 mixed nitrox. For this type, you do need to get the tank O2 cleaned. This type also has other precautions that need to be taken to maintain the O2 integrity. Main concerns are with the type of air you get. which is why most will recommend you dedicate nitrox tanks to nitrox.If you do get decided to get air, make sure it's Carbon free Air or simple terms, air comparable to O2 clean standards.

if you put air from a source other than that, the tank looses it's cleanliness and you would have to get it O2 cleaned again for nitrox.
Also if your regulator is not nitrox ready, you'll need to get them cleaned as well, but don't worry most are up to 40% (rec limits), but do double check if unsure!

That's my readers digest version.
Hope this helps,

 

[chrispete]

Basically what Spartan said is correct. Nitrox ready may only mean that it is considered "safe" by the manufacturer to pump up to 40% preblended Nitrox in. If your shop uses partial pressure filling, they will be pumping 100% O2 into the tank before topping it off with air.

The comment about "[seeing the stuff I clean it with]" is a bit bewildering. I know that many people use Simple Green or something close to it for O2 cleaning - it should rinse away with no residue (the whole point of O2 cleaning BTW.)

 

[CompuDude]

"Nitrox Ready" is applicable to ALL tanks, if you're talking about premix Nitrox, which never exceeds 40% oxygen. It's a sales tactic. "O2 Clean", however, is a cleaning service you'll need for your tanks if your local shops are doing partial pressure blending and exposing the tanks to 100% Oxygen in the process. If that's the case, you'll need to have your "Nitrox ready" tanks o2 cleaned, which is an expensive process (relatively) and take extreme care that nothing that's not compatible with o2 cleaned tanks ever goes into your tank. (Read: No cheap fills ever again in that tank, unless you want to pay to have it o2 cleaned again.)