Argon Cannister Q

[notinvented]

Hello all,


I have a question regarding alternate sources of gas for Drysuit inflation.

I have seen reference to an Argon cannister being used to fill Drysuits, however after a (admittedly cursory) look on a few scuba sales websites I was unable ot find such a system.

Could anyone enlighten me or recommend any particular setup?

 

[Gombessa]

These are typically not standalone products. You need to buy a small aluminum tank, in the US, 6 cuft is pretty common. A cheap regulator with an OPV and inflator hose attaches to that, and the whole thing is held in place by a bracket or strap to the side of your backplate. Larger bottles like 13cuft are used too, these are more commonly mounted onto your main cylinder.

A plate mounted system looks something like this:

A tank mounted system looks like this:

As you can imagine, there are a few different variations on each theme. A quick google search yielded this page for argon peripherals - I haven't used them myself, but it should give you an idea of the hardware used in the setup: http://northeastscubasupply.com/store/drysuits/argon-systems/cat_153.html

My argon setup is a simple backplate mounted system consisting of:

-6cf aluminum bottle with thermo 200bar DIN valve
-sewn 2" webbing with sex bolt, and bungee loop, to attach to plate
-cheapo argon reg with OPV (no spg)
-standard LP inflator hose to the drysuit

 

[AfterDark]

What I've read on the subject of alternative gases for dry suits tells me that it is money spend for nothing. The insulating qualities of argon are technically better than air but, so little that a diver won't notice. The only reason to do it is to save air. A better plan would be to use a 13cf tank with a reg, inflator and spg. Inflate your suit with the 13 and you'll also have a redundant air supply.

 

[notinvented]

Fantastic replies,

I guess I had imagined something a whole lot smaller.

If it's going to be that size I think I'll make it a redundant air instead. But certainly helps to visualise what I want.

Thanks guys

 

[mikeguerrero]

Notinvented,

I have tried both Argon and Air, and could give you some feedback if you like. What type of questions are you looking to get answered? Just setup or efficacy as well on thermal qualities?

I use the 6cf aluminum tank from Luxfer with a Thermo 200 bar/din valve, then I have a 200 bar/din 1st stage that connects to it. My LP hose was measured to my liking since it's about where your torso fits to the bottle upside down to your inflator hose.

Two Halcyon velcro straps hold down the bottle securely, I tried the standard webbing cut to fit, but didn't like that it took longer to get the bottle out.

Here is a pic of my setup:

 

[TSandM]

It sounds as though you are thinking about setting up some kind of pony bottle arrangment, yes? An Argon rig wouldn't be suitable for that, if you used the dedicated regs that a few folks market. But a lot of people use the tank mounted system shown for pony bottles. Personally, I'd sling a 30 or 40 cu ft bottle, but that's because I have the underlying hardware to do that easily.

 

[elmer fudd]

My understanding is that argon is pretty much only something you need to think about if you are a tech diver or are diving in extremely cold environments. The biggest reason people have for using it is because their main tanks are full of tri-mix and the helium in them causes massive heat loss if used in a drysuit, since helium radiates heat about 5x's more efficiently than air.

Argon retains heat about 1.5x's better than air, so it has some small but significant advantage when it comes to keeping you warm.

Bottom line is if you're not breathing helium or diving in freezing waters, you don't need it.

Personally, I can't see wanting the extra weight and drag of a bottle of asphyxiating gas when I can have a pony bottle instead that might save my life. Then again, I don't dive much below 100' and water temperatures here don't go much below 45.

 

[Atomic_Diver]

divers always seem to strangely favour high performance regulators on deco bottles…more nonsense aimed at making dive centres cash in lieu of safety. When a high performance regulator free flows you lose more gas. High performance regulators are more likely to fail as they have more knobs and whistles in both 1st and 2nd stages. Sensible divers should use low performance piston regulators on deco bottles, plus they are cheaper both to buy and service, and ultimately safer to use with oxygen.



When I see a diver with a high performance regulator on an Argon bottle - I laugh out loud. Apart from the increased failure risk, the gas flows faster and therefore cooler than a low performance model. On a similar note - forget argon bottles, they just show how inexperienced you are. Inflate drysuit with weakest deco mix. I would estimate that 99% of most divers dive in warm water, so why O why do they wear drysuit's inflated with Argon?

 

[Atomic_Diver]

also i associate argon with skin itch or rash....aka skin bends

 

[rustyshakelford]

divers always seem to strangely favour high performance regulators on deco bottles…more nonsense aimed at making dive centres cash in lieu of safety. When a high performance regulator free flows you lose more gas. High performance regulators are more likely to fail as they have more knobs and whistles in both 1st and 2nd stages. Sensible divers should use low performance piston regulators on deco bottles, plus they are cheaper both to buy and service, and ultimately safer to use with oxygen.



When I see a diver with a high performance regulator on an Argon bottle - I laugh out loud. Apart from the increased failure risk, the gas flows faster and therefore cooler than a low performance model. On a similar note - forget argon bottles, they just show how inexperienced you are. Inflate drysuit with weakest deco mix. I would estimate that 99% of most divers dive in warm water, so why O why do they wear drysuit's inflated with Argon?

he obviously knows everything. ^^

like some of the replys mentioned, i would only use an argon bottle setup (most likely filled with air) if i was diving trimix as my BG. if im diving nitrox or air, i just use it. I also like to have my regs uniform. for me it helps when i service them and if i have problems with one of my main regs, I can swap it out easily. The only thing i go cheap on is accessories...ie. bungie or toothpaste

brett