O2 Cells

[ghosch]

A question for the hordes of rebreather divers out there...

I know what the manual says about replacing O2 cells, how often do you actually do it.

I just replaced my first set on the Inspiration, never replaced the one on the Dolphin. I have had the unit for about 16 months. I have never had a cell warning, a calibration problem, or slow cell response.

What does everyone think?

[igotoofar]

Ok Greg, you know how long I have had my doplhin, so I can't realy answer your question. But, I can tell you that I store my O2 cell in an air tight container to extend the life.

I assume that it uses up the O2 in the container. I was thinking about putting a connecter on the box so I could charge the box with Argon, which would extend the life of the cell.

Then again this may be doing nothing for extending the life of my cell. :-\

[Chuck_Northrup]

Ghosch,

The longest cells will retain their accuracy in a BEST case scenario is 18 months. Even if everything seems to be working well I would replace them at that point. How to replace the cells on the Inspiration could be a whole thread in and of itself. :

I personally think it best to change all 3 at the same time using the same lot number cells. Some like to rotate the cells so that you replace one every 3-6 months and you would therefore have 3 different age cells in at any given time. While it seems intuitive that you would have a better system of checks and balances (i.e. no two cells would produce the same errors at the same time) if you consider the system as a whole I think there is little benefit there. It is easier on the wallet to change one at a time however.

Igotoofar,

DO NOT store you sensor in any type of inert gas. Storing the cell in a closed container of air is the best option. Diver have stored their cells in Argon, Helium, etc. and have found that it "puts the cell to sleep" so to speak. It will take a long time for the cell to "wake up" and give you accurate readings. There is generally a lag period any time you install new cells before the readings stabalize and if you store a cell in inert gas you will encounter this problem every dive. :'(

Chuck