Nitrox Tank Marking

[gjmmotors]

Cute macho attitude.

Thanks. It wouldnt have been proper to say that I would smash them in the face with my tank when they got back on board.
But if per chance the person who took the tank was female (and good looking) she could buy me a bunch of drinks to make up for it.
-g mount

 

[Corigan]

Personally I don't give a crap if I have a big green and yellow sticker on my tank. I don't care if anyone wants to paint it bright purple and pink I would still dive it. I find it funny that people are so vain that they have a problem with a $5 sticker. Big deal, it costs you an extra $5 a year and you have a big sticker on your tank. I could think of worse requirements.

Matt

 

[Don Burke]

I think a lot of people overlook the potential problems on a boat where there are rental tanks in use. In your case, by having your name clearly marked, it makes it unlikely that a diver would mistake your tank for a boat-supplied rental tank of air and inadvertantly use it below the MOD.

As captain, I took some guys out on a trip and when I looked at one of them trying to figure out how his primary regulator hose got so long, I realized he had put my Apeks regulator on his tank instead of his ScubaPro. He also was wondering where his computer went.

On the second dive he took one of my tanks, the only black AL80 on the boat.

I have gained a whole new appreciation of gear mixups.

 

[ScubaTwo]

Personally I don't give a crap if I have a big green and yellow sticker on my tank. I don't care if anyone wants to paint it bright purple and pink I would still dive it. I find it funny that people are so vain that they have a problem with a $5 sticker. Big deal, it costs you an extra $5 a year and you have a big sticker on your tank. I could think of worse requirements.

Matt

Exactly. who cares? and if the sticker dosnt match your wetsuit it will be ok really.

 

[gjmmotors]

Thats just plain old scary. Im suprised with a performance like that you let him dive.
-g mount

As captain, I took some guys out on a trip and when I looked at one of them trying to figure out how his primary regulator hose got so long, I realized he had put my Apeks regulator on his tank instead of his ScubaPro. He also was wondering where his computer went.

On the second dive he took one of my tanks, the only black AL80 on the boat.

I have gained a whole new appreciation of gear mixups.

 

[gjmmotors]

Ok, for someone like me it would cost me an extra 50 -100 dollars in stickers just to dive each year. Now, if the sticker actually served a purpose, rather then just alerting people to the chance that I may have nitrox in my tank it would be different.

As far as painting my tanks pink and purple, that may go over well in Key West, but it doesent turn me on.

I dont think anyone here cares if the sticker matches their BC or wetsuit. I believe it has more to do with its function and the reasons behind why a few diveshops make it neccessary from people to have them, as compared to dive shops that do not.

-g mount

Personally I don't give a crap if I have a big green and yellow sticker on my tank. I don't care if anyone wants to paint it bright purple and pink I would still dive it. I find it funny that people are so vain that they have a problem with a $5 sticker. Big deal, it costs you an extra $5 a year and you have a big sticker on your tank. I could think of worse requirements.

Matt

 

[eandiver]

My tanks, E7-100's have the nitrox label, contents sticker on the side and my name in black permanent marker on the top. While I appreciate the boat crews switching tanks for us when we surface I don't let them do mine. I prefer to do it myself. Cuts down on the errors and makes me responsible for myself.

Unless your tanks are exactly identical to mine and say M.Burns in big black letters around the neck trust me I won't be breathing from them StSomewhere.

 

[padiscubapro]

If you look up nitrox marking u will find there is no common world dtandard. Most of the stickers u will see are agency standards for PADI, TDI, SDI and such who have agreed on a particular format. NITROX in big black letters will also do according to the info I have read. It is up to the filler who is responsible for what is put in your tank and the agency he/she is certified by.

The most accepted standard is attached below.. almost every agency bases their standards on this.. Joel Silverstein has posted this excerpt multiple times, and has encouraged its posting as well.. I am including it exactly as it appears (just bolded a few key points) with the proper copyright/credits attached.. the first sticker posted does not even meet these requirements for the contents, never mind the rest of the standard, but its better than nothing..

g mount:
The last two paragraphs is why ANDI uses the "dog Tags" thse tags meet everyone of the requirements of the last paragraph.


===============================
Below is exact text from NOAA Diving Manual 4th Edition-
Copyright Best Publishing, Hamilton, RW, Silverstein, J.D.
===============================

NITROX DIVING
15.12.2 Identification of Nitrox Cylinders One method of identifying of nitrox cylinders is the use of a yellow cylinder with the top painted green down 4 inches from the shoulder of the cylinder. Stenciled on the body of the cylinder in two inch high letters is the word “Nitrox” (see Figure 15.12). Another acceptable method is to use a commercially available label that surrounds the top of the cylinder. On yellow cylinders a four inch green band with the words “Nitrox,” “Oxygen-Enriched Air,” “Enriched Air,” or “Enriched Air Nitrox” or the equivalent are printed in yellow or white letters and placed just below the shoulder of the cylinder. For cylinders that are not yellow, the same green band will have a one inch yellow band on both top and bottom. A cylinder that is properly prepared and labeled should not be filled with any mixture other than Nitrox.

15.12.3 Cylinder Label for Oxygen Cleaning This label (see Figure 15.13) or a MIL STD 1330 label is applied to the cylinder after it has been cleaned and placed into oxygen service. These labels indicate when the cylinder was cleaned and its level of cleanliness. Some nitrox filling systems require a cylinder to be cleaned for oxygen service before being filled since high-pressure oxygen is in contact with the valve and the cylinder when it is being filled. Other systems do not use oxygen for filling. The label distinguishes whether the cylinder has been cleaned for oxygen service. A cylinder that does not have an “oxygen service” certification should not be filled by partial pressure methods. The label only certifies that the cylinder has been cleaned for the date indicated. If the cylinder has been contaminated any time after the inspection date, it should be immediately marked “CONTAMINATED.” After cleaning it should be re-labeled. Contamination can occur by having the cylinder filled with air from an oil-lubricated compressor. It is prudent to inspect and re-clean scuba cylinders annually. NOAA requires annual visual inspection of all scuba cylinders.

15.12.4 Cylinder Labeling Every nitrox cylinder must be properly labeled as to its contents and fill data (see Figure 15.14). In some cases, once a cylinder has been analyzed at the fill station it is likely that it will not be analyzed again. Unless analyzed again immediately before use, the cylinder-contents label is the only way to know what gas is in the cylinder before diving. The data include fill date, cylinder pressure, oxygen percentage, maximum operating depth, the name or identification of the person completing the label, and the user’s initials verifying that it was analyzed. The contents label or tag should be attached to the cylinder or valve. Plastic re-useable contents tags can be written on in pencil and erased for the next use. Non-reusable labels should be ascribed with a permanent marker, not with a grease pencil which may come off, and should only be removed by a gas-blending technician before the next fill.

MIXED GAS DIVING
16.8 CYLINDER IDENTIFICATION AND LABELING Gas analysis is of no value unless the results are documented and used. A high number of fatalities in self-contained diving with mixed-gas breathing mixtures are caused by divers breathing the wrong gas (or a proper gas at the wrong time). This may be due to breathing from the wrong regulator or an improperly labeled cylinder. All scuba cylinders with non-air mixtures must have a durable, dated label (initialed by the user) giving the composition or analysis of the mixture inside (see Figure 16-4). The data should include fill date, cylinder pressure, oxygen and helium percentages, MOD, the name or identification of the person who filled the cylinder and/or filled out the label, and initials verifying the analysis. It is not sufficient to use abbreviated names such as “NT18/50,” the actual composition should be recorded. In addition, there are some color and labeling conventions, but these do not replace the cylinder contents label. Cylinders to be transported for commercial purposes must also meet Department of Transportation requirements. Nitrox scuba cylinders have their own unique labeling system that has been universally accepted. See Chapter 15 for details. Oxygen scuba cylinders are usually white or green in color and identified simply with the word OXYGEN stenciled on the cylinder. The number “20” may be stenciled near the bottom of the cylinder indicating the maximum operating depth for oxygen. There is currently no standardized labeling or color coding for trimix or heliox scuba cylinders or banks other than the actual content label. Some groups have developed cylinder wraps similar to that used on nitrox cylinders with the words “Special Mix” or “Trimix” on them, but no convention has been established. During mixed-gas diving operations, it is advisable to mark in 2-3 inch letters horizontally on the cylinder near the bottom the MOD. This clearly identifies the diver’s cylinder to another diver, and is used as a visual safety precaution for other divers to see what gas is being breathed.

=============================

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Hmmm ... interesting. And what's the date on that publication?

FWIW - some of those requirements are an artifact of the days (a scant decade ago) when most agencies called it "voodoo gas" and refused to allow its use.

The most accepted standard is attached below.. almost every agency bases their standards on this.. Joel Silverstein has posted this excerpt multiple times, and has encouraged its posting as well.. I am including it exactly as it appears with the proper copyright/credits attached..


g mount:
The last two paragraphs is why ANDI uses the "dog Tags" thse tags meet everyone of the requirements of the last paragraph.


===============================
Below is exact text from NOAA Diving Manual 4th Edition-
Copyright Best Publishing, Hamilton, RW, Silverstein, J.D.
===============================

NITROX DIVING
15.12.2 Identification of Nitrox Cylinders One method of identifying of nitrox cylinders is the use of a yellow cylinder with the top painted green down 4 inches from the shoulder of the cylinder. Stenciled on the body of the cylinder in two inch high letters is the word “Nitrox” (see Figure 15.12). Another acceptable method is to use a commercially available label that surrounds the top of the cylinder. On yellow cylinders a four inch green band with the words “Nitrox,” “Oxygen-Enriched Air,” “Enriched Air,” or “Enriched Air Nitrox” or the equivalent are printed in yellow or white letters and placed just below the shoulder of the cylinder. For cylinders that are not yellow, the same green band will have a one inch yellow band on both top and bottom. A cylinder that is properly prepared and labeled should not be filled with any mixture other than Nitrox.

So, in other words, any cylinder with this banner cannot be filled with air ???

FWIW - these banners are NOT required. I've had two shops put them on my cylinders without asking ... and both times I peeled them off and handed them back to the shop owner. Neither was able to show me the requirement for having them, nor have they since refused to fill my cylinders with nitrox.

15.12.3 Cylinder Label for Oxygen Cleaning This label (see Figure 15.13) or a MIL STD 1330 label is applied to the cylinder after it has been cleaned and placed into oxygen service. These labels indicate when the cylinder was cleaned and its level of cleanliness. Some nitrox filling systems require a cylinder to be cleaned for oxygen service before being filled since high-pressure oxygen is in contact with the valve and the cylinder when it is being filled. Other systems do not use oxygen for filling. The label distinguishes whether the cylinder has been cleaned for oxygen service. A cylinder that does not have an “oxygen service” certification should not be filled by partial pressure methods. The label only certifies that the cylinder has been cleaned for the date indicated. If the cylinder has been contaminated any time after the inspection date, it should be immediately marked “CONTAMINATED.” After cleaning it should be re-labeled. Contamination can occur by having the cylinder filled with air from an oil-lubricated compressor. It is prudent to inspect and re-clean scuba cylinders annually. NOAA requires annual visual inspection of all scuba cylinders.

This would be the green and yellow VIP sticker, and is actually the only one that's universally required to obtain nitrox fills. The rest are at the discretion of the LDS.

15.12.4 Cylinder Labeling Every nitrox cylinder must be properly labeled as to its contents and fill data (see Figure 15.14). In some cases, once a cylinder has been analyzed at the fill station it is likely that it will not be analyzed again. Unless analyzed again immediately before use, the cylinder-contents label is the only way to know what gas is in the cylinder before diving. The data include fill date, cylinder pressure, oxygen percentage, maximum operating depth, the name or identification of the person completing the label, and the user’s initials verifying that it was analyzed. The contents label or tag should be attached to the cylinder or valve. Plastic re-useable contents tags can be written on in pencil and erased for the next use. Non-reusable labels should be ascribed with a permanent marker, not with a grease pencil which may come off, and should only be removed by a gas-blending technician before the next fill.

This one goes on after the fill is analyzed ... and can be put there either by the fill tech or the cylinder owner. If the former, the cylinder owner should verify its accuracy before leaving the shop.

MIXED GAS DIVING
16.8 CYLINDER IDENTIFICATION AND LABELING Gas analysis is of no value unless the results are documented and used. A high number of fatalities in self-contained diving with mixed-gas breathing mixtures are caused by divers breathing the wrong gas (or a proper gas at the wrong time). This may be due to breathing from the wrong regulator or an improperly labeled cylinder. All scuba cylinders with non-air mixtures must have a durable, dated label (initialed by the user) giving the composition or analysis of the mixture inside (see Figure 16-4). The data should include fill date, cylinder pressure, oxygen and helium percentages, MOD, the name or identification of the person who filled the cylinder and/or filled out the label, and initials verifying the analysis. It is not sufficient to use abbreviated names such as “NT18/50,” the actual composition should be recorded. In addition, there are some color and labeling conventions, but these do not replace the cylinder contents label. Cylinders to be transported for commercial purposes must also meet Department of Transportation requirements. Nitrox scuba cylinders have their own unique labeling system that has been universally accepted. See Chapter 15 for details. Oxygen scuba cylinders are usually white or green in color and identified simply with the word OXYGEN stenciled on the cylinder. The number “20” may be stenciled near the bottom of the cylinder indicating the maximum operating depth for oxygen. There is currently no standardized labeling or color coding for trimix or heliox scuba cylinders or banks other than the actual content label. Some groups have developed cylinder wraps similar to that used on nitrox cylinders with the words “Special Mix” or “Trimix” on them, but no convention has been established. During mixed-gas diving operations, it is advisable to mark in 2-3 inch letters horizontally on the cylinder near the bottom the MOD. This clearly identifies the diver’s cylinder to another diver, and is used as a visual safety precaution for other divers to see what gas is being breathed.

This paragraph is talking about trimix and deco gas ... it doesn't pertain to a discussion about the recreational use of nitrox.

In reality, there are three pieces of documentation that are required for commercially obtained nitrox fills (i.e. those you don't fill using your own compressor) ... a valid VIP sticker showing the cylinder has been prepared for nitrox use, a contents label, and an entry in a log book (that's the dive shop CYA, and I'm surprised you didn't mention it).

The banner is only required if the specific LDS decides to require it.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Northeastwrecks]

I don't understand why there is so much dislike of a nitrox sticker. They cost around $2.50 and if you need to do the outside surface visual just replace it.

I've got several reasons for not marking my tanks with Nitrox stickers. First, it gets in the way of the labels that I actually want on my tanks, such as my name (in 3" tall letters) on both sides of the tank, along with O2 clean stickers, contents stickers and vis stickers.

These labels are far more important to me than a bright green sticker. They contain the information that I need to be safe and to get fills.

The names allow my buddies and me to keep gear separate. If also allows us to keep track of each other underwater.

This information is far more useful than a sticker announcing to the World that I've got Nitrox in my tanks.

Second, I'm simply not that concerned that someone will accidentally grab my tanks. All of my tanks have my name on them. The singles are rigged as stages, and are dedicated to particular blends, so anyone who tries to grab that should have enough experience to know what the MOD sticker means. My doubles also have my name on them. Its unlikely that someone is going to be able to get off the boat without someone noticing that the names don't match.

Third, I stay off of boats that attract people who can't read.

Trimix is not nitrox and should be labeled with a custom blend sticker. Nitrox sticker or custom blend sticker.........you still have a sticker on the tank identifing the contents.

I've got one. Its on the top of the tank, facing up when the tanks are oriented for attachment of the BP&W. You are looking straight at it when you start to don the suit.