FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
SCUBAGASKETS o-rings have been developed in close cooperation with the manufacturer, in order to guarantee the usage of the best possible material and type of seal for specific applications in SCUBA equipment.
The average diver might be aware of two main categories of o-rings commonly used in SCUBA equipment, that come in different hardness ranging from 70 to 90 in shore A scale. These are normal industrial grades of either Nitrile o-rings (NBR) or Fluorocarbon (FKM) o-rings. The latest are being used with oxygen enriched mixtures. A number of other materials are also being used occasionally. However, there is a great variety of materials in the industry and each material has its recommended field of use. Even within the same category, and the same hardness, there are many subtypes; with each having its own applications. By selecting SCUBAGASKETS you eliminate luck and you ensure the use of correct seals.
Our O rings are selected/developed only for our Industry.
Originally we chose not to use any colour additives in our Viton o-rings since the stress tests that we performed indicated that Black Viton when compared to Green or Brown Viton, with all parameters constant except for the colour, had better performance. It had higher strength, better stability and better elastic properties originally (brand new), even after exposure to extreme situations that cause material fatigue. It also had higher resistance to surface damage.
As divers, we are all highly sensitive to quality issues. We were very reluctant to compromise any amount of quality for the sake of being able to identify Viton by colour. Furthermore we should be aware that nitrile-type and other materials may indeed be produced in green or brown or blue or any other colour we can imagine. If we judge only by colour then there is a great risk of falling into errors. We have chosen to sacrifice easy identification by colour for getting the benefit of the best possible quality.
Nevertheless with the development of technology and chemistry in the following years, new technics and options were available to us for use. When we were asked to develop a special Viton Material for Constant Pure Oxygen applications our consultants Europeseals BV manged to do that and even produce this special Viton O-ring in green colour. Of course, that was not an easy task since in order to develop this special Viton material a big challenge had to be overcome and that was the exclusion of carbon(which adds hardness to the material) from the elastomer formula and at the same time keep the hardness high. The stress tests for this new Viton material indicated that the colour additives didn’t alter the physical properties of the orings, so we have them in green. The only drawback of this material is the cost, which is significantly higher than the black Viton O-rings. So, in conclusion, we offer 2 different viton o-ring types for 2 different applications one for oxygen-enriched gas mixtures (nitrox-black viton) and one for High-pressure constant Pure Oxygen applications (green Viton). We do our best to keep the cost down but offer the best sealing option possible in the market.
30 Years of O-ring Technical Expertise in the industry: (including general industry, heavy chemical industry (offshore) Automotive, Water and Heating and others. Also, we are very much involved in the Aerospace industry, working closely with all leading European Aerospace companies like Rolls Royce, Snecma, Eurocopter and Airbus. This assures you that you have the best selection for SCUBA gear with regards to technical characteristics.
The o-rings are packed in shockedproved containers, protected from damage by mechanical pressure that may cause material deterioration and hence alteration of the o-ring sealing characteristics.
The o-rings are packed in opaque containers, protected from UV-light that may cause material deterioration and hence alteration of the o-ring sealing characteristics.
The o-rings are packed in straight-sided jars, which have been specifically designed so you can place them on top of each other and save storage space. The containers are closed with safety seal, which allows you to ensure quality before you buy by checking that the seal is in place.The jars have wide mouth either 5cm or 7,5cm which makes them ideal to work from in the workbench. You don’t need to find a bulky o-ring kit box to store all the different types of o-rings that you are using. Just use the O-rings containers. No more mixing up, and no more mess inside the big boxes. Have you ever dropped an open big box with 30 different oring sizes?