Scubapro Titanium Reg

[DA Aquamaster]

I called Scubapro tech support and they said that the titanium regulator is good for nitrox mixes up to 40% out of the box at pressures up to 3300psi. From all of the information on this thread, it sounds like titanium is not worth the extra cost.
dnhill

Hmmm... whoever you talked to at Scubapro tech support is either misinformed or thought you were asking about the ultralight first stages which are made out of aluminum.

Per Scubapro engineering bulletin #271 virtually all SP first stages made after October 2000 are approved for use with nitrox up to 40% at 3300 psi. The glaring exception to this list is the Mk 25T titanium first stage. Let me repeat this...no Scubapro titanium first stage is approved for use with nitrox. Period.

The aluminum ultralight Mk 18UL and Mk 25UL first stages are on the list in bulletin #271 and consequently are approved for nitrox with O2 content up to 40% at 3300 psi but, like all the other regs on the list, are not approved for use with nitrox mixes over 40% or over 3300 psi in their out of the box condition.

Per this same bulletin, the only Scubapro first stage material approved for use with nitrox mixes over 40% or over 3300 psi is chrome plated brass. A Scubapro chrome plated brass first stage that has been O2 cleaned and has had the nitrox kit installed can be used with O2 mixes up to 100% at 3500 psi.

 

[dnhill]

You would think at least the tech support guys would know their stuff! Perhaps the profit margin is high on this product. I can only wonder how many of these have they been able to sell.

dnhill

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Yes it is pretty sad when they don't seem to understand their own engineering bulletins.

The Mk 25SA is a big improvement over the Mk 25UL with fewer potential problems with disimilar metal corrosion and none of the problems with galling. It is only slightly heavier than the Mk 25UL and still offers nitrox compatibility to 40%.

I really cannot see the need or the advantage of the titanium Mk 25T when it is not nitrox capable and offers no real weight or corrosion advantage over the Mk 25SA. Maybe they are just selling off the existing stock, or maybe they keep it around because other companies sell titanium regs and some people just gotta have one because it sounds cool.

 

[Scubakevdm]

Sir, I just got back from the SP Tech Seminar in Orlando, we discussed nitrox compatibility and the 25T. SP's tech rep (Rene' Dupre') said that it was okay up to 40%. I believe they screwed up the bulletin before I believe that they'd design a reg not compatible with recreational blends.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Sir, I just got back from the SP Tech Seminar in Orlando, we discussed nitrox compatibility and the 25T. SP's tech rep (Rene' Dupre') said that it was okay up to 40%. I believe they screwed up the bulletin before I believe that they'd design a reg not compatible with recreational blends.

Fair enough...but I just got back from a tech seminar last month and the SP rep made the point that the Mk 25T is not approved for nitrox.

So at a best the use of nitrox with the Mk 25T is debatable even among SP tech reps and is something I will avoid personally and not recommend for anyone until I see an engineering bulletin that says it is approved.

And my thoughts are that if the original engineering bulletin was in fact in errror, it would be a simple thing to correct with a bulletin stating that nitrox is approved for the Mk 25T. My concern is for the potential for a rep to be more concerned about sales of a high dollar reg than with a theoretical problem with flash fires with nitrox in titanium regs.

 

[Scubakevdm]

Fair enough...but I just got back from a tech seminar last month and the SP rep made the point that the Mk 25T is not approved for nitrox.

So at a best the use of nitrox with the Mk 25T is debatable even among SP tech reps and is something I will avoid personally and not recommend for anyone until I see an engineering bulletin that says it is approved.

And my thoughts are that if the original engineering bulletin was in fact in errror, it would be a simple thing to correct with a bulletin stating that nitrox is approved for the Mk 25T. My concern is for the potential for a rep to be more concerned about sales of a high dollar reg than with a theoretical problem with flash fires with nitrox in titanium regs.

I think at least part of the problem is that they refer to the florocarbon seal set as the nitrox kit. I think it would be more aptly named the O2 kit, and cuase much less confusion.

 

[dnhill]

I called back to tech support to ask about the Scubapro engineering bulletin #271 and the lack of listing the MK 25T. The explaination was that the bulletin came out prior to adding the MK25t to the line. He stated that the book that comes with the reg states that it is good to 40% O2 up to 3300psi.

I am not going to get this reg, but I wanted to update the board on the response from Scubapro.

dnhill

 

[Diver0001]

Sir, I just got back from the SP Tech Seminar in Orlando, we discussed nitrox compatibility and the 25T. SP's tech rep (Rene' Dupre') said that it was okay up to 40%. I believe they screwed up the bulletin before I believe that they'd design a reg not compatible with recreational blends.

There would need to be titanium parts on teh HP side of the first stage to cause problems. Is this the case?

R..

 

[Scubakevdm]

There would need to be titanium parts on teh HP side of the first stage to cause problems. Is this the case?

R..

The body is made of titanium, so yes. I don't understand why HP or LP would matter though. I don't know alot about titanium oxidation flash point temperature coefficeint kinda stuff. I mostly just swim around with the fishes.

 

[Diver0001]

The body is made of titanium, so yes. I don't understand why HP or LP would matter though. I don't know alot about titanium oxidation flash point temperature coefficeint kinda stuff. I mostly just swim around with the fishes.

Well.... Ordinarily Titanium will spontaneously burn on contact with O2 at 47% or higher but it can be made to do so with 35% oxygen under the kinds of pressure you'll find on the HP side of the reg (350psi or higher) *and* with the addition of a catalyst (ie. let's hope your reg isn't "dirty"). With lower concentrations of O2 (under 35%) it won't burn.

At least that's how I understand it. I'm not an expert but I figure if they can get titanium to burn on contact with O2 at 35% in *ANY* kinds of conditions then it doesn't belong in a scuba regulator....... Just as a point of interest, the NASA prohibits the use of titanium in air oxygen partial pressure environments above 30psia because of the risk of spontanious combustion.

Oh, and I also seem to recall that it burns at temperatures that would melt glass......

R..