Portable CO monitor

[Patti Analox]

Hi Pegger (and you "Usual Suspects")

The sensor carries a 1 year warranty. Expected sensor life is two years. We will publish a calibration procedure using 10 ppm CO in Balance Air. As long as you Bump Test the unit prior to use, you may well get more than two years out of a sensor. Personally, I would replace the sensor, at maximum, every two years.

We are already getting feedback on the EIICO finding tanks with more than 10 ppm CO! This unit is saving lives.

PS: Don't ask...I can publish resort names or locations

 

[DandyDon]

You're working late on this TG even. :turkey:

We are already getting feedback on the EIICO finding tanks with more than 10 ppm CO! This unit is saving lives.

PS: Don't ask...I can publish resort names or locations

No, I'm sure you cannot share such second hand reports but I'm glad you are getting feedback.

I have to wish they would post their experiences here on SB somewhere, maybe still not naming names but it'd be interesting to hear what divers are finding, how they handle the situation, how the fillers and ops are reacting.

 

[NorthO]

Bought mine last week... it left the US on the 18th, should be here any day now!

Patti, what exactly is the bump kit?

 

[Scared Silly]

NorthO, the bump kit is a bit of gas that is used to test the response of the sensor to make sure it is responding. So you turn it on, zero is out, and give it some bump gas, and check for a reading. At that point you know the sensor working correctly.

The bumping is needed because the baseline is zero and should stay there. Where as for an O2 sensor it not needed because while the baseline is 21% when using it you are looking really to verify the O2 content which is known. As such, if the reading is not correct you know the sensor is off (or your gas mix is screwed up).

 

[DandyDon]

I don't think the bump kit is needed at first is it? Something you use after a few months, a month before a dive trip, to ensure the sensor is still calibrated correctly. A field calibration kit is also in the supply plans and an owner might prefer to acquire that instead, still it can do both.

You may need to wait until after the holiday weekend for a better answer.

 

[swamp diver]

North O the bump test verifies the calibration is still good by comparing a known concentration of gas against the actual instrument's reading. If for example your bump gas concentration is 10 ppm yet the instrument only reads 5 ppm then that is an indication that the unit needs to undergo a full calibration or have the sensor replaced if failing.

Calibration gas is used to calibrate the instrument but can also be used to bump check the unit. The calibration gas is produced using a traceable standard which is referenced in the documentation that comes with the gas plus many manufacturers will also provide an certificate of accuracy which shows the actual concentration assessed by an instrument such as the GC/MS. All of this makes calibration gas expensive.

Bump gas on the other hand does not need to be traceable nor have all the documentation hence it is often cheaper, but it should not be used to calibrated the instrument.

As far a when to bump check the unit anybody who relies on a gas monitor in the occupational setting will bump check the unit each and every day it is used. Typically the day one doesn't check that the sensor is functioning is the day the employee is accidentally exposed to a lethal concentration of gas due to a sensor needing calibration.

I suspect Analox will sell the bump gas at a very favorable price so one would bump check the unit before a weekend of diving, prior to a big dive trip, or if the unit had sat unused for a period of time. If the sensor's reading doesn't match the bump gas concentration then the monitor should not be used and must undergo a formal calibration.

Analox recommends a formal calibration once a year I believe with this new unit but this may vary depending on conditions of use.

 

[swamp diver]

Hi Pegger (and you "Usual Suspects")

The sensor carries a 1 year warranty. Expected sensor life is two years. We will publish a calibration procedure using 10 ppm CO in Balance Air. As long as you Bump Test the unit prior to use, you may well get more than two years out of a sensor. Personally, I would replace the sensor, at maximum, every two years.

We are already getting feedback on the EIICO finding tanks with more than 10 ppm CO! This unit is saving lives.

PS: Don't ask...I can publish resort names or locations

Hi Patti,

I noticed this new web page today on the bump gas which is a great price by the way.
EII CO bump test gas: Analox - Looking after the air you breathe.

Can you clarify that the bump gas concentration is 50 ppm CO/balance air, but the calibration will be done using a gas concentration of 10 ppm CO/balance air as stated in your post above?

If that is the case this is an excellent idea not only as the linearity will be optimal in the range we divers are most interested in (0 to 5 ppm), but any local dive shop which has one of your CO Clear fixed units installed on the compressor will also be able to offer calibration services for the EII CO portables.

Cheers,
One of the usual suspects

 

[swamp diver]

New EII CO Manual is up.

http://analox.net/product-docs/manual-91.pdf

 

[Scared Silly]

Great, Patti will the manual be available as a small booklet or only pdf?

 

[CriticalMass]

Mine's reported to be in UPS shipping channels and will most probably arrive this Friday. As luck would have it, I leave Thursday for a dive trip. This perverse timing of events will probably mean I won't get a change to actually use it till Spring, since diving when it's cold outside isn't high on my list of priorities.

Such is life - sometimes you 'da windshield, sometimes you 'da bug...