What to fill a pony bottle with?

[charlesml3]

We sure are. I've had my Pony filled many, many times and never once been charged any money for doing so.

And if it was filled with Nitrox, there's no reason I couldn't fill a car tire or pool toy with it.

-Charles

 

[Shcubasteve]

You should never run out of air in the first place.. that said

When using a pony for rec/no stop dives, I keep the same EANx mix (or similar) in the pony as my back gas, eliminating any concern of oxtox, inaccurate computer/table calcs ect.. At least once a trip I practice surfacing on my pony to stay up on skills...By keeping the same mix, I know my computer will be accurate and my repetitive dives profiles correct. Cost is not an issue becuase I fill em' myself but in any event, a $15-$35 O2 VIP is trivial compaired to the yearly $$ spent on my scuba addiction

Steve

 

[Gilldiver]

We sure are. I've had my Pony filled many, many times and never once been charged any money for doing so.

And if it was filled with Nitrox, there's no reason I couldn't fill a car tire or pool toy with it.

-Charles

It will all depend on the dive shops around. Up here in the North East I don't know of any shops that are banking NITROX. But I do know of a few shops that consider a fill a fill no matter what sise tank. They are asking around $10 for a 3,000 PSI fill up to 100 cubic feet and $12 for anything over 3,000 psi or over 100 cubic feet.

As for filling a car tire with NITROX, why that might give a high speed blow out a real BIG bang. Pool toys, etc. it would be fine, but not a car tire.

 

[gr8fuldiverNC]

depends what you are using it for. if you are a pro, and using it to pass off to other divers, or diving where going below your back gas mod is possible (like a wall), air is probably your best bet. ditto if you have a multigas computer. otherwise, same as back gas.

 

[FritzCat66]

I just finished the SDI Solo certification and had a lively discussion about this with my instructor. The official SDI position (at least for the Solo course, where a pony is required) is that the pony should match your backgas. I think the logic is that if you switch to it, you're not messing up your computer (presuming you have a typical single-gas rec computer).

I, on the other hand, took the angle that some are promoting here, which is: Plain air in the pony.

The problems with the "match your backgas" philosophy are manifold:

• Unless you're always diving the same mix, it's a PITA to always try to sync the two - although I suppose a transfill adapter could help here
• Your MOD on the pony is the same as your backgas - whereas with air, you've got something to switch to if some problem has you dipping past your MOD, at least temporarily until you can return to shallower depths
• The pony should be bailout only - if I'm really having to switch to it, I'm not really concerned about whether my computer knows my N2Sat for a subsequent dive - I'm just concerned with surfacing alive and safe

Those are just a few of the issues that pop to mind.

Anyway, I'm sticking with air.

>*< Fritz

 

[dumpsterDiver]

As for filling a car tire with NITROX, why that might give a high speed blow out a real BIG bang. Pool toys, etc. it would be fine, but not a car tire.

I always fill my car and trailor and bike tires with nitrox.

 

[AzAtty]

I have not seen anyone talk about what you fill a pony with.

You fill a pony with hay, apples, and the occasional sugar cube. You fill a pony bottle with...well...a pony. A small one, mind you.

 

[DaleC]

You fill a pony bottle with...well...a pony. A small one, mind you.

Now don't start that. Look at all the trouble Bonzaikitty caused

 

[charlesml3]

As for filling a car tire with NITROX, why that might give a high speed blow out a real BIG bang.

Ummmm.... What? I can't think of any other question to ask about that.

-Charles

 

[muddiver]

I've lost the point of the OP all together after all this reading, and I am too lazy to back up to the beganing.

My 2 bits: I carry a (true) pony on every dive I can because it mounts to my back tank, it's out of the way and I always have a little extra that way.

It is never figured into my gas management, therefore it is always a truely additional "emergency" supply.

Out here on the Left Coast one can get free fills at most shops for pony cylinders because they are small and they are an emergency/safety item (I think).

Pony gets 21% Nitrox, 30 cu cylinder gets deco gas (most likely 36% or 40%, depth dependent) or 21% Nitrox when used as a bailout with the surface supplied system.

Mudd, out.