Nitrox Tank Cleaning

[Scuba_Steve]

Jim,
First off let me apologize for the misunderstanding regarding SafeAir cleaning your equipment. <snip>

Well bud, I think you'll find his complaint isn't about the extremely thorough job you did, but the fact that he got told it would be about $50.00 a cylinder.

Since you knew it was going to be WAY more than that before it was all said and done (Or you could have easily inquired) I'd suggest next time coming clean in the first place, up front about the cost and potential costs.

Yes I run my own business too, and this is utter BS on your part. But hey, it's your business dude. Fill your boots.


JimC:

LOL Yes I'm glad we don't have that needless expense of $12.00 NITROX stickers and $12.00 content tags here too!! That right there's a huge savings.

Steve

 

[padiscubapro]

Obviously it's your local law that applies, but certainly here, if the tank is less than a year old (from the date stamped on the tank) it doesn't need a visual.

Baloney,

I have seen all kinds of crap come out of BRAND NEW tanks.. just filling a tank without a visual is wrong..

 

[Diesel298]

Baloney,

I have seen all kinds of crap come out of BRAND NEW tanks.. just filling a tank without a visual is wrong..

granted. the tank is open. ya look, but to go thru the whol;e vip+ on a brand new tank..? cummon now

it seems that the quality of work was good. mabye even great..
but if thats all the SOP for there o2 cleaning why was the price of 50 per tank quoted.???
sounds a little bait and switch to me
as for al the stickers....
if i showed up and my tankls where all stickered up id be out for blood.
i like my stuff clean looking...
i have custom mis stickers on my various doubles, and for contents i use a piece of white tape..

and what special Snap on tools where used.
im not fimilar with the O2 cleaning specialty tools...

but hey what do i know....
im not a diver or a scuba tech. i just play one on daytime TV

 

[radinator]

Sorry for your experience Jim. So far when I've done nitrox I've gone to Hollywood Divers, where no O2 cleaning is necessary since they have a membrane system. I just use my standard tank and get 32%.

I'm hoping you did the cleaning because of the shop that is convenient for you to get nitrox fills does partial pressure blending, and other places are farther away.

I recently did a hydro and O2 cleaning for an aviation oxygen tank (to hold 100% O2) and it cost $74 for everything. If you're doing >40% you need to O2 clean, or if you're partial pressure filling (which for a brief time has a high O2 content in the tank).

Now that the tanks are cleaned, however, you should make sure they are not filled on a membrane system (like Hollywood Divers), or it may "O2 unclean" the tank.

 

[mccabejc]

I'm hoping you did the cleaning because of the shop that is convenient for you to get nitrox fills does partial pressure blending, and other places are farther away..

That's pretty much it. Plus I figured that partial pressure was the easiest and most common system. At least it is according to my NAUI manual....

Now that the tanks are cleaned, however, you should make sure they are not filled on a membrane system (like Hollywood Divers), or it may "O2 unclean" the tank.

That I didn't know. I assumed that since a membrane system just "removes" N2, and injects the final EANx mix directly into the cylinder, it wouldn't affect the clean-ness of the cylinder. Does a membrane system introduce flammable contaminants that would dirty the cylinder?

Okay, I just found something on the subject in my NAUI manual:

"Although there are several ways to blend nitrox, some of which do not require using pure oxygen, all will use extra-clean air that meets a standard of greatly reduced hydrocarbon content. So, preparing a cylinder and designating it as "for nitrox service" is valid, even for those blending methods that remove nitrogen rather than adding oxygen"

 

[Daryl Morse]

That's pretty much it. Plus I figured that partial pressure was the easiest and most common system. At least it is according to my NAUI manual....



That I didn't know. I assumed that since a membrane system just "removes" N2, and injects the final EANx mix directly into the cylinder, it wouldn't affect the clean-ness of the cylinder. Does a membrane system introduce flammable contaminants that would dirty the cylinder?

Okay, I just found something on the subject in my NAUI manual:

"Although there are several ways to blend nitrox, some of which do not require using pure oxygen, all will use extra-clean air that meets a standard of greatly reduced hydrocarbon content. So, preparing a cylinder and designating it as "for nitrox service" is valid, even for those blending methods that remove nitrogen rather than adding oxygen"

Hydrocarbons primarily get introduced by the compressor, but there are numerous other sources as well (e.g., skin flakes are hydrocarbons). The issue is that once your tanks are O2 clean, in order to maintain that, whatever you must fill them with must also be O2 compatible, even if it's "just air". Otherwise, if the tanks are filled with O2 (pp blending), there could be an explosion.

While I can see why you would be upset at the price you paid, I think the real issue is that the shop mislead you about the price, not that they did poor quality work. It sounds like they actually did a very high quality job of servicing your tanks, but they should have been up-front about the price rather than low-ball you.

 

[padiscubapro]

and what special Snap on tools where used.
im not fimilar with the O2 cleaning specialty tools...

Whenever you do work on stuff for Oxygen you should have 2 sets of tools..one that is used to take apart and for non oxygen clean stuff.. the second set of tools ahould themselves be maitained oxygen clean and only used on parts that have been cleaned.. all precautions should be taken to prevent cross contamination..

 

[Diesel298]

Whenever you do work on stuff for Oxygen you should have 2 sets of tools..one that is used to take apart and for non oxygen clean stuff.. the second set of tools ahould themselves be maitained oxygen clean and only used on parts that have been cleaned.. all precautions should be taken to prevent cross contamination..

yeah i know
i was more getting at the fack that it dont matter that there Snap On
just means he spent 80 dollars on a screwdriver

 

[serambin]

Sorry for your experience Jim. So far when I've done nitrox I've gone to Hollywood Divers, where no O2 cleaning is necessary since they have a membrane system. I just use my standard tank and get 32%.

I'm hoping you did the cleaning because of the shop that is convenient for you to get nitrox fills does partial pressure blending, and other places are farther away.

I recently did a hydro and O2 cleaning for an aviation oxygen tank (to hold 100% O2) and it cost $74 for everything. If you're doing >40% you need to O2 clean, or if you're partial pressure filling (which for a brief time has a high O2 content in the tank).

Now that the tanks are cleaned, however, you should make sure they are not filled on a membrane system (like Hollywood Divers), or it may "O2 unclean" the tank.

Why > 40%? I thought if you went above 23.5% you need O2 clean tanks?

Thanks,

Stan

 

[Damselfish]

I did. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, they had said $50 each over the phone.

oops, sorry. That big bold $220 is what caught my eye - wouldn't have conceived of someone pulling that big a $tunt.