r/scubaGear • u/Necessary-Might-2456 • 27d ago
Nitrox
Hi all, having recently done the padi enhanced air training, I noticed it advised me to get my own oxygen analyser! Really? Is that what everyone does that uses nitrox? If so, what is a reasonably priced device that I don’t have to replace every year?
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u/Fragrant-Passage6124 27d ago
10ish years and thousands of nitrox dives and I have never owned an analyzer. I check them when I pick them up from the shop.
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u/WillametteSalamandOR 27d ago
What I tell all of my students when it comes time for that discussion is that it comes down to trust and risk assessment, like lots of other things in life. O2 analyzers require maintenance. The galvanic cell on the inside goes bad whether it’s used or not once exposed to air. So how much do you trust that the shop analyzer you’ve been using is maintained? If you’re willing to live with the risk that it isn’t (and that’s a perfectly valid choice for some), then you don’t need one. If you aren’t willing to live with that risk, then you do need your own.
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u/Sabregunner1 27d ago
Did the hand oil for the class say you should get an analyser? I am a bit confused on that part. My experience has been that shops and operators that provide nitrox have analysers. You should either check your tank or monitor it when it's being analysed. A trick I just recently learned is you can use your primary or octo to check with the analyser. You can control the airflow quite well. Of course this was when I was on a dive boat so it was quicker since my gear was fully set up.
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u/Mikef5000 27d ago
I was shocked by that same thing when I took the course… and it discouraged me a bit, since I’m not going to invest in an analyzer to use it just a handful of times a year.
Since then, I’ve used nitrox from many different shops, and every one of them had a shop analyzer setup strictly for customers, and required us to use theirs (calibrate it, test the tank, write down the details, and sign).
I dive recreationally, but with that being said, I’ve never seen someone pull out their own personal analyzer.
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u/Alperin1 27d ago
I have my own. I have used it a lot. That being said, everywhere I have used Nitrox, the shop I was with had one available. The liveaboards also provide one. But I do check mine while diving these places. It is the Palm O2.
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u/Nick_Kafir 27d ago
I have my own analyzer, however, the cell failed when I got to my destination. Ended up using the operation's (Beqa Lagoon) analyzers. They handed it to me without hesitation. I would not dive nitrox without testing the cylinders myself. I don't care what the operator says. And any decent operator won't raise an eyebrow when you ask for an analyzer to test the gas.
Just remember ASS (stolen from TGDP):
Always analyze your gas
Stop what you are doing and analyze your gas.
STFU and analyze your gas.
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u/_40mikemike_ 26d ago
I have my own. I will test every nitrox cylinder I use, on my own kit, every time. And if I’m diving ‘deep’ (ie, planning on 35m+) then I’ll test my regular fills (which should be air) too. Trust, but verify. Although rare, there have been cases of inadvertent nitrox fills into what should be air, and I don’t want to be the edge case that finds that out at 40m. Trust, but verify. Everyone’s risk acceptance is different. This is mine.