I thought I had better let folk know what an o2 fire is like if you have never experienced one.
I have been particular with items in contact with high pressure o2, ie had them cleaned and careful what they are filled with. I have been using a 2ltr with my homebuild for the last few months and had it filled a number of times at various places, including my own o2 bank. I have been to Mull this weekend and done a few dives before I needed a top-up. The cylinder was filled using a booster to just short of 200bar. I then connected it to the first stage and slowly turned the valve on as I always do. About 4 seconds later there was an almighty BANG with shards of metal and flames shooting across the deck. My hand got blackened but no burns so I was lucky there. On inspection the valve body vapourised in the few seconds it took to empty the 400 lts of o2, the plastic valve knob had melted and was recovered from the other end of the boat. The valve itself is fused with the rotor pin with the threads a molten blob around the base.
This cylinder and valve have NEVER been filled with anything other than pure o2, and it was only tested and cleaned 2 months ago.
Let this be a warning that o2 can be and IS bloody dangerous for those out there that are complacent with its use.
I will try and get some pictures posted of the damage soon.
