getting fills question

[Dryglove]

Scubaroo once bubbled...
This would describe me.

My LDS has three different standards for tank cleanliness - air, oxygen-compatible (<40%), and oxygen-clean. Last time I had my tank hydro'd, it was made oxygen-compatible, as this allows me to buy banked EAN from that particular LDS. It's never partial-pressure filled with pure O2.

Just out of curiosity do you know of any dive shops around monterey area that have banked EAN?The two regular shops i go to only do partial pressure fills which take forever.

 

[Uncle Pug]

scubaredneck once bubbled...
How you can put non-O2 compatible air into an O2 cleaned tank and then later get an EANx fill without re-cleaning the tank?

Pre-blend.
Continous blend.
Partial Pressure blend with 40% and air.

The last method is what the LDS chain here uses... and they still want to rip the wraps if you ask for an air fill.

They pulled that with a friend of mine (but inexplicably left the O2 serviced sticker on!) so he made them replace the wrap.

Hmmmm.... come to think of it... why would I care one way or the other... I don't have any wraps on my tanks anyway...

And when I want a nitrox fill I just say, "32% please."

And then I say, "OK... it's on tap... have ya ready in a jiff."

 

[Big-t-2538]

O-ring once bubbled...

Maybe they bank 40% though...

No I wasn't arguing...it was just they was you said it...funny as hell

I beleive UP is referring to filling off of a bank or something that is non-direct o2 at less than 40%.....

redneck stated "If they don't have an O2 clean air whip, then they have to remove the EANx sticker because at that point, the tank is not O2 clean anymore and can't carry EANx untill it is recleaned"

I take that to mean that if the air whip isn't o2 cleaned...then the contents of the tank aren't o2 cleaned, and thus they can't have EANx in the tank......

Which from my background isn't the case....if you're filling off a bank or a compressor doing the blending....then the equipment doesn't have to be o2 clean.

 

[O-ring]

...everyone is when it concerns oxygen cleaning/service. It is the biggest convoluted mess of crap in the dive industry (well...almost). I can't wait to start filling my own tanks so I can laugh at the whole mess...

 

[Uncle Pug]

O-ring once bubbled...
I know we are all a little confused...

Speak for yourself buna boy

 

[scubaredneck]

Pug,

I haven't heard of partial pressure blending with 40% and air. The purpose of keeping the tank O2 clean is because most partial pressure blending is done with 100% and air.

While I certainly agree that some methods will allow for an EANx fill with a tank that isn't O2 clean, you still need to keep it O2 clean as you never know when you will have to get a partial pressure blend with 100% O2.

ut:

 

[Uncle Pug]

scubaredneck once bubbled...
I haven't heard of partial pressure blending with 40% and air. The purpose of keeping the tank O2 clean is because most partial pressure blending is done with 100% and air.

I know of two shops here in the PNW that do it that way (there may be more.)

They PP blend using 100% into their 40% bank and then use that to PP blend the customer's tanks... that way the customer tanks don't have to be O2 serviced rated.

And this whole PP blending thing seems to take these guys forever... they all want the tanks overnight so that... blah... blah.. blah...

And then they complain that they aren't making a return on their investment because it takes so long!

Continuous Blending and banking standard mixes is the way to go sez I.

"Yes sir.... have that 32% ready for you in a jiff!"

 

[O-ring]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...

Speak for yourself buna boy

Sorry...you kill me..

 

[Spectre]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...

Pre-blend.
Continous blend.
Partial Pressure blend with 40% and air.

the problem I have in my area is the LDSs don't have pre-blend or continuous blend... only Partial pressure. A couple bank 40% and blend off of that. The rest [that provide EAN] partial pressure blend off of 100%.

Now the difference between the two types is cost. It cost me $16 per AL80 for blending off the 40% bank. My preferred LDS blends off 100% and charges me $5 for a HP120.... e.g. nitrox from him is cheaper than air from the guys that have 40% banks.

If a shop around here doesn't do nitrox, and you bring 'em a nitrox tank; they're gonna rip the stickers off [although I don't understand the VIP sticker ripping that Wendy originally referenced.]

 

[MikeFerrara]

Maybe...

If the shop didn't have "O2 compatable" air, they may have felt the need to remove the vip sticker that said the tank was "O2 serviced". By convention this would be correct. Once the sticker was removed they wouldn't put another vip sticker on the tank without actually doing a visual inspection.

Just speculating.