Aviation Oxygen

[chuck_northrup]

On Gordon Smith's passing...it is a tragic event.  I had the opportunity to meet and dive with Gordon and he was a great guy.  The KISS is a really good product.  The upcoming months will likely be confusing but I don't see the KISS going away.  Even during this difficult time the business is still open.

As long as it will get me into DIR-F I am all for it  

The KISS holds (approx. 6 lbs)  this is on the end of "higher capacity" for an RB.  In other words it is a chemical hog  :  Three hours is the stated duration and I would say 3 hours is a "conservative" number based on scrubber size and media.  Assuming the change of media occurs every 3 hours (according to Hoyle) a 37 lbs Keg would last 18 hours of dive time regardless of time or depth.  That equates to about $10/dive (assuming a 2 hour Mix Deco Dive).

Cleaning and disinfecting is a "sticky" subject.  When is the last time you "sanitized" the inside of your wing?  Do you take your regulator's box cover off on a regular basis and check the diaphragm, exhast valve, and mouthpiece?  Obviously there are checks and skills you need on RB that are non-issues on OC  :-\

Assuming a "squared away" OC diver can do 2 dives a day with 1 set of doubles and 2 stages...you break down and set up every day.  I will break the unit down completely after 3-4 days of diving.  I drain the lungs and spin the spit out of the hoses every other dive.  All things considered I don't think I spend "more" time maintaining my equipment I just spend it "differently."

One of the great things about diving an RB is that service is a regular thing.  The checks that you learn in the course will immediately point out a failure point.  System integrity is very important and failure usually can be tracked down to a flat O-ring or lack of lubrication  

Hope this helps,

Chuck Northrup
Going Under Dive Center