tank stickers, labelling and trimix

craig chamberlain · Aug 1, 2011

hello. i am an advanced nitrox diver. i would like to check if what i think is correct is correct about tank stickers. ok. air-no sticker nessasery. nitrox <40% - yellow/green sticker. nitrox >40% - black and white oxygen sticker.
please can you tell me if this is correct?

also is the custom mix sticker for a tank that could contain any mix including trimix? if so does this mean that even if u think nitrox is in the tak then u must still analyse for helium?

how do you mark 100% o2?

also can u tell me why cant u breathe some trimix mixes @ shallow depths?

thanks craig

LiteHedded · Aug 1, 2011

i mark my tanks with the maximum operating depth of the gas inside it and nothing more

Wookie · Aug 1, 2011

^Me too. I will sometimes use a piece of masking tape with the mix on it (if trimix) so I remember the mix long enough to program my computer/cut tables. Aside from that, don't let anyone use your cylinders and you won't ever have to explain your mixes.

As to why not have a bit of helium in the mix for shallow depths, go ahead and get trimix training. Then you'll understand the why's, the why-nots, and the who cares of diving with helium.

I do keep records, however, to prove my cylinders were O2 cleaned in the past year. All those other stickers are for PADI divers.

If you take an O2 cleaning class, you'll find out that the O2 cleaning lasts just as long as the next fill. Anything filled after that is done on a wing and a prayer.

Scared Silly · Aug 1, 2011

Wookie:
All those other stickers are for PADI divers.

I think Vance's tank stickers would be the exception to that statement

kierentec · Aug 1, 2011

craig chamberlain:
also can u tell me why cant u breathe some trimix mixes @ shallow depths?

thanks craig

Trimixes containing less than 16% O2 will cause hypoxia on the surface and at shallow depths. Most can be breathed at 20ft and deeper. Many divers just take a breath at the surface and descend rapidly. I typically breath one of my deco mixes down to 40ft and then switch to back gas during my descent/bubble check.

kierentec · Aug 1, 2011

Many of my cylinders are marked with a red and white "breathing gas other than air" sticker. That covers just about everything...

TSandM · Aug 1, 2011

No stickers are required by any legal agency. Shops may have policies about not filling Nitrox into tanks lacking the stickers. No one I know diving trimix puts anything on their backgas tanks other than a current analysis sticker or tape. Deco bottles or stages are marked with the MOD of the mix they contain, usually in very large numbers that are readable by one's buddies. A lot of people (myself included) also put big "OXYGEN" stickers on O2 bottles, just to make it painfully clear what they are.

Agencies differ on where they introduce helium. Some do it only for very deep dives, in which, as already mentioned, the oxygen percentage has to be reduced to where the mix is not safe to breathe on the surface, because without the concentrating effect of pressure, there isn't enough oxygen to maintain consciousness. There are helium mixes which are perfect okay to breathe on the surface, or in shallow water. I use helium for anything below 100 feet.

Ste Wart · Aug 1, 2011

Craig,

check European regulations and HSE recommendations for cylinder labelling in the UK. Most of the answers you're getting here are from the US.

ajduplessis · Aug 2, 2011

Name, MOD & Mix

Akimbo · Aug 2, 2011

Has anyone used these content labels from TDI? If so, do they hold up?

Online Ordering System:: SDI :: TDI :: ERDI

Based on this one review, it appears that the screen printing on the A-Plus Marine Nitrox Gas Content Slate doesn’t hold up well.

I am getting sick of duct tape goo from home brew labeling.

tank stickers, labelling and trimix

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craig chamberlain

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LiteHedded

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Wookie

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Scared Silly

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kierentec

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kierentec

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TSandM

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Ste Wart

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ajduplessis

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Akimbo

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