Air in eanx marked tank?

[W W Meixner]

The Captain Hook's dive shop in Big Pine Key, FL will not fill a tank with air if it has a nitrox sticker attached to it. I've never encountered this before. The shop claims it's a DOT regulation. If that's the case, then every other dive shop along the east coast I visit apparently is violating DOT regulations. Is this correct?

BP...

There is no regulation...

Some shops that are performing partial pressure fills...have two banks...one bank for air...and one ''hyper-filtered'' bank for NITROX/other mixed gas fills...

If they fill your O2 cleaned/NITROX banded tanks from the ''air'' bank...you tanks will require O2 cleaning before they can be filled with NITROX blends again...

If you've got O2 cleaned tanks...with NITROX bands...and you only want an air fill...fills should be from the hyper-filtered bank...

I used to do this all the time...

This way your tanks will stay O2 cleaned...

Any time you want 21% in O2 cleaned tanks you should always ask if their ''air'' bank is hyper-filtered NITROX compatible...

There are likely hundreds of divers in the field with O2 cleaned/NITROX banded tanks that are no longer O2 cleaned because of non-hyper-filtered 21% fills...

Warren...

 

[IncreaseMyT]

The Captain Hook's dive shop in Big Pine Key, FL will not fill a tank with air if it has a nitrox sticker attached to it. I've never encountered this before. The shop claims it's a DOT regulation. If that's the case, then every other dive shop along the east coast I visit apparently is violating DOT regulations. Is this correct?

There may have been some confusion, it sounds like what they were trying to get across to you is that once they fill it with air, they will not fill it with Nitrox again until it has been VIP'ed again.

I think it is a silly rule, and the only place I have ran into it is in the keys.

Captain hooks has always been good to me but they only have air, I usually go to Halls I like them a lot too and they have Nitrox.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

There may have been some confusion, it sounds like what they were trying to get across to you is that once they fill it with air, they will not fill it with Nitrox again until it has been VIP'ed again.

So call me crazy but - if they are doing the filling - they know the grade of their own air - I assume Grade E. So what is the issue - their clean air is dirty???

If they are saying some other shop - that I get they cannot control the quality of air - otherwise I cam confused...

 

[IncreaseMyT]

So call me crazy but - if they are doing the filling - they know the grade of their own air - I assume Grade E. So what is the issue - their clean air is dirty???

If they are saying some other shop - that I get they cannot control the quality of air - otherwise I cam confused...

Trust me I know, I have had problems with this in the past. I don't know enough about it to argue with them, but I know I have never had an issue anywhere else.

 

[NAM001]

Depending on who gave the training fills are done many ways. Some will say the band says what is in the tank. There are as many interpretations on who this should be done as there is regarding luxfer tanks and shop rules of tanks over 20 yo. I took my training from PSI. That does nto mean i agree with their position but it does mean that training varies from one organization to another. One bunch of people cite DOT, or GSA others cite OSHA and others cite federal regs. IMP there is nothing magic about 23.5% imo It is a limit that can only cause a problem in the most far fetched situation if at all. Also the term nitrox is often defined as not nitrogen / oxygen but limited to oxygen enriched air. Under that definition 21% can not be put in a nitrox tank becuse it is not enriched. absolutely stupid logic. I had one guy say he could not put air in my nitrox banded tank. but he could do a nitrox fil consisting of an air top off to the existing mix and charging for a nitrox fill. That same station would not accept a trimix card and insisted on a nitrox card to get the fill.

 

[Storker]

Some will say the band says what is in the tank.

So... What you say is that whenever I switch from 32% to 28% to 30% to 36% I have to change the band?

Not very likely

 

[Wookie]

I went and spoke to Bob at lunch. What Buckled Plates found is indeed shop rules. If you have a nitrox tank, they will put in nitrox and only nitrox. If you have a tank not labeled, they will put in air only. If you want air in a nitrox tank, they will drain the tank, remove the sticker, and fill it with air. They do not do nitrox 21, or any blend they don't bank.

Their shop, their rules.

 

[Storker]

Their shop, their rules.

And my wallet. Me, I'd be voting with my wallet.

 

[Wookie]

And my wallet. Me, I'd be voting with my wallet.

Sure, but the OP is a charter operator and may need 8-10 fills a day rather than 2 every other weekend. Driving 15 miles to another dive shop is possible and time consuming.

 

[Manatee Diver]

The shops in the Keys are often annoying like that, that is why my trips down there involve a trunk full of tanks so I can avoid getting fills there. Tanks really pay for them themselves quickly when you are avoiding $18 per a tank for high pressure nitrox fills.