O2 Kit for Personal Boat --- Questions!

[Sea_Jay]

Hey everybody,

I am in the process of piecing together an O2 Kit for my personal vessel. I am looking for some recommendations and general advice in regards to the kit organization/setup....as well as in regards to differences in O2 regulators - in a marine environment. A little bit of background if it helps: I am based in South FL, am an experienced freediver & certified Rescue Diver -- working on DM currently. I have a 15' Whaler that I dive off of frequently. Usual stomping grounds are Broward County, Palm Beach County & the Lower Keys. It is not unusual for me to run 20 miles offshore for hunting in bluewater. I also have a group of scuba divers that go out with me often. We focus on spearfishing and lobstering.

Just for peace of mind, I've acquired two O2 tanks (size M-15) through a friend. They are secondhand and were given to me for free. I realize that they are fairly large for what I'm looking at, but I am planning on running one on the boat & keeping the other at home for backup (or to lend out to a friend if needed.) The tanks are due for Hydro (and subsequently O2 cleaning) but I was expecting that. After all, I've got $0.00 into it at this point. These tanks have birthyears of 1995 & 1997 with no Hydro ever performed. Do you think they will pass? I guess that is the first question.

If they have a 50/50 chance of passing Hydro I'd go ahead and have the test performed. That brings me to the next question.....valves and regulators. These tanks have some valves and regulators on them currently but they look rather outdated. I would prefer to run a newer regulator setup, but if I can use the same valves then I would prefer that option. Are the CGA-870 fittings standard across-the-board? I'm worried that if I order something like the EverReady Reg for $30 -- it won't be backwards compatible with these old "Mada Medical Products" valves.

ALL OF THAT BEING SAID, I see huge price differences in O2 regulators. With a strong focus on brass components & heat resistance. I can only assume that these types of regulators are geared towards high-heat environments, i.e. firefighters......BUT wouldn't the benefits of a brass construction ALSO be beneficial in a marine environment? Would those benefits justify 4x the cost over, say, an aluminum O2 regulator? Sorry for all the questions.

LASTLY....for those of you who run O2 kits on YOUR boats. How do you store them? Space is at a *premium* so my preferred method of a Pelican is basically not an option. Maybe a padded backpack? Drybag? Need something with quick access but relatively decent protection from the elements.

Thanks for taking the time to read!

 

[tbone1004]

honestly I would recommend you forego the medical bottles and go straight to a scuba tank with regulator and keep a RescuEAN on board which will let you get a constant flow feed if you need one for a bag valve mask. This has the advantage that if the victim is breathing you can just shove a regulator in their mouth and give them 100% O2 which you will seriously struggle to get out of a medical bottle with a mask.
Added advantage is that this doesn't have to be kept in a case since it is designed to be in the water. Take it off the boat and rinse it with the rest of your gear every day and you'll be fine.

If you were on a larger boat then a medical kit may be fine but if you're going to do it, save yourself the hassle of dealing with medical bottles and pelican cases

 

[Sea_Jay]

honestly I would recommend you forego the medical bottles and go straight to a scuba tank with regulator and keep a RescuEAN on board which will let you get a constant flow feed if you need one for a bag valve mask. This has the advantage that if the victim is breathing you can just shove a regulator in their mouth and give them 100% O2 which you will seriously struggle to get out of a medical bottle with a mask.
Added advantage is that this doesn't have to be kept in a case since it is designed to be in the water. Take it off the boat and rinse it with the rest of your gear every day and you'll be fine.

If you were on a larger boat then a medical kit may be fine but if you're going to do it, save yourself the hassle of dealing with medical bottles and pelican cases

Great points! Since I'm actively furthering my diving career, I will need deco gear soon anyways. Your suggestion seems like a natural transition compared to the medical bottles. I wonder if a 13cf pony would be sufficient? With a dedicated O2 regulator setup installed....

My thought process here is that once I "graduate" to actually needing deco stages, I will already have the regulator setup for one tank. I can upgrade the size of the tank for the deco setup & I'll still have a 13cf bailout laying around -- that I can set up for a number of different things.

 

[GJC]

Medical O2 tanks don't fail hydro often unless they were abused (dropped hard).

CGA 870 is a standard for pin configuration for small O2 tanks. All medical O2 regulators for portable tanks should fit.

LSP Oxygen Regulator Recall - IAFF

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has determined that aluminum body regulators used in high-pressure oxygen systems are at risk for fires and explosions. The NIOSH report…

www.iaff.org

Avoid aluminum regulators for O2 tanks.

Rescue EAN was designed to use a nitrox scuba tank and scuba regulator for a medical emergency. Using it on a medical O2 tank just makes things more complicated. Stick with medical O2 delivery supplies for your medical O2 tank.

A waterproof hard case is the best way to protect you O2 tank and supplies. A drybag would be OK as long as you protect the contents from getting banged up.

Take a DAN Oxygen Provider course if you have not yet done so.

 

[SpeedyJ]

Dive Gear Express sells a DIN to Pin Index converter to allow you to hook a medical O2 reg to a DIN scuba tank. The cylinder itself doesn't need a ton of protection (keep the tank valve clean) but a waterproof case for the regulator, mask and supplies would likely be a necessity on a small whaler.

 

[Sea_Jay]

Medical O2 tanks don't fail hydro often unless they were abused (dropped hard).

CGA 870 is a standard for pin configuration for small O2 tanks. All medical O2 regulators for portable tanks should fit.

LSP Oxygen Regulator Recall - IAFF

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has determined that aluminum body regulators used in high-pressure oxygen systems are at risk for fires and explosions. The NIOSH report…

www.iaff.org

Avoid aluminum regulators for O2 tanks.

Rescue EAN was designed to use a nitrox scuba tank and scuba regulator for a medical emergency. Using it on a medical O2 tank just makes things more complicated. Stick with medical O2 delivery supplies for your medical O2 tank.

A waterproof hard case is the best way to protect you O2 tank and supplies. A drybag would be OK as long as you protect the contents from getting banged up.

Take a DAN Oxygen Provider course if you have not yet done so.

Thank you for that info! May I ask why you specifically say "avoid aluminum regulators for O2 tanks?"

Additionally - I have my PADI O2 provider

 

[Imla]

Personally... If you are far out to sea, time and oxygen are limited resources. The simplest setup in my mind would be a PERMANENTLY Oxygen/6m/20ft marked Alu80 with oxygen, standard reg with a LP hose for a RescueEAN.
This ensures both options for Mouth To Mask with O2 ventilation. Bag/Valve/mask ventilation. And normal breathing via regulator for the conscious diver.
The Rescue EAN can also be moved to other O2 stages or in dire need to lesser % if you run out of O2.
If you are doing deco-dives, having the option to use all available resources can be the difference between good and bad outcome.

 

[GJC]

Thank you for that info! May I ask why you specifically say "avoid aluminum regulators for O2 tanks?"

Additionally - I have my PADI O2 provider

There were a few incidences of explosions/flash fires (read the link).

 

[tbone1004]

Great points! Since I'm actively furthering my diving career, I will need deco gear soon anyways. Your suggestion seems like a natural transition compared to the medical bottles. I wonder if a 13cf pony would be sufficient? With a dedicated O2 regulator setup installed....

My thought process here is that once I "graduate" to actually needing deco stages, I will already have the regulator setup for one tank. I can upgrade the size of the tank for the deco setup & I'll still have a 13cf bailout laying around -- that I can set up for a number of different things.

It depends on how far you are from getting to "real" supplies of O2. Personally I would try to go with an AL40 since that is the easiest deco tank to move to.

@GJC the RescuEAN recommendation was to put on a scuba tank and avoid going down the medical oxygen route entirely. While I do own medical O2 bottles, they only exist so I can use an MTV-100 for ventilations

 

[GJC]

@GJC the RescuEAN recommendation was to put on a scuba tank and avoid going down the medical oxygen route entirely. While I do own medical O2 bottles, they only exist so I can use an MTV-100 for ventilations

Keep in mind that giving the highest concentration of oxygen causes the highest rate of off gassing of nitrogen.

Best practice for dive related medical emergencies is to give 100% oxygen and have enough for the time it would take to hand off to other emergency providers.

Next best is to give 100% until your supply runs out.

Third best is to give the highest percent oxygen you have until it runs out. This would be your highest nitrox mix (with RescueEAN).

Worst case is no oxygen or nitrox available.