Grease / oil inside second stage

[Romain V.]

Dear Members,

I recently took a management position in a dive center and while reviewing the equipment, realized the very bad shape of it. I then started servicing the regs ( aqualung calypso and the previous model ). So far I've done only two, first stage and second stage, and came across some oil residues in one of them, on the crown orifice (100128) and the inlet fitting (124506) of the second stage to be precIse. It smelled like my old friend's garage... I couldn't open the dry chamber of the first stage cause I'm missing a tool.

Could that be caused by bad air from the cylinder ? Should I be concerned about the quality of the compressor, filters, compressor attendant ? Moreover, if the oil got to the second stage, I would guess the hoses are also contaminated ?

The good thing is, we don't have any customers right now as it is very low season, so I'll be able to get all those fixed when they start coming.

Thanks for your feedback.


Rom

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Dear Members,

I recently took a management position in a dive center and while reviewing the equipment, realized the very bad shape of it. I then started servicing the regs ( aqualung calypso and the previous model ). So far I've done only two, first stage and second stage, and came across some oil residues in one of them, on the crown orifice (100128) and the inlet fitting (124506) of the second stage to be precIse. It smelled like my old friend's garage... I couldn't open the dry chamber of the first stage cause I'm missing a tool.

Could that be caused by bad air from the cylinder ? Should I be concerned about the quality of the compressor, filters, compressor attendant ? Moreover, if the oil got to the second stage, I would guess the hoses are also contaminated ?

The good thing is, we don't have any customers right now as it is very low season, so I'll be able to get all those fixed when they start coming.

Thanks for your feedback.


Rom

I have no experience in running a compressor or a dive shop, but I think I would be pulling some tank valves pretty darn fast and taking a look. cheap and easy and might give you a clue if there is (or was) a problem.

 

[WhiteSands]

Dear Members,

I recently took a management position in a dive center and while reviewing the equipment, realized the very bad shape of it. I then started servicing the regs ( aqualung calypso and the previous model ). So far I've done only two, first stage and second stage, and came across some oil residues in one of them, on the crown orifice (100128) and the inlet fitting (124506) of the second stage to be precIse. It smelled like my old friend's garage... I couldn't open the dry chamber of the first stage cause I'm missing a tool.

Could that be caused by bad air from the cylinder ? Should I be concerned about the quality of the compressor, filters, compressor attendant ? Moreover, if the oil got to the second stage, I would guess the hoses are also contaminated ?

The good thing is, we don't have any customers right now as it is very low season, so I'll be able to get all those fixed when they start coming.

Thanks for your feedback.


Rom

I would definitely check the compressor filter.

 

[tbone1004]

I'd pull a few valves and do a thorough vip on all of the bottles if you're seeing that. If the sintered filters in the first stage have any oil residue then it is 99.9% on the compressor and that is really bad because it also likely means carbon monoxide contamination so before you bleed the tanks down check them for CO.

Good on you for checking this out because that could be seriously bad

 

[Romain V.]

Checked the compressor manufacturer about filters, they recommend every 100 tanks filled. But that is in ideal conditions, 20°C and low humidity. Here we have 90% humidity and 30°C, I would think it is better to half this recommendation and do it every 50 tanks. Have to check the compressor logs. I think I will also take your suggestion and visually inspect some tanks to take a look inside.

Have cleaned the reg parts with ultrasonic cleaner, it's all good now.. Is there any way to check the inside of the regulator hoses without cutting them ? Can the inside of a hose be cleaned as well ? I don't really trust the company who has been servicing the equipment so I'd rather do it myself since I'm a trained technician, at least for regulators..

Thanks


Rom

 

[tbone1004]

the hoses are rubber, so if the oil got into the hoses you aren't getting it out. You can leave the hoses disconnected on the 2nd stage/spg end and blow them out, but that's about all.

Every 100 tanks seems a bit too often to me, get bigger filter stacks, but you need to put a CO monitor on the end of the compressor to check for that, I can't stress enough how serious this is to verify CO in the tanks, there have been quite a few deaths due to improper compressor maintenance in the last year alone.

 

[SubAquatix]

Tearing down things all over the place maybe jumping the gun. Fact is, you tore down 2 first and 2 second stages, and found oil only in 1 of the second stages. Normally, rather than being a compressor or filter problem, this would lead to a fluke or a storage issue. Perhaps diesel exhaust nearby? I wouldn't go nuts, but rather start doing things in a more planned manner.

1. First steps would be to check your bank gas for CO and get your gas tested. I would also check your filter stack and lines for contaminants. An Oil change at this time would be a good idea as well.

2. Time to do a seasonal VIP. Start with a sample, 10- 15 tanks, to see if there are signs of contamination.

3. If you find any signs of contamination in these first two steps, it is time for the cascade, fill lines and dive cylinders to be further broken down and cleaned. If you don't find any signs, you'll now know that you are providing clean and appropriate breathing gas

Why the order? Source first, then destination.

Once you have cleaned your source, you'll know delivery is not an issue, at least going forward.

One note on CO monitors. You will read here, and other places, about how inconsistent these devices are. I find they are, more often then not, not being used properly. Most of the less expensive monitors people are buying don't seem to like flow and do better with directed samples at ~.5-.9 lpm. This means you are better off drawing a sample from the tanks or cascades, weekly or monthly. Another note is that, of the seven different styles I have used, they all require periodic calibration with a bump gas, something people seem to ignore.

 

[BRT]

One note on CO monitors. You will read here, and other places, about how inconsistent these devices are. I find they are, more often then not, not being used properly. Most of the less expensive monitors people are buying don't seem to like flow and do better with directed samples at ~.5-.9 lpm. This means you are better off drawing a sample from the tanks or cascades, weekly or monthly. Another note is that, of the seven different styles I have used, they all require periodic calibration with a bump gas, something people seem to ignore.

CO monitoring can be done continually and inexpensively and I believe in it. Why would you not?

 

[tbone1004]

he's not saying not to do it, he's just saying that most of the cheap monitors can't handle continuous flow of the gas at a rate high enough to continuously monitor a compressor, especially a large one that's all. There are plenty that can handle it.

As usual Bradish does have the best way to tackle this.
CO check a few tanks and the compressor first, if there is no CO present then you can start pecking at other possibilities, but since that is such a big one, it is certainly the first place you should look.

 

[SubAquatix]

One note on CO monitors. You will read here, and other places, about how inconsistent these devices are. I find they are, more often then not, not being used properly. Most of the less expensive monitors people are buying don't seem to like flow and do better with directed samples at ~.5-.9 lpm. This means you are better off drawing a sample from the tanks or cascades, weekly or monthly. Another note is that, of the seven different styles I have used, they all require periodic calibration with a bump gas, something people seem to ignore.

CO monitoring can be done continually and inexpensively and I believe in it. Why would you not?

I never said it could not be done continuously or inexpensively. What I said is it has been my experience, and has been attested on this site and others, that CO monitors can be testy. I haven't worked with every monitor, only seven of them. Of those seven, I have found that almost all of the concerns observed are eliminated with more consistent sampling methods and regular calibration. Since flow can vary so much during the process of filling a tank or bank, I find it more consistent to deliver the sample from the bank.