CO2 scrubber left in the open overnight

Gilles

If being used the next day, then it overnights on the can. Otherwise I seal it in a plastic bag without any drying, as long as 4 weeks (have 3 scrubbers).

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Gilles
http://www.dirrebreather.com

Dsix36

I am new enough to ccr that my 2 cents isn't worth much here, but I will tell you anyway.

When I used to dive a Dolphin and used granular (divesorb) it was thrown out after each days diving.

Now that I dive an Optima with EAC (cartridge) things work a little different. I will remove the cartridge and put it back in the original container for safe keeping. I will rinse, clean, and disinfect my Rebreather. I will use compressed air to thoroughly dry out the head and canister parts, and reinstall the cartridge, reassemble the entire RB with breathing loop and make sure the DSV is off. I feel safe that this will maintain the integrity of the EAC until the next weekend for further diving.

If diving the next day, just rinse entire unit and let dry off.

If I do not have at least half the life of the EAC left - trash it - not worth trying to save.

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Amarok

Covering the radial in used M&M packages seems to work as well

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Janos

I used on one Narked at 90's excellent scrubber caps. If there's a lot of condensation then I might let it dry out for a couple of hours before capping it.

Logically I can't see why leaving it uncapped would be a problem. The lime is tightly packed but I try to have a healty degree of paranoia about my rebreather.

Janos

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Andy Del

I take the scrubber off my KISS and just sit it on the bench. I do put a paper towel over it so leaves, bugs, lotto tickets don't get inside the centre tube, but that's it. Scrubber works fine days, even weeks later.

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RAL

If I will be diving in a day or two & the scrubber has enough time remaining for the next dive the sorb is left in the unit. The water is drained out of the hoses & water trap then the unit is sealed back up. If the next dive requires more capacity than is left in the scrubber or no dive is likely soon the sorb is stored in a sealed marked container. I found some clear plastic containers with screw on lids used for dry food storage at Wal-Mart. They are made by Rubbermaid & hold 1 gallon, thats 3.7 Ltrs. They hold 1 full load for the CK scrubber perfectly.


RAL

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Janos

Sorry. But do you mean you tip the lime out of the Scrubber and into a plastic tub?

If so then this is absolutely crazy. When you put it back in you there is a chance that you will have a path of used lime running from bottom to top and you will get channelling and a CO2 hit.

A friend of mine was taught to do exactly this and after the subsequent hit and Health & Safety Executive investigation he has been retrained and (I believe) the instructor is no longer teaching.

Once the lime is tipped out of the can you can't put it back in

Janos

PS - Apologies if I've misinterpreted your post, but if I have others may too.

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Dutchy

I don't do this because of what is unknown. Claiming it's crazy might be overdoing it.
The only reason for not doing it I can come up with is heat distribution.

I think it is this effect (speculation) that causes scrubber to be used up in a lineair fashion and consequently why a temp stick seems? to be a reasonably good indicator. The reaction is local (because it predominantly takes place where it's warmest (generating even more heat where it's allready the warmest)) and slowy moves when a place gets exhausted.

Re-arranging material impairs this mechanism.

Reality is more subtle then what I am going to use in this case to demonstrate what I mean.

Suppose the top half of your scruber is 100% used up. Suppose the other half is completely unused. When you were to redistribute evenly then entire scrubber would be 50% used.
To scrub the same flow of CO2 you'd need a larger volume withing the scrubber to do the work than before however the amount of heat generated is still the same.
With the same heat generated over a larger volume the temperature is lower (and lower temperature means a less efficient scrubber). Basically this is physics not even chemistry!

With respect to channeling I'd say that's absolute BS. The good thing about good re-distribution is that it will destroy any channel forming.

IMHO the conclusion is a good one BUT for the wrong reason....

Now I am only an engineer not an instructor so let me have the

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Janos

No flames as no-one makes a mistake intentionally. [1] As I say, I know someone who had a bad, bad, CO2 hit after doing precisely what you describe and the subsequent HSE investigation found that removing and replacing the lime was very likely to be the cause.

I think the easiest way of explaining it is to say that in a 50% used (and untouched) scrubber you are certain that the exhaled gas will pass through 50% used lime and 50% unused lime.

If you shake up the lime as you are doing, then you although it is probable (in a stochastic / statistical sense) that the gas will pass though 50% unused / 50% used, there is a chance that some gas will pass through 100% used lime. Even if it passes through 80% used lime at the start of the dive then by the end of the dive it may be used up. And even a little bit of CO2 is trouble.

Personally I think what you're doing is Russian Roulette and it scares the crap out of me. Sorry. But that's the way it is.

Janos

[1] - Sorry if that sounds patronising. I don't mean it to be but it's hard to convey sincerity on t'internet

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Freef

It is easy to see if the used adn unused gets mixed up. Fill half you rscrubber with frozen peas, and half with sweetcorn. Tip it out into a bag like you would use for keeping your scrubber in. Refill your scrubber.

If your wife gets home before you have sorted the peas from the sweetcorn and put them back in the freezer then your scrubber material is too mixed when emptied and refilled to be safe to use. You will be able to see how mixed it gets doing this.

I have a 3 hour scrubber duration. If I dive and want to keep it, the scrubber stays in the Rebreather after I have drained the lungs and given the mouthpiece a swill.

The next day I will allow a total of 2½ hours before binning the kitty litter-that's a total of 2½ hours over the two days, and no deeper than 20m

If it's not used on the second day, on the third day I will allow a total of 2 hours-no deeper than 20m

Any longer than that between dives and i'ts in the bin. I pay about £5 a fill for scrubber. A lot less than my life is worth.

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Currently owner of two differently sized ankles.