So do you get bored checking tanks for CO when you never get readings?

[rmh84]

Thanks *takes a bow*, I'm Canadian - which means I supposedly know how to do everything politely!

Apprently the little battery-op guys will misread on a low battery or if a previous diver got them wet (accidental dunkings in the camera bucket are known to happen).

True, we do have pretty good regulations in place up here - my LDS does fills for all the surrounding counties fire departments, so they have to be good. I don't do a whole lot of diving up here anymore though, mostly caribean/florida/etc. for me (I like little colored fishies too much!).

Nice, polite hijack there. How did you get a mistaken reading?

On my last trip, I saw two divers go deep by mistake on the 36% Nx tanks they had scheduled for the second, shallower dive. I guess it'd be wise to test every tank for O2 and CO both, and I have the Analox analyzers.

You have stricter CO regs up there I think, but caca happens! You don't know what's in your tank unless you check it...

 

[cruiser]

Can't say I get bored checking every tank and finding NO carbon monoxide. 0 ppm CO readings are a reassurance.

 

[TomZ]

I do the CO in conjunction with the O2, so it's only a few extra seconds (maybe 30). If diving just air, it takes a minute or so. On a panga with 5 other divers and a DM, it's tight quarters, but easily do-able. I tested every tank my wife and I used this trip (Cozumel 02/20-02/29 2012), and a few boat-mates'. Never got a reading of more than a flicker between zero and one. Bored? Nope, happy. I probably checked 35-40 tanks.

 

[theduckguru]

Are you saying PADI has discontinued their quarterly air sample test requirements?

Regs don't mean a thing if nobody's checking.

Can I safely assume that there are no government mandated checks?

Now that PADI has removed air sample testing as a requirement, is the only thing keeping shops doing any testing at all either their own goodwill and/or liability concerns in the case of a bad fill?

 

[DandyDon]

Are you saying PADI has discontinued their quarterly air sample test requirements?

Yep, long ago. They were worthless anyway since most did the air samples right after filter changes, and while the compressor was cool. Compressor outputs can vary so much hour to hour. When they get hot, internal oil partially combusts.

Before I learned that and started checking, I tried asking resorts and boats for their test results a few times. Gave up asking when several hadn't.

 

[markmantei]

Yep, long ago. They were worthless anyway since most did the air samples right after filter changes, and while the compressor was cool. Compressor outputs can vary so much hour to hour. When they get hot, internal oil partially combusts.

Before I learned that and started checking, I tried asking resorts and boats for their test results a few times. Gave up asking when several hadn't.

I don't know that they were totally worthless. Worthless as far as knowing the quality of air in a particular fill, I agree, but at least it ensured that the filters got changed quarterly, and once in a while brought attention to fill quality.

 

[DandyDon]

I don't know that they were totally worthless. Worthless as far as knowing the quality of air in a particular fill, I agree, but at least it ensured that the filters got changed quarterly, and once in a while brought attention to fill quality.

Good point. I've been known to exaggerate. I don't think the requirements were enforced tho, even when they had them.