Sweet I hadn't noticed the 36 month life time. $65 ain't nothing for 3 years or even 2 years. I was concerned about $65 bucks if they only lasted a few months. Not that I can't afford it but I've got better things to do with that money since I can analyze at the shop where I get my fills.
Diving Nitrox and oxygen analyzer
- Thread starter jwalko
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I have my own and use it all the time - even when diving air because sometimes I'll dive nitrox one dive and then air next, but because of residual nitrox I end up with, say 24% nitrox. It never really mattered but I like to know what I breathe. Also, I've used it to check if argon is really argon, and more than once it wasn't...
WeekendDiver:
What was it?
Jimmer
Contributor
First off, this has nothing to do with not trusting their equipment, it has to do with being safe and having a little assurance. Why do we have an octopus reg? Because 
happens, why do a lot of divers carry 2 lights? Because happens. The face of the matter is analyzers aren't foolproof, and having a second independant check is not a bad thing. On top of that 2 of the 3 shops I have gotten nitrox fills from in the area require you to check it yourself, 1 shop allows you to use their machine to check it, the other insists on an independant analyzer for confirmation, and frankly I think it's a good policy.
happens, why do a lot of divers carry 2 lights? Because happens. The face of the matter is analyzers aren't foolproof, and having a second independant check is not a bad thing. On top of that 2 of the 3 shops I have gotten nitrox fills from in the area require you to check it yourself, 1 shop allows you to use their machine to check it, the other insists on an independant analyzer for confirmation, and frankly I think it's a good policy.
Yeah, nitrox was a big dollar hit when I first started, but it's not nearly as big a dollar hit as it'll be if I get into doubles. The dollar hit of buying an analyzer is small comparatively.
oxyhacker
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An analyzer is basically a $8 voltage meter hooked up to a $15 to $75 sensor. The nice thing about the El Cheapo (or the DIY Oxy Hacker analyzer in our book, on which the El Cheapo is based), is that they use a really good, professional quality, sensor so lifetime and accuracy will actually be better than many commercial units.
It used to be that all the available sensors were pretty good, since they were all made for medical or industrial use and would last 3-5 years. Now we are seeing low end sensors being made specifically for the dive market, which many commercial analyzers use. These may last only a year or two, and are available only from whoever made the analyzer so you are tied to them for replacements. With the Oxy Hacker or El Cheapo analyzer, when it's time to replace the sensor you can recalibrate the analyzer to work with any sensor on the market, so you can shop around and get the best analyzer at the best price if you weren't happy with the original sensor.
It used to be that all the available sensors were pretty good, since they were all made for medical or industrial use and would last 3-5 years. Now we are seeing low end sensors being made specifically for the dive market, which many commercial analyzers use. These may last only a year or two, and are available only from whoever made the analyzer so you are tied to them for replacements. With the Oxy Hacker or El Cheapo analyzer, when it's time to replace the sensor you can recalibrate the analyzer to work with any sensor on the market, so you can shop around and get the best analyzer at the best price if you weren't happy with the original sensor.
timle:
We're just getting into nitrox but invested in an analyzer because....
1. I'm a gear junkie.
2. We're planning a trip where we will be signing cylinders out after-hours and will need to confirm the contents.
3. By having my own analyzer at hand I won't have any qualms about using gas somebody else picked up and tested, I can confirm for myself per protocol.
4. By having one with me there is one more in the group so a single failure point does not shut the whole outing down.
5. If I ever need to rent a cylinder that I suspect may have had elevated O2 on a prior fill I can check.
6. If for any reason I forgot to mention I have a shadow of a doubt then I can test.
Pete
1. I'm a gear junkie.
2. We're planning a trip where we will be signing cylinders out after-hours and will need to confirm the contents.
3. By having my own analyzer at hand I won't have any qualms about using gas somebody else picked up and tested, I can confirm for myself per protocol.
4. By having one with me there is one more in the group so a single failure point does not shut the whole outing down.
5. If I ever need to rent a cylinder that I suspect may have had elevated O2 on a prior fill I can check.
6. If for any reason I forgot to mention I have a shadow of a doubt then I can test.
Pete
verybaddiver
Contributor
you analyse your gas when you first get it filled, just to see if it's about right. the gasses will mix better over time, and will give you a more accurate reading when you re-analyse, this is often the case, it can change ~2-3%. Therefore you can change your plans informed my the more accurate readings. You really should analyse your gas everytime before you connect regulators to it. This is all good practice incase you get into more complex diving, and partial blending.
WHAT?!?verybaddiver:
Perhaps it's been too long since my last chemical engineering classes, but that sounds just plain wrong to me. Is there any question that filling a tank puts the contents into a turbulent flow state? We're not talking about acetone vapor pooling near ground level after a spill, after all.
Okay, admittedly, I'm hungry and these are only back-of-the-envelope calculations, but if I didn't royally mess up, it appears that filling an AL80 at about 232 psi/min (it gave round numbers) would mean that at 1500psi (half full), the air would be entering through the dip tube at something around 30 feet per second (linear velocity). Blowing as slowly as practical through a coffee stirrer into a smoke filled aquarium should be a decent illustration.
verybaddiver
Contributor
anyways , whatever the dynamics(maybe heat etc) ive known the % changing
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