New European Nitrox Rules

[Diver0001]

Anyone else hear about new rules in the EU for Nitrox?

What I've heard is that, aside from the new tank markings, any tank used for Nitrox will be required to be fitted with a different size DIN than the standard. The standard DIN fitting will be air-only and everything from 22% and up needs to be O2 clean (i.e. never used with air). I guess the intention is to create two completely separate diving systems for air and nitrox.

This is bound to get expensive.

R..

 

[Scubaroo]

I have no idea if it's actually law or not, but the idea is to use a reverse DIN fitting for nitrox - ie, male threads are on the tank, the regulator would have the female fitting - opposite to what DIN is now. I believe some rebreather manufacturers use this style of fitting as standard for factory shipped tanks/regs.

Scubapro were pushing it for a while I believe.

 

[DeepScuba]

Hmmmm, male threads on the tank/valve end.

i don't like that maintenance sound one bit.

Sure, I guess you could repair the threads if it got nicked, but why do it that way in the first place?

Exposed threads on the tank end is a bad idea. Tanks get beat around more than regs, so keep the threads (somewhat more) protected from the "beating".

 

[Padipro]

DeepScuba once bubbled...
Hmmmm, male threads on the tank/valve end.

i don't like that maintenance sound one bit.

Sure, I guess you could repair the threads if it got nicked, but why do it that way in the first place?

Exposed threads on the tank end is a bad idea. Tanks get beat around more than regs, so keep the threads (somewhat more) protected from the "beating".

Why not just make the threads left handed instead of right handed and leave the valve and DIN adapter style the same?

Scott

 

[Diver0001]

Padipro once bubbled...


Why not just make the threads left handed instead of right handed and leave the valve and DIN adapter style the same?

Scott

Just to be clear. I haven't seen the new DIN yet. I heard that it a large bore than the current version. That's all.

I'm not looking forward to this. I can choose to only dive Nitrox but that will make for an additional $1000 per year in my case for fills because I can get air free at my LDS. Otherwise it's new manifolds/tank-valves and regulators, which is a pretty big investment too. And then the maintenance on all that.

I guess I can go back to deep air.

R..

 

[db8us]

Thank god only the commercial dudes have to worry about this.
We will continue to use the same old DIN valve on all our tanks because we do not want to fumble around with adaptors and we want to be able to move the reg from stage to stage if we need to.

 

[Padipro]

I certainly hope it doesn't catch on here. I still dive air on occasion or have my tank topped off with air for use on a deeper dive I have planed. Of course it's O2 compatable air so it's clean enough for use in O2 cleaned tanks but if this new valve can only be used with Nitrox that's really going to suck.

Scott

 

[chrisch]

I was told on my recent blender course that the FO2 limit for Oxygen Service is "officially" >23% under EU rules. Also that the German Government was considering making pure O2 a "drug" that can only be administered by a "qualified" person.
This sort of rubbish has already impacted on the use of recompression chambers.

However, there is a lot of bull talked/written about EU rules so it may not be true.

I cannot see the millions of EU EAN divers changing their kit or the hard up dive shops turning people away...
Furthermore the "rules" can only apply to commercial outlets so the many people in dive clubs will not be affected.

Perhaps we should lobby the European Parliament to find something more constructive for their over paid mandarins to think up...

Chris