Using Nitrox after Air?

[Krazytomdiver]

As a dive guide, I can only give you advise from my own experience.
My kit includes a Scubapro MK25/S600/R395/Air2 with over 2000 dives,most of them 32% to 36% nitrox. I service(clean) my reqs sometimes but usually have my tech dive buddy due the complete overhaul every year or so. I dive for a living and never once had a failure.

"living life without a hard bottom"
KT

 

[redacted]

Warning!
If SCUBAPRO regulators have been used with standard compressed air it will be
necessary to perform a new maintenance and cleaning procedure specifically
designed for the use of nitrox mixes and carried out by a SCUBAPRO authorized
technician, before using them again with Nitrox​

It's this cleaning that I was asking about; like why would they write this and is it for real?

Scubapro writes that for two reasons: It covers their ass and it creates more business for their retailers. Scubapro uses EPDM o-rings which are as good with O2 as any. Even the older Nirtile o-rings which are not good with O2 would last for years before they would show any degrading effects. It looks like you got a great set of regulators. Enjoy

 

[Charlie99]

The Scubapro warning is not because of the type of O-rings or metals in the regulator.

The warning is that if you use the regulator with non-nitrox grade air, that it may leave sufficient oil residue to be a problem. That is why Scubapro recommends cleaning of the regulator before using it with nitrox after it has been used with regular air.

Most divers ignore this warning and I've never heard of it causing a problem, but let's answer the question the original poster actually asked.

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I have an 10+ year old Atomics B1 that has the same sort of warning. I don't have the exact words handy, but the recommendation was to dedicate the regulator to either air or nitrox, and to do a full O2 cleaning of the reg before using it with nitrox after you have used it with regular grade of air.

I ignore the warning. I suggest that the OP ignore the equivalent Scubapro warning.

 

[halocline]

The warning is that if you use the regulator with non-nitrox grade air, that it may leave sufficient oil residue to be a problem. That is why Scubapro recommends cleaning of the regulator before using it with nitrox after it has been used with regular air.

I'm not arguing that your interpretation of SP's rational for including this warning is inaccurate. But, what is reality is that O2 clean equipment is NOT a necessity for exposure to nitrox. The modified grade E air used in partial pressure fills is cleaned for exposure to 100%O2, not nitrox. Its just another example of the dive gear industry trying to confuse nitrox use with oxygen protocols. They do it for one reason: money.

BluewaterSail, unless your regulator is titanium, go bak and forth between nitrox and regular air all you want. It's perfectly safe.

 

[halocline]

If you wanted a reg to dive nitrox with this may not have been the best choice. Looking over the Data from ScubaPro this is not a nitrox compatable regulator. As the post above says you will need to get the O rings changed and they will probably apply silicon protectant to the internal metal parts. All metal regulator, lots of parts to oxidize

Silicone protectant on internal regulator parts for high concentrations of O2...I don't think so. Where did you say you learned about this stuff?

 

[Superlyte27]

If you wanted a reg to dive nitrox with this may not have been the best choice. Looking over the Data from ScubaPro this is not a nitrox compatable regulator. As the post above says you will need to get the O rings changed and they will probably apply silicon protectant to the internal metal parts. All metal regulator, lots of parts to oxidize

If you don't know what you are talking about... simply don't talk.

Silicone and O2 are NOT compatible.

 

[ianr33]

SILICONE guys ,not SILICON. Sheesh!

Silicone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Silicon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[BluewaterSail]

Thanks all! I really appreciate the advice!:sigh:

 

[Zung]

Scubapro (and others) simply want you to buy 2 sets: 1 for EAN21, and 1 for the other EAN's.
Please help double their income.

 

[knowone]