happy-diver
Skindiver Just feelin it
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Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Systematic use of oxygen analyzers by advanced divers ? [Poll].
- Thread starter Roger Hobden
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To be honest, the actual question is a little foolish.
Unless things have significantly gone down hill in Nitrox training. One of the rules of using Nitrox, along with not exceeding the MOD, is testing the gas. If you are not going to test the gas you shouldn't be using Nitrox, in exactly the same way if you are not prepared to stay within the MOD, you shouldn't be using Nitrox.
If you are not going to follow the rules, use air.
Unless things have significantly gone down hill in Nitrox training. One of the rules of using Nitrox, along with not exceeding the MOD, is testing the gas. If you are not going to test the gas you shouldn't be using Nitrox, in exactly the same way if you are not prepared to stay within the MOD, you shouldn't be using Nitrox.
If you are not going to follow the rules, use air.
That is likely where the bias comes from....
A high percentage of posters on this board are tech divers.
Some of us analyze during the dive with 3-5 independent oxygen sensors.
happy-diver
Skindiver Just feelin it
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I would like to imagine a board seams bursting with recreational divers
able to operate on different levels of technicality as required, even to the
extent of building one of those analysing adjusting machines in their shed
able to operate on different levels of technicality as required, even to the
extent of building one of those analysing adjusting machines in their shed
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Splitting hairs.
32 and 36 are what, 10 and 20 feet different? You, as a recreational diver, gonna die on that?
I have two tanks of 100%. One is surface only the other is a pony. (OMG, am I gonna get hammered for calling it that) Why? Ask your dive boat captain where the O2 is. You might be surprised.
You play with O2 or you don't. If you don't then everything is air. No need to check. If you do, then Enquiring minds want to know.
I verify all breathing gas. I switched to using a cootwo, so oxygen and carbon monoxide content both get tested at the same time. Before getting the cootwo, I never bothered analyzing oxygen content on "air" tanks. I feel more comfortable now that I do.
DiveNav - Products - cootwo
DiveNav - Products - cootwo
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Oxygen sensors are a proven technology, you get about a year out of one. Carbon monoxide electrochemical sensors, not so much. Things get funny fast. Yes, a good thing to check. Me, I go with a fastidious source of compressed gas and don't check for CO.
You may want to read this: Residential Carbon Monoxide Detector Failure Rates in the United States
broncobowsher
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This post is simply an explanation of what the danger would be if the tank believed to be air actually had nitrox.
The most obvious danger is oxygen toxicity, and that is certainly possible. Some of the most celebrated cases of oxygen toxicity were caused by exactly that. For example, we have the case of Carlos, mentioned earlier, who thought he had air but actually had pure oxygen, which he breathed at 100 feet for a while until he toxed. Another case is the diver in South Florida who thought he had air in his doubles, which he used at about 160 feet for about 20 minutes before he toxed. (I talked with his buddy.) It turned out he had 36%.
Notice, though, that both of those cases had elements that are out of the range of recreational experience. In one, the diver was breathing pure oxygen at 100 feet. In the other, the diver was at 160 feet for with 36%. Both of these dives fall into the realm of technical diving.
What if a recreational diver were breathing a more common recreational nitrox mix (32% or 36%) in an AL 80 and thought it was air? What are the chances that diver would suffer a toxic effect? The MOD for 36% is 90 feet at the 1.4 standard and 110 feet at the 1.6 standard, and you have to be at that depth for a fair (and unpredictable) amount of time before something happens. Those depths are beyond what most people dive, and if the diver believes he or she is on air and trying to stay within NDLs, they will not be at those depths for long.
If a recreational diver believes the tank contains air and dives to the most common depths (say 40-90 feet) for recreational diving on air, it is very unlikely that anything bad will happen if the tank were mistakenly filled with a common recreational nitrox mix.
Please note that I am not advocating it--just pointing out the likelihood of a problem.
The most obvious danger is oxygen toxicity, and that is certainly possible. Some of the most celebrated cases of oxygen toxicity were caused by exactly that. For example, we have the case of Carlos, mentioned earlier, who thought he had air but actually had pure oxygen, which he breathed at 100 feet for a while until he toxed. Another case is the diver in South Florida who thought he had air in his doubles, which he used at about 160 feet for about 20 minutes before he toxed. (I talked with his buddy.) It turned out he had 36%.
Notice, though, that both of those cases had elements that are out of the range of recreational experience. In one, the diver was breathing pure oxygen at 100 feet. In the other, the diver was at 160 feet for with 36%. Both of these dives fall into the realm of technical diving.
What if a recreational diver were breathing a more common recreational nitrox mix (32% or 36%) in an AL 80 and thought it was air? What are the chances that diver would suffer a toxic effect? The MOD for 36% is 90 feet at the 1.4 standard and 110 feet at the 1.6 standard, and you have to be at that depth for a fair (and unpredictable) amount of time before something happens. Those depths are beyond what most people dive, and if the diver believes he or she is on air and trying to stay within NDLs, they will not be at those depths for long.
If a recreational diver believes the tank contains air and dives to the most common depths (say 40-90 feet) for recreational diving on air, it is very unlikely that anything bad will happen if the tank were mistakenly filled with a common recreational nitrox mix.
Please note that I am not advocating it--just pointing out the likelihood of a problem.
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