Access to tech gases

[Grifmike]

So it is great opportunity for you to have nice looking avatar ;-)

Hey my Avatar is lovely! Where is your's Mr smarty pants!

It was good to finally meet for a dive yesterday... looking forward to Saturday... will let you know the mix by Wednesday I am still trying to sort out some stupid crap with BOC on gas delivery. But I am working on a plan B anyway.

See you and Pavel on Satudray.

Mike.

[Leg of Salmon]

Is gas, be it Nitrox or Trimix, really this hard to source for you guys?

[Grifmike]

Is gas, be it Nitrox or Trimix, really this hard to source for you guys?

Hi,

The answer is yes - as BOC managed to misplace my application for a second company account and now asked me to fill in the form AGAIN!

I already have an account with BOC for Nitrogen (for our Hotel's beer dispensing system) - but I have to have a seperate account for welding oxygen/helium and argon! So thats a pain especially when they lose the original application - then take a further 3 weeks to realise that they lost it and then take the decision to request a new application 2 weeks after I offered to do it!!

So the answer is yes - but it shouldn't have to be that hard!! (no pun intended)... but in general getting Medical Oxygen from BOC is almost impossible - they ask for doctors perscriptions etc. So then you are down to looking for welding Oxygen which is still suitable for breathing - but at your own risk - and they are still very suspect on giving it out. At least in my experience - if anyone else has had a more 'easy' way of sourcing their technical gases please let me know!!

I used to get my gases from another diver - but he has retired and no longer gets gas - thus my attempt to get BOC on side!

Mike.

[richieoflynn]

Hi Mike,

I get medical O2 from BOC in Little Island, Cork with no trouble at all. The guy said to me that he doesn't give a s**t what I do with it ! Looks like it could be down to the individual rather than a company policy.

Richie.

[Grifmike]

Hi Richie,

Now thats news to me!

Do you deal with them for anything else - what I mean is have you been using them for welding gases etc? Or did you just roll up one day and ask for Medical grade Oxygen??

Because when I asked in Kilkenny the guy nearly passed out he got so worked up about it! (obviously I lack the O'Flynn Charm!) I also have got to go and have the account set up with Dublin head office first - did you encounter this stupid level of paperwork or can you just take it from the depot?

Mike.

[Paul Dowling]

No trouble getting any gas in Carlow.  I have used welding grade O2 for the past four years, you get 220 Bar in the cylinder way more than medical grade.

[Grifmike]

Hi Paul,

Thats good news... is your supplier a BOC outlet in Carlow?
Do they also supply He and Ar?

I could drive up there tomorrow; do they sell over the counter, or do you need an account?

... to be honest I would love to be in a position to tell the guy in Kilkenny to go F**k himself... he was reall unhelpful. Obviously he smelt the DIR off of me!! 

Mike

[richieoflynn]

Hi Richie,

Now thats news to me!

Do you deal with them for anything else - what I mean is have you been using them for welding gases etc? Or did you just roll up one day and ask for Medical grade Oxygen??

Because when I asked in Kilkenny the guy nearly passed out he got so worked up about it! (obviously I lack the O'Flynn Charm!) I also have got to go and have the account set up with Dublin head office first - did you encounter this stupid level of paperwork or can you just take it from the depot?

Mike.

Hi Mike,

When I asked the guy in Cork, he had no problem at all. He asked me if I knew some guy who does a lot of deep diving down here and that he buys his gas from him etc. etc., all chat :-) To be honest, he was sound out, didn't seem too worried about anything at all ! Maybe it's down to the individual and you've just landed yourself with an arsehole 

I can ask what their 'protocol' is for supplying divers next time I'm in, he's very approachable. I only buy medical grade O2 and he's knows this is for diving only. I did set up the account using my company details etc. so maybe that helped ?

Richie.

[Paul Dowling]

Yep you need an account but i got my one set up there an then its Brawshaws down from Braun on the link road they have all the gasses you need, but ring to make sure.

[pat coughlan]

No hastle getting gas in Mayo (medicla o2 and Helium), they even load it in your car for you 

Pat

[richieoflynn]

No hastle getting gas in Mayo (medicla o2 and Helium), they even load it in your car for you 

Pat

Load it in the car ? I better have a word with my fella 

[Eoin OBeara]

I got onto Air Products first, but they wanted to come out and inspect the premesis where I would be storing the gas...I told them to stuff it (in similar words). I then got onto BOC Agent in Trim, and he was very helpful. I setup an account through my company, nothing to do with diving, so maybe that helped.
Mike, why you using Argon? You can use air or even O2 for suit inflation...and they are cheaper.

[dir-ireland]

Mike, why you using Argon? You can use air or even O2 for suit inflation...and they are cheaper.

Argon is more suitable gas for dry suit inflation if cold water diving with extended deco was involved. I'm only using argon if temperature drops below 4 degree Celsius. With temperature >4 degree I’m using air for dry suit inflation. Keeping gas for dry suit inflation in separate tank (0.85l). It is safer as my dry suit inflation is not dependant on the left post.
 
I haven't used O2 for dry suit inflation and wouldn't do so. You can get some interesting reading on that subject here =>> http://www.rebreatherworld.com/general-rebreather-diving/7313-o2-suit-inflation-deep-rebreather-cave.html

Best,
Frank

[Grifmike]

Hi Eoin,

Good to hear from you... basically to answer your question I am a cold water P*S*Y... I tend to get cold easily. Each of us feel the cold on a personal basis - and I tend to get colder quicker than my fellow dive buddies. My last dive on Sunday just gone I was in a quarry for 73 minutes in 5c - I was nice and warm right up until the 50th minute - then I got hit hard by cold.

I was in a TLS350 and had a 4th element base layer plus the 4th element Subzero full undersuit plus drygloves with liners plus thermal socks. I had just air in my dry suit inflation cylinder. Thinking it over during my 10 minute 6 meter stop (when I was really cold) I thought the following... must get me a pair of 4th element Hot Socks and I will definitly try this Argon out as frankly anything to take the edge off that cold HIT would be welcome and I would not mind paying for it! Ironically (for a cold water P*S*Y) I am away in Finland in March for a course in ice-diving - so frankly I want to see if there is anything that Argon can do to help out (as it is available as part of the course over there!). I have heard that a Weezle Extreme can be good - but frankly I have heard plenty of negative reaction to them too (did you dive that undersuit in Scappa?) - I realy like the 4th element Sub Zero - and my feet and hands and head were the real cold spots on that dive.

So to put it another way Argon can't make my situation any worse and so must be worth a try! I wish I was more of a man - but we have to deal with the cards we are dealt!

Hope things are well in the land of O'Beara, will be catching up with Irene over the weekend there is a motly crew of first 4 scuba divers arriving down on Saturday night to have a bit of a get together.

Eoin, justone last thing - when you ordered Oxygen did you order welding or medical grade? Did you tell BOC it was for diving - or do they think it is for welding etc.

Regards,
Mike.

[Grifmike]

Yep you need an account but i got my one set up there an then its Brawshaws down from Braun on the link road they have all the gasses you need, but ring to make sure.

Hi Paul,

Do you deal with a particular guy in the shop - or just anyone? (is that on O'Brien Road Carlow?)
Do they know the gas if for diving - or have you left that nugget of info out? The reason I ask is that I know feck all about welding and if I turn up looking for welding gases and the guys start a conversation with me about my welding techniques etc I am screwed!

Thanks for your help.

Regards,
Mike.