Nitrox

[Dryglove]

I will probably be getting nitrox certified in the next couple of months.I have 2 fairly new tanks and would like to get them O2 cleaned.Now once these are cleaned and have the nitrox sticker can i still use regular air in them or am i limited to stictly nitrox in them?

Also has anyone used any of the Uwatec Smart series computers yet?

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by lal7176
once these are cleaned and have the nitrox sticker can i still use regular air in them or am i limited to stictly nitrox in them?

Question comes up all the time....
The short answer has to be "Depends."

You need to ask the LDS where you plan on getting you nitrox fills.

The long answer is that if you have a tank O2 serviced it will be cleaned inside with a degreaser, the rubber o-rings in the valve changed to viton, and the valve body will be degreased and re-lubed with O2 compatible lube (Christolude/Krytox/ect.) It will then be O2 clean and O2 compatible.

If you have it nitrox cleaned then I have no idea what they are going to do... could be anything, everything or nothing depending upon the shops definition of nitrox cleaned.

The idea is that with Partial Pressure blending of nitrox... oxygen is added to the tank and then it is topped with air. The tank needs to be clean inside or any hydrocarbons could oxidize and form CO... the risk of explosion is not near as great as the risk of monoxide contamination (IMO)... also the air used to top the primed cylinder needs to be hyperfiltered to eliminate any chance that hydrocarbons will be introduced to the pure oxygen atmosphere in the tank. So if you get air fills make sure that they are hyperfiltered air fills or at the very least check the compressor sampling log to see that the compressor and filters are putting out hydrocarbon free air.

Now if you are getting fills from a shop that uses continuous blending or PP blending using banked 40% then you do not have to be so concerned as your tank will never see straight O2. In this case your tank might not even need to be O2 cleaned... but it will need to have a NITROX label on it so that the contents are noted as being *other than air.* A tank with a nitrox label should also have a sticker stating the contents whether it is EAN32, EAN 36 or EAN21

Some one will be along shortly to give the rest of the story.

 

[Ari]

If you can get a EAN21 fills, as UP explained, than you don't have a problem.

In most places in Israel, where I dive, this is possible. On the other hand, you might find yourself in places where it is not possible, so again as UP said, it depends.

My best guess is that, in most cases, you'll have no problem.

Ari

 

[Diversauras]

This model doesn't come out until the end of the month or the beginning of the next. I've had one on order sinnce December. I have the Aladin Nitrox Pro and maybe 200 to 250 dives on it, and I love it. I expect the new one to be even better, and safer. As I aged from ancient to fossil I descided I was less bullet proof than I had been telling my self so I ordered a smart com to back off a notch or two during live aboards and deep air dives.

 

[Campana]

I attended a product seminar on Smart Computers last month. I am not usually too hip on sales hype but I think that the "level stop" concept is pretty cool. You can set one of 6 levels of microbubble suppression and it will then suggest stops to keep your microbubbles below that level. They claim that level 5 (the 6th level, go figure; level 0 being the 1st level) is even safe for someone with a PFO.

I ordered one, can't wait til it gets here. I wouldn't want a computer that'll lock me out too easily, but I like the level stop idea because it fits with what I've been learning about deep stops and microbubbles. I'll keep mine on Level 5 at first, especially on multiple days of deeper diving.

Dave

 

[Dryglove]

Does anybody care to share how much the new smart series are running for.Im interrested in the air integrated version depending how much it goes for.Im currently using the aladin air integrated computer and really like it except for the no nitrox feature.One other thing i like about the new smart series is that it displays the water temp on the screen.

 

[Diversauras]

I ordered the air integrated version of the smart com, with the quick disconnect. I am thinking it is in the 700 - 750 range but I won't know for sure until it comes in.

As for lock out, this one is supposed to go to gage mode. You can down load the owner's manual at the Scubapro / Uwatec site and it'll just make your mouth water.