Difference between tank vis ?

[JackOfDiamonds]

JD...

I'd like to see the VIP sticker on your cylinder...

There is O2 cleaned for max 40% service...there is also 100% oxygen service cleaned...for either 100% oxygen service...and partial pressure fill service where 100% oxygen is introduced into the cylinder first...before it is topped up with 21 % (air)...

A cylinder that is cleaned for 40% oxygen service...cannot be filled by the partial pressure fill method...

Then there is the ''blend stick'' pre-mix fill method to 40% max...where the cylinder does not have to be oxygen service cleaned at all...

The best way to be sure is to always have your cylinders/valves cleaned for 100% oxygen service...and ensure the shop you use is always using hyperfiltered air...if not the cylinder will have to be recleaned...

Personally...I'm not a believer in a cylinder cleaned for max 40%...in my mind the cylinder/valve is either cleaned for 100% oxygen service...or it's not...

I've seen shops that claim to be performing 100% O2 cleaning on the cylinders...but leave the valves untouched...

The attached is the VIP sticker I use...with the appropriate punch-outs for 100% oxygen service cleaned...

This yellow/green VIP sticker also eliminates the need for large NITROX bands...

Hope this helps...

Best...

Warren

View attachment 533010

Dear Warren,

Thank you for this explanation.

As far as i understood from the Technician that serviced my tank they inspect it to be complete O2 safe as part of the regular VIP.

How ever, when ill get home in a couple of hours ill take a picture of the sticker and upload it here. I could be just mashing things up in my memory.

 

[guruboy]

In theory you could inspect a tank to and claim it is Oxygen clean. But you would need to at least disassemble and clean the valve since I doubt you can see inside a valve.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

In theory you could inspect a tank to and claim it is Oxygen clean. But you would need to at least disassemble and clean the valve since I doubt you can see inside a valve.

The tank was fully disassembled by the technician and he also tinkered with the valve, he was doing it next to me

 

[TrimixToo]

Dear Warren,

Thank you for this explanation.

As far as i understood from the Technician that serviced my tank they inspect it to be complete O2 safe as part of the regular VIP.
<snip>.

In my opinion, that is not achievable with an inspection. How would one detect a small spot of transparent synthetic compressor oil inside the valve or tank, for example, during a visual inspection?

The only way to know a tank is O2 safe is to O2 clean it and the valve, and thereafter fill the tank with only with oxygen-compatible gases. If cleaned and then filled with only O2-compatible mixes, a shop may choose to inspect it and re-punch the sticker to indicate O2 clean on the next inspection. This takes some mutual trust among the tank owner, the shop, and other shops that might fill the tank. If any of those people are not completely trusted by the inspector, the sticker should not be punched to indicate O2 clean before the tank and valve are O2 cleaned again.

 

[W W Meixner]

Dear Warren,

Thank you for this explanation.

As far as i understood from the Technician that serviced my tank they inspect it to be complete O2 safe as part of the regular VIP.

How ever, when ill get home in a couple of hours ill take a picture of the sticker and upload it here. I could be just mashing things up in my memory.

JD...

Also to reply to guruboy...O2 clean is not part of the ''visual'' process...

O2 cleaning the cylinder and valve involves physically washing the interior/exterior of the cylinder with hot water and an approved cleaning liquid...I use ''Chrystal Simple Green''...I cap the cylinder and let it turn on a tumbler until the hot water has cooled...the cylinder is then thoroughly rinsed and dryed...

The valve is disassembled...visually inspected...washed with hot water...in an ultra-sonic with an approved cleaning liquid...dryed...reassembled...using new VITON ''O'' rings and oxygen compatible lubricant...I always replace seat nuts...white nylon bushing washers...copper compression washers...and burst disc...

To disassemble/Visual/O2 clean/dry/kit/reassemble/record...one set of doubles is a half day job...including wait periods...if you have no other work in the shop at the time...you are making ''no money'' servicing one set of doubles...$100./$125. for half a days work...being well set up...and well organized is your only time-saver...

Best...

Warren

 

[guruboy]

In my opinion, that is not achievable with an inspection. How would one detect a small spot of transparent synthetic compressor oil inside the valve or tank, for example, during a visual inspection?

The only way to know a tank is O2 safe is to O2 clean it and the valve, and thereafter fill the tank with only with oxygen-compatible gases. If cleaned and then filled with only O2-compatible mixes, a shop may choose to inspect it and re-punch the sticker to indicate O2 clean on the next inspection. This takes some mutual trust among the tank owner, the shop, and other shops that might fill the tank. If any of those people are not completely trusted by the inspector, the sticker should not be punched to indicate O2 clean before the tank and valve are O2 cleaned again.

I believe a blacklight will illuminate hydrocarbons.

 

[TrimixToo]

Not

I believe a blacklight will illuminate hydrocarbons.

Not synthetic compressor oil. It was part of my class. A drop of motor oil--obvious. A drop of synthetic compressor oil? Invisible.

 

[Primary]

When people gripe about the cost of o2 cleaning I explain the protocol (above) and i half jokingly offer to have them come into the shop and do it themselves. I have never had anyone take me up on it.

 

[Marie13]

I’d be really surprised if a shop included O2 cleaning as part of a regular VIP. Last year I paid $50/tank for O2 cleaning. VIP is $25/tank.

Just took the VIP class yesterday. I know O2 cleaning is pretty involved and something I don’t want to do.

 

[TheGraveyardDiver]

I believe a blacklight will illuminate hydrocarbons.

A UV light will illuminate "most" hydrocarbons. Not all. Mollycote isn't O2 compatible but it won't glow under UV. That's why some shops are so snotty about oxygen clean cylinders that they didn't O2 clean themselves. It's a trust issue. I could O2 clean a cylinder and lube the threads with molycote, and no dive shop on the planet could tell the difference in Christolube and Molycote unless they sent a sample off to a lab.

So far as PSI (I don't know about IANTD) oxygen clean is not a part of a regular VIP. It's a separate service and costs more. To be truly O2 clean, the valve has to be disassembled and go in the ultrasonic cleaner, and the burst disk replaced. So that's additional charge as well. You don't get good results if you drop a valve with the burst disk in an ultrasonic cleaner with acid.

If this dive shop claimed they can unscrew the valve and simply look inside and tell it's O2 clean, they are full of it. At the very minimum they have to put the UV light inside. And even then, they don't know what hydrocarbons lurk inside the valve where they can't shine the UV light.

Just O2 cleaned three today. It isn't something you can do in half an hour and certainly isn't something that costs $15 or $20 bucks.

I had one deco bottle come in the shop a few weeks back. It was "O2 cleaned" three months prior with a valid O2 clean decal good for 9 more months, assuming it was kept O2 clean. The bottle was clean but the valve lit up light Chernobyl under the UV light. Come to find out the guy bought it used and the seller took off his "good" valve and replaced it with a junk valve for the sale so he could put it on his new deco bottle. This is why some shops don't like O2 cleaned cylinders they didn't clean themselves.

Just because some "inspector" claims he oxygen cleaned it and slapped a decal on it doesn't mean it's oxygen clean. We have a local dive shop here, and every cylinder that comes into the shop that they have "oxygen cleaned" has to be re-cleaned. Since this shop doesn't partial pressure blend, and only has 30% banked, it's probably a case of, "screw it, that's close enough". They know they won't be the one who's putting 100% oxygen in it.