Nitrox and orings?

[cool_hardware52]

The PCTFE/Carbon fibre is, I just ordered some

Let me know how they work for you. I'm guessing these haven't been on the market long.

Tobin

 

[Stone]

Not a troll, just an observation: I have about 12 years of filling nitrox (up to 40%) though my Bauer Oceanus. I have several thousand fills using every o-ring and valve seat I can think of. . . no problems. I only use O2 clean valves on my O2 dedicated AL80 and a couple of "D" tanks.

By the way, blending my own was one of the best scuba financial decisions I have made. In round figures, I invested $5,000 to get started. I have saved $15,000 for a net of $10,000. In 12 years, I have serviced the Bauer only one time at a cost of $500.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Not a troll, just an observation: I have about 12 years of filling nitrox (up to 40%) though my Bauer Oceanus. I have several thousand fills using every o-ring and valve seat I can think of. . . no problems. I only use O2 clean valves on my O2 dedicated AL80 and a couple of "D" tanks.

By the way, blending my own was one of the best scuba financial decisions I have made. In round figures, I invested $5,000 to get started. I have saved $15,000 for a net of $10,000. In 12 years, I have serviced the Bauer only one time at a cost of $500.

I know for a fact that having my own fill station is the single most important thing in allowing me to dive more often.

Wasn't cheap, but the time saved not chasing gas is priceless.

Tobin

 

[Stone]

Wasn't cheap, but the time saved not chasing gas is priceless.

Tobin

"Chasing Gas" - exactly right! I dive a little more because I can fill on a Saturday night when the LDS is closed, but having over a dozen tanks will do the same thing.

Now reloading ammo is a different story. . . much lower up-front expense and similar "one half the cost" savings, but the wife will fire off a couple of hundred rounds a week if I let her. Definitely a "cheaper doesn't mean greater savings" situation.

 

[cool_hardware52]

"Chasing Gas" - exactly right! I dive a little more because I can fill on a Saturday night when the LDS is closed, but having over a dozen tanks will do the same thing.

Now reloading ammo is a different story. . . much lower up-front expense and similar "one half the cost" savings, but the wife will fire off a couple of hundred rounds a week if I let her. Definitely a "cheaper doesn't mean greater savings" situation.

Buy her a laser cartridge and laser target.

Tobin

 

[kwinter]

but if the DIN o-ring needs to be replaced, it gets replaced with nitrile since they're much cheaper. Only the O2 bottle gets viton all the time.

Seriously???? Nitrile o-ring 112 is 4 cents each. Viton is 12 cents. Sure, it's triple the cost. But even if you have 10 regs and replace that o-ring twice a year for each, you're talking about spending less than 2 bucks more over the course of a year. Skip one beer and you can cover the difference.

 

[tbone1004]

Ken, the Hog regulators are known to spit out O-rings, also tend to be one of the only ones with an abundance of them at the dive sites. I give out the nitriles, hold onto the vitons. Last order I made from Amazon was $0.05/$0.25 so for $5 I got 100 nitriles, and another $5 for 20 vitons. Like I said, I only use the vitons on rebuild if the kit comes with them, and on my O2 reg, so it works for me...

 

[Patoux01]

In Australia we have Nx clean and also Oxygen clean stickers,

Maybe in your area, but certainly not in Sydney. We have O2 clean and "air", that's it. There's a nitrox sticker for those that have alzheimer and are unaware that they filled the tank with Nx, but it isn't any sort of cleaning. At best you'd have a Nx sticker AND "Oxygen clean. CLEAN AIR ONLY" written on the tank, but there is no such thing as Nitrox cleaning (except when your lds wants to make money off your back).

Pumping nitrox < 40 is not an issue in an air tank, more than that and O2 cleaning is required.

 

[Peter69_56]

You have not seen these ones before? They are widely used in Vic at least. The dive shop that displays this uses PP to fill still. Most of the shops I use around the bay also still use PP method, although this is now changing with more people asking for Nx.

I suspect they were more prevalent when there was really only partial pressure filling. Now that many dive shops have membrane machines and can fill at 40% the risk is so low it doesn't warrant cleaning a tank. However for partial pressure filling the tank still must be oxygen clean (hence perhaps the Nx clean on the sticker. You get what you ask for, however both I believe are the same except for the valve kit?

 

[Peter69_56]

Seriously???? Nitrile o-ring 112 is 4 cents each. Viton is 12 cents. Sure, it's triple the cost. But even if you have 10 regs and replace that o-ring twice a year for each, you're talking about spending less than 2 bucks more over the course of a year. Skip one beer and you can cover the difference.

I agree, its not the fact that its 2-3 times the cost but the actual cost itself. In the scheme of things an insignificant cost.