The Great 02 Cleaning Debate

[SmittyGoesDeep]

Hey All -

I love my local dive shop (Atlanta area), but feel like I get a mauling every time I drop my tanks off for service.

Yesterday, I dropped my double 102s off for a simple VIP. Bad enough that they charge $72 to pop the valve and drop a light in. Now they're hitting me up for an extra $40 to 02 clean the tanks.

When I said I didn't think it needed it, they said they'd have to tear the wraparound EAN stickers off my tank before they returned them to me.

Here's what I don't understand: I had the tanks 02 cleaned after hydro last year, as I assumed they were in some nasty water and open to contamination. But the tanks haven't been touched since then.

So, the simple act of opening the tanks for a VIP requires a whole new O2 cleaning?

Everything I've been able to gather points to 02 cleaning of tanks not really being a concern unless:

1) You're using EAN 40 and above.
2) You're doing partial pressure mixing directly in the tanks.

I get my Nitorx in cave country from banked sources, and typically run EAN 31.

Am I missing something, or is my LDS trying to hose me?

[scott&sara]

Hosed. That said, it may not be all malicious. I have to say I have met some dive shop owners and employees that have NO knowledge of what should be done when working with O2. There’s allot of bad info out there and tons of old wives tales (for lack of a better term) when it comes to O2, safety and dive equipment.

Scott

[DaveP]

Take the EAN sticker off and consider finding a new shop.

[Tegg]

I have seen OW dive shops who literally think "O2 clean" only means using Christo-lube instead of silicone on the rubber o-rings and charged customers $40 for it....

and $72 for a VIP on steel tanks is just crazy... Unless the guy at the shop doing VIPs drives a BMW.

[FW]

What shop was that, so I can avoid dealing with them. I can get a hydro, and valve cleaning for only $25 in Atlanta.

[Sludge]

I love my local dive shop

Why?



(And what is a 102?)

[SmittyGoesDeep]

This is a shop up in Roswell, which seems to be the closest for me here in Blue Ridge. Be interested to know where you go.

[nakatomi]

Am I missing something, or is my LDS trying to hose me?

Unless you need to get partial pressure fills, what's the point of the tanks being O2 clean?

[skip]

It would be better if you gathered some info and presented it to the dive shop manager or owner to educate them. But it sounds more like they'd rather not do the work. I can't see the viz per tank being more than $20.00 each. 10-15 is more common in my experience. And $40.00 per tank might be ok for O2 cleaning if there's an issue with the tanks - water, rust, debris, but not so much if they pass the UV light test. Ask them if they have a PSI trained inspector and talk with him/her. If they don't, still ask to talk to the one who will be doing the cleaning and see what you can work out with him/her. Make it clear you can be a loyal customer with a reasonable shop. Also discuss how things are done in cave country, what you think is appropriate, etc. Discussion is a good thing.

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[skip]

Unless you need to get partial pressure fills, what's the point of the tanks being O2 clean?

Oxygen levels higher than 21% increase the risk factor 5 times per percentage over 21%. I just made that up. My point is that anytime the O2 is above normal the risk is greater. It's not so much how you fill as how much risk you are willing to take. I fill tanks. I stand beside them. I know what's been in there before I fill them or I open them and look, or I don't fill them. I may not demand that the tanks be cleaned by me, but I have before and will again. I am not filling tanks unless I'm fairly certain it's safe. Even banked 32%. That's 11% more dangerous than air. And it's my life.

and when a shop charges for cleaning the tank, do they clean the valve too? how pointless is it to tumble a tank, clean it, and leave the valve "as is?" If you think the tank needs to be cleaned you know that the valve does too.

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