How many of you have failed to analyze a tank that you thought had air?

[mathauck0814]

I appreciate your posts, but as a recreational diver? BS. Did you notice we are in the "Basic Forum"?????

I didn't. My bad - grabbed the thread from "What's new" list. Withdrawn.

Though 40% (which is a recreational mix) would have a PP of 1.98 @ 130 feet. My guess is you'd still be in trouble, maybe not as quickly...
36% is 1.78, 34% is 1.68, 32% is 1.58... Obviously not as bad but those are all still reasonably high PPO2 levels.

 

[rhwestfall]

I didn't. My bad - grabbed the thread from "What's new" list. Withdrawn.

Though 40% (which is a recreational mix) would have a PP of 1.98 @ 130 feet. My guess is you'd still be in trouble, maybe not as quickly...
36% is 1.78, 34% is 1.68, 32% is 1.58... Obviously not as bad but those are all still reasonably high PPO2 levels.

Absolutely! But.... the discussion is about [mandating] testing tanks that are 21%.......

 

[Rhone Man]

I can safely say that I have never, ever analysed a tank which I believed contained only air.

So far as I can tell I am still alive, as are the other 1.8 million recreational divers who do the same.

I don't see a compelling case for a change in policy.

Remind me to post my standard troll post about "safety air" a little bit later on.

 

[mathauck0814]

Absolutely! But.... the discussion is about [mandating] testing tanks that are 21%.......

The trouble is that gas blenders are human. Perhaps it's sufficient to say that on blending systems which are not integrated with the ability to make nitrox are safe to just trust. But given "recreational" divers don't usually know the difference, do they? I suppose you could ask.

I don't usually analyze air tanks, I'm guilty of that (I imagine most are), but you have to admit that whether you, yourself, are a recreational diver or not does nothing to insure you against an error being made by a fill panel operator.

Just the other day, I absentmindedly turned the knob on my O2 supply tank off (so I thought) and continued to fill a tank and then analyzed it to find that I'd really opened the O2 valve all the way and it was much hotter than I needed.

People are people and people make mistakes. If you knew that the panel being filled from can do EANx, it makes sense to me to analyze it. If you don't know if the panel being filled from can do EANx, it still makes sense, no?

It is unlikely that any of us are good enough on air consumption to have an oxtox problem at 130 feet or less on a single tank of normal nitrox blends.

Additionally, the comment to which I had originally responded brought into the conversation normal nitrox blends. I feel that statement is incorrect given the PPO2's above.

 

[dfx]

What about those divers who aren't nitrox certified? They would have to analyze their tanks too, right? Which would mean that analyzing procedures would have to become part of standard OWD curriculum.

 

[elan]

Anyway, on to the reason I'm chiming in. I don't understand why it makes a difference if I test my tank at the dive site vs testing it at home or in the shop that filled the tank. Every time I've had a nitrox tank filled, the shop has required me to test it myself. Then I have to record the test results, MOD, tank serial number, and a few other details in their fill log. After that they either provide me a piece of blue painters tape or a specialty tape with which I am to label my tank. I've only had nitrox filled at five different shops, but so far every one has had the exact same procedure. If I've already tested my own tank, why re test it again at the dive site?

This practice starts making more sense when its possible that you might be using someone else's tanks, for example we often go as a group 2-4 divers and bring many tanks filled with 32,50 % etc. So you get a bunch of tanks 10-15 that are then used by the team.So you might end up using your buddy's tank because they had an extra one. They might have some stickers on them with analysis labels but you would not trust those stickers as often people forget to peel them off , trans fill the mixes etc etc. So trusting those stickers would be like jumping into a cage with a lion and hope you will not be eaten. You never know what kind of getto mix you might have there. So if you do analysis onsite before taking the tanks under ensures you are getting correct mix

 

[WB2GLP]

Actually, the original post is vague and does not specify whether they are concerned about O2 or CO testing that tank we thought had air in it. Some replies are concerning the oxygen content while others took it as a post in support of CO testing.

 

[beaverdivers]

How many of you have failed to analyze a tank that you thought had air?

Does this question point to an inherent fault in our training process from day one of Open Water training?​

To clarify, I am referring to the % of O2 in your tank.

 

[corvettejoe]

Absolutely! But.... the discussion is about [mandating] testing tanks that are 21%.......

Nobody is "mandating" anything or even talking about mandating it.
It's just "best practice" to do this if you are going to be using an underwater life support system that could possibly kill you.

Just because you are only a "recreational diver" or this is the "basic scuba forum" or the shop you use only banks air...the fact of the matter is, you still don't know what's in that tank.
Not knowing what's in that tank can either kill you or mess you up badly.

Nobody is saying anyone ABSOLUTELY MUST test their air filled tanks... I think the majority that is preaching FOR it are all just doing so with best practices in mind of staying alive for themselves and cant figure out why nobody else cares for their own lives and well being as much as they do.

For those that like to roll the dice on what they are breathing, that's on them. Nobody is forcing or talking about forcing anyone to test their tanks.

For those un-informed on the whole scenario... I think this should be a good learning experience for them. There are absolutely no "Con's" here and only "Pro's". It's just a matter of doing it or not. If you do it, cool. If you don't do it. Cool too, but I personally won't dive with anyone that hasn't tested their tank. I don't want to drag their dead body out of a cave or off the bottom of a reef, etc. My buddies are the same with me, if I haven't tested my own tanks already or are unsure of what's in my tank, they let me borrow their analyzers and test it at the site (I don't have one myself, I am hoping Santa brings me one this year).

Being ignorant of what is in your tank just based on "they only have air" or "this tank is only labeled for air use" and "I will neeevvaarrrrr test my tanks!" is just a terrible excuse for not doing it. Those people need to come up with a better excuse. Mine is most often "I'm too lazy, and I only got air fills, and I watched them do it or did it myself, and I know what was previously in my tank since I last tested it". But how do I know for sure...even after watching, doing or knowing everything about that tank's contents? Nothing that a quick 10sec test can't painlessly tell me.

For those really against it... try taking some advanced gas courses and you will learn how quickly this stuff matters. I only recently started checking for CO. Why had I never done so before? I just had no idea that could be a risk. I found out how deadly it can be, and it actually DOES happen quite often. Do most shops have a CO analyzer? No. Does it mean I shouldn't be concerned about it? Not at all. I should take it very seriously. A buddy had one of their friends tox out on CO and die from it. It's real. It CAN happen. You can't taste it, see it, smell it... but it's there and CAN kill you. This can happen from ANY shop filling tanks, even AIR ONLY fill stations. Filters may be bad/old/worn out. Someone may be filtering from the back of a shop and a vehicle may be running back there spewing CO out of it's exhaust and sucking it right into the air compressor. Someone may be smoking an entire pack of cigs next to the air compressor intake. You just never know.

Choosing to ignore stuff just because you are un-aware of it is just asking for an accident to happen. If you haven't had more advanced training, and I know OW/AOW doesn't include any kind of training for this which a majority of people on here are OW/AOW... this should be an eye opener an I hope at least one person learns about this or wants to learn more about it from all these pages of discussion so far.

With more advanced training and research, it's really opened my eyes to how much can really kill you while diving. Most of these topics ARE covered in OW/AOW/Nitrox courses, but not as in depth on the why's and the how's unless you seek more advanced courses, or do your own research. Find a good mentor or instructor with more advanced training and they can tell you as well the dangers of all this.

Does toxing out on gases happen very often... not really... but the fact remains... it DOES HAPPEN..and MOST of them could have been avoided by simply testing whats in their tanks.

---------- Post added August 23rd, 2013 at 01:31 PM ----------

To clarify, I am referring to the % of O2 in your tank.

one more note...

I've often thought I had air in some of my unlabeled tanks. Since I don't own an analyzer, I simply took them to the LDS the next time I stopped by and borrowed their tester. You don't even need to remove them from your vehicle.. just walk out..test it in your vehicle, walk back in, return analyzer. I found quite a few of my tanks had higher o2% than I thought...which made a big difference in what dive I was going to do next.

I had one dive where I thought it was a lower % of o2. I was diving to 130ft that day. I found out it was a full 32% (I thought it was 27% from a previous label I put on the tank). I'm glad I re-tested it because for the depth I was going to, and the time I was planning to spend there, it could have hurt or killed me. I ended up not going as deep on that dive and still and an enjoyable dive. I'll just return the next time to see what I wanted to see at that depth with a lower mix in my tank.

 

[rhwestfall]

(I thought it was 27% from a previous label I put on the tank).

your system of inventory control is flawed......

I only recently started checking for CO.

discussion is in regard to testing %02...