Do you need a different 1st/2nd stage regs with Nitrox?

[ianr33]

As an instructor, you should not put out comments like that, people will look to you, use any old reg that is not O2 clean and could get injured. Survival of the stupidest.

Could you please reference a single incident, anywhere in the world, where an unclean reg has caused a problem with a nitrox mix less than 40% ?

Thank You

 

[Subcooled]

it can be hard to get fills for tanks that are not equipped with the 26x2 valves in parts of the EU (particularily Austria, Germany and Swizerland) as the EU bureaucrats in Brussels decided anything with higher O2 content than 21% was to be handled like pure oxygen You should be fine in the rest of the world

Adapters exist.

 

[boulderjohn]

A friend of mine who has been a technician for many years said that one brand of regulator--I forget which--used to come in two versions--regular and nitrox, with the nitrox one costing quite a bit more. For a price about equal to the original price difference, you could get your non-nitrox regulator converted to a nitrox regulator.

The only difference between the two was that one of the outer cosmetic parts of the regulator was green on the nitrox regulator. If you paid for the conversion, they snapped the black part off and snapped on the green one in its place.

 

[Agility]

Adapters exist.

A fillstation that refuses to fill Nitrox into your tank with a G5/8 valve will not change policies just because you have an adapter. Luckily enough some will fill your tanks if they know you and trust you to bring oxygen clean tanks.

 

[Superlyte27]

Most regs come factory clean for up to 40% O2. Yes, you can use any reg with O2 higher than 40%, but they need to be O2 clean. As an instructor, you should not put out comments like that, people will look to you, use any old reg that is not O2 clean and could get injured. Survival of the stupidest.

This is the BS hype you have already fallen for.
Call ANY dive equipment manufacturer and ask them if they assemble using parts that are not compatible with Oxygen. ie. silicone. Call ANY repair/maintenance facility and ask them if they are lubing regulators with non-o2 compatible grease, using non-o2 compatible orings. In the last 20 years, I've been certified to repair more than a dozen brands of regs. Guess how many of them use non-o2 compatible parts and non-o2 compatible lube? NONE. Guess how many of them stipulate procedures that are inconsistent with using oxygen? NONE. So, if I'm to rebuild regs using parts and procedures consistent with Oxygen use, do you really think they aren't using those same procedures OR BETTER at the factory when they are made? C'mon man. Use your brain.

---------- Post added February 2nd, 2014 at 05:34 PM ----------

Could you please reference a single incident, anywhere in the world, where an unclean reg has caused a problem with a nitrox mix less than 40% ?

Thank You

Can you reference anywhere in the world in the last 10 years where a reg (other than a titanium reg) caught fire and hurt someone?

The industry quit using silicone based lubes more than a decade ago. Do you really think we have service manuals that are designated FOR OXYGEN and NOT FOR OXYGEN? It's the same procedure, same parts, same lube.

---------- Post added February 2nd, 2014 at 05:36 PM ----------

A friend of mine who has been a technician for many years said that one brand of regulator--I forget which--used to come in two versions--regular and nitrox, with the nitrox one costing quite a bit more. For a price about equal to the original price difference, you could get your non-nitrox regulator converted to a nitrox regulator.

The only difference between the two was that one of the outer cosmetic parts of the regulator was green on the nitrox regulator. If you paid for the conversion, they snapped the black part off and snapped on the green one in its place.

This was Oceanic iirc. I remember the procedure. I remember telling over 50 cave divers NOT to give me the extra 100 bucks. And showed them why. I'm almost certain it was Oceanic.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I am certain it was. I have the manual and was certed as an oceanic tech at the time.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Subcooled]

A fillstation that refuses to fill Nitrox into your tank with a G5/8 valve will not change policies just because you have an adapter. Luckily enough some will fill your tanks if they know you and trust you to bring oxygen clean tanks.

Oxygen clean tanks are not needed for EAN40.

Unless, of course, the fill station does partial pressure fills. I would expect a continuous flow mixing system from a commercial company though, as even our little diving club can affor one. The required oxygen cut of valves (magnetic valves) do not cost a lot. Obviously, the gas blender must know what (s)he's doing, though.

Policies are of course a problem.

 

[DiveBenWade]

Can you use the same regulator for air and regular Nitrox (32 or 36)? I see from the ScubaPro website they offer Nitrox versions of their regs. Is that for more than 40% O2?

Most people don't really dive on more than 40% O2 anyway. I just thought that was really high, and it would limit depth quite a bit to go higher than that. Any regulator would be fine in my opinion.

 

[fjpatrum]

A fillstation that refuses to fill Nitrox into your tank with a G5/8 valve will not change policies just because you have an adapter. Luckily enough some will fill your tanks if they know you and trust you to bring oxygen clean tanks.

All my O2 cleaned tanks indicate such on their inspection stickers. Is this not common in the EU?