DaleC
Contributor
If someone is using a tank thinking it were nitrox they would analyze the contents first (or be untrained/foolish). A diver should always verify the mix before use and not trust a generic sticker.
There are different thoughts about those stickered tanks. Some people think they are valuable for using nitrox but that is not true IMO. I think of them as false flags because the sticker tells you nothing. Unless it has specific dates on it the tank may have been 02 cleaned at some point in the past (when the sticker was put on) but who knows what was put in there since. One fill from a dirty compressor and it's contaminated. How does the sticker stop that. The sticker also does not tell you what mix is in there. Is it air, 32, 40, 50/50 or 80%.
What is needed is an analysis sticker/piece of tape that lists the mix, mod, date it was verified, and initials (if your tanks may be mixed with others).
There are different thoughts about those stickered tanks. Some people think they are valuable for using nitrox but that is not true IMO. I think of them as false flags because the sticker tells you nothing. Unless it has specific dates on it the tank may have been 02 cleaned at some point in the past (when the sticker was put on) but who knows what was put in there since. One fill from a dirty compressor and it's contaminated. How does the sticker stop that. The sticker also does not tell you what mix is in there. Is it air, 32, 40, 50/50 or 80%.
What is needed is an analysis sticker/piece of tape that lists the mix, mod, date it was verified, and initials (if your tanks may be mixed with others).