Carbon monoxide found in tanks
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ScubaTexas
Contributor
This thread has me curious, how many folks carry a CO analyzer in their kit? And, what cost effective analyzer is recommended?
martincohn
Contributor
CO and Trimix analyzed on EVERY tank I dive. Mine, yours, somebody else's. Doesn't matter.
I carry a Divesoft HE/O2 Analyzer, and a Divenav monOx CO analyzer.
2airishuman
Contributor
It also depends on previous exposure and overall cardiovascular health.
While CO concentration in ppm is ordinarily used as a reference, it's the partial pressure that really matters, so that at 90 feet the health effects of 18 ppm would be the same as the health effects of 72 ppm at the surface.
The NIOSH recommendation for a safe occupational exposure for an 8-hour shift at the surface is 25 ppm. The OSHA permissible exposure limit is 50 ppm.
Current production household CO detectors alarm at 50 ppm because lower concentrations are considered to be "nuisance alarms."
While CO concentration in ppm is ordinarily used as a reference, it's the partial pressure that really matters, so that at 90 feet the health effects of 18 ppm would be the same as the health effects of 72 ppm at the surface.
The NIOSH recommendation for a safe occupational exposure for an 8-hour shift at the surface is 25 ppm. The OSHA permissible exposure limit is 50 ppm.
Current production household CO detectors alarm at 50 ppm because lower concentrations are considered to be "nuisance alarms."
Basking Ridge Diver
Contributor
Personally I would not dive more than 2 ppm. I am not calling you crazy - I just believe CO should not be in the tank.
Partial Pressure is what will kill you - and you are taking a big chance unless you are diving 5 feet deep. Go with 0 CO and accept 2 ppm if you must...
You have this backwards - 10 PPM for all residential CO detectors in the US. Production / factory lines will allow 50 ppm for an 8 to 12 hour shift. Still not healthy but factories are hard to bring 50 ppm down to residential standards...
I do this all day long every day - someone is either forgetting to change a battery or the CO detector is out of date.
I would never let an infant or older person stay in the home with more than 10 ppm - find the issue or call the gas company and let them find it and fix it.
YMMV...
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It would depend on how deep you go and for how long. It's more complicated than that tho. If the dive was not extreme, you'd probably survive, but no guarantees there. One of the many complications is that CO bonds with hemoglobin in your blood so well, preventing Oxygen from being carried, but as you ascend, the PPO drops will the PPCO remains - so the effects are more profound when you come up.
While you may survive 18 ppm CO, there are good reasons why the US limit is 10, and many countries have adopted even smaller limits.
outofofficebrb
HARRO HUNNAYYY
@DandyDon recommended Sensorcon and I picked one up last year. It is not specific for analyzing air tanks but I have been using it as a portable CO detector while traveling extensively in southeast Asia and have also been using it to test my tanks. Without going into a lot of detail, it works, and alerted me to CO in my room on a liveaboard recently that was enough to not have me stay in the room.
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@Rusty Shackleford
Inquired
"Did you ever determine the cause for the elevated CO? "
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes
CO2 was sucked though the compressor to the scuba tanks
The dive tribe had a 4 day holiday so we headed to the wilds of Baja California and It was WILD in 1960.
We had two surplus 4X4 Dodge ambulances, modified for camping and diving
Mine was a 1942 1/2 ton with a bed frame welded to the top as a homemade carrier and Jerry cans on the back doors and on front fenders and for comfort several layers of old carpeting on the floor and large auto bench seats for comfort (?).
Joe Mc Cabe's (the victim ) had a 1943 model which we had installed a WW11 surplus Rix compressor modified for diving installed behind the drivers seat with PTO from the truck's gas engine, and a 10 foot air intake.
We dove deep in the unexplored never dove areas of Baja for several days and as was the habit the last day was in Ensenada, about 100 miles below San Diego . All the single members headed for the ,Yes, Wilds of Ensenada. the married crew remained at camp filling tanks for the next days dive
The next day every one went for one last dive, except Joe. As was the habit we sucked a vacuum in our tanks prior to surfacing. (oh the horror ! Dove past 500 PSI ! AND No Safety stop !)
The following week we yanked up the anchor and lost Joe, who was at 200 when found and recovered by Norm Hanson -- regulator in his mouth appeared as if he was just asleep-- CO !
We surmised that when the tanks were being filled the wind direction changed and Joes tanks which were the last to be filled sucked CO into the system, After the dive all who were on the dive had their tanks checked an no evidenced of CO was detected-- they evidently has been self purged via the 1960 dive protocols
Joe was an Annapolis (aka US Naval Academy) grad, a veteran of the Korean unpleasantness. drove a TR 3 sports car and had a lovely girl he planed on marring - he had life under control !
Like the Keller 1000 foot dive a short time later which cost three lives; Peter Small, Christopher ??
and Mary Small...The loss of Joe also took three lives....
First was Joe's long time girl friend who took her life. She was discovered hanging in her garage by a fellow nurse and close friend Marylynn Winterhalter (aka Summerstopper) who was at the time the girl friend and later wife of a local named Bev Morgan.
Three weeks later Allan, Joe's 14 year old brother stood up to change TV channel and had a sudden at massive fatal heart attack and died instantly
Three fatalities ...Now you know
Those were the days of our dives- in California where it all began
Sam Miller. III
cc
@Akimbo
@Scuba Lawyer
@Marie13 CE
Inquired
"Did you ever determine the cause for the elevated CO? "
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes
CO2 was sucked though the compressor to the scuba tanks
The dive tribe had a 4 day holiday so we headed to the wilds of Baja California and It was WILD in 1960.
We had two surplus 4X4 Dodge ambulances, modified for camping and diving
Mine was a 1942 1/2 ton with a bed frame welded to the top as a homemade carrier and Jerry cans on the back doors and on front fenders and for comfort several layers of old carpeting on the floor and large auto bench seats for comfort (?).
Joe Mc Cabe's (the victim ) had a 1943 model which we had installed a WW11 surplus Rix compressor modified for diving installed behind the drivers seat with PTO from the truck's gas engine, and a 10 foot air intake.
We dove deep in the unexplored never dove areas of Baja for several days and as was the habit the last day was in Ensenada, about 100 miles below San Diego . All the single members headed for the ,Yes, Wilds of Ensenada. the married crew remained at camp filling tanks for the next days dive
The next day every one went for one last dive, except Joe. As was the habit we sucked a vacuum in our tanks prior to surfacing. (oh the horror ! Dove past 500 PSI ! AND No Safety stop !)
The following week we yanked up the anchor and lost Joe, who was at 200 when found and recovered by Norm Hanson -- regulator in his mouth appeared as if he was just asleep-- CO !
We surmised that when the tanks were being filled the wind direction changed and Joes tanks which were the last to be filled sucked CO into the system, After the dive all who were on the dive had their tanks checked an no evidenced of CO was detected-- they evidently has been self purged via the 1960 dive protocols
Joe was an Annapolis (aka US Naval Academy) grad, a veteran of the Korean unpleasantness. drove a TR 3 sports car and had a lovely girl he planed on marring - he had life under control !
Like the Keller 1000 foot dive a short time later which cost three lives; Peter Small, Christopher ??
and Mary Small...The loss of Joe also took three lives....
First was Joe's long time girl friend who took her life. She was discovered hanging in her garage by a fellow nurse and close friend Marylynn Winterhalter (aka Summerstopper) who was at the time the girl friend and later wife of a local named Bev Morgan.
Three weeks later Allan, Joe's 14 year old brother stood up to change TV channel and had a sudden at massive fatal heart attack and died instantly
Three fatalities ...Now you know
Those were the days of our dives- in California where it all began
Sam Miller. III
cc
@Akimbo
@Scuba Lawyer
@Marie13 CE
I've plumbed in a Sensorcon CO detector on my compressor for real-time monitoring.... It is a very comforting feeling seeing "Zero" when filling.... I have been curious to plumb in a sample point before my filtration to see what the compressor is doing, but haven't made the investment yet.
I also have a CooTwo for when I use "other people's tanks" (though i need to send it back for some software update as it is the original from the funding campaign)...
I also have a CooTwo for when I use "other people's tanks" (though i need to send it back for some software update as it is the original from the funding campaign)...
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