Nitrox Wear On BCD's

[Jax]

I thought this thread was a troll until I checked out the Mares website and whump, there it is: http://www.mares.com/download.php?id=3187

I guess there's a reason I don't own any of their gear.

Deep, where is your patriotism?!?!?!

You are depriving some LDS of the chance to makes some money off you! You OWE it to the industry to have these . . . unique and . . . illogical? services done.

 

[Lead_carrier]

So do I now need to have my drysuit O2 cleaned?

Carrie

Only if you had to turn it into a wetsuit..

 

[Herk_Man]

More importantly, WHAT ABOUT MY LUNGS???!!! Do those need serviced every time I switch air sources? Are we all going to die!?

One word, Lawyers.

 

[Jorgy]

I agree that it seems very "unreasonable" to have your BCD prepped for Nitrox use.....

That being said the MARES owner’s manual is way better than the sheets of paper TUSA supplied with my first BCD......

Now that I dive a BP/W I don't need a manual.......

M

 

[NAM001]

I have owned the Mares Dragon with Air Trim BCD for a little over a year now. Only recently I read the owners manuel and it says that I should not use my BC with with any mix greater than 21% because it will wear the BC prematurely. It also says that you can have your BC serviced for use with Nitrox. I am assuming they mean o2 cleaned like a Nitrox tank. The manuel says if I get my BC serviced for Nitrox and then use it with air I will have to get it surviced for Nitrox again. Does any of this sound correct. I have never heard of someone having their BC o2 cleaned before.

THIS MAKES NO SENCE

the premis is that 40 will cause a fire if exposed to conbuatable material thereefore . like a regulator it should be serviced for o2.

unlike a regulator the bc is not exposed to 3000# of 40 percent let alone 3000# of 100% o2. it is a lp device with 60psi in it at most.

next issue what good does it do to clean it to o2 (like tanks). every time you use the bc you contaminate it. heck you have to drain the water out of it when you are done. who knows what is in that water.

will the o2 break down the bc material. probably.... perhaps after 5000 hours of exposure. i doubt that the glue comes apart after 50 hours.

i would like to see the base documentation that generates such a precautionary statement.

personaly i think that mares is reciting what the insurance co is telling them to say so they will not be party to an incedent. if you dont know make a policy statement that is conservative.

ever hear of not using o2 in a titanium regulator cause the metel and o2 can cause a fire. i think that atomic and scubapro has done the not recommended for use with o2. i did some looking and found that titanium indeed will burn when wxposed to o2

IF 100% o2 and it is under 40,000 psi or greater. btw they sell a regulator that can handle o2 hmmmmm......

 

[deadly_risk]

MARES supplies its authorized dealers with a kit for converting MARES
BCs for use with oxygen rich mixtures (Nitrox - maximum oxygen
content: 40%). If, after the conversion, the BC is used with normal
compressed air, it will be necessary for a trained MARES technician
to repeat the entire conversion procedure before using the BC with
oxygen-rich mixtures again. This is because the BC may be contaminated
with traces of hydrocarbons or other impurities which could spark
combustion.

-Taken from http://www.mares.com/download.php?id=3187


Don't shoot the messenger...

 

[Jax]

Wow! When you switch gasses, your tank needs service, your reg needs service, now the bcd needs service . . . logically, your drysuit needs service, your smb needs service . . . your lungs need service . . . :shocked !

Obviously, it is lucrative to be a Mares dealer!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Why would people trust a company to provide life support equipment when they are so obviously full of crap???

 

[The Chairman]

I still feel that this is a language and writer issue more than anything.

 

[sled600]

So....one step further....Does this mean your warrantee is void if you put nitrox in their BCD? That would not be a good thing...