<Degi>
azonenberg I wonder if it is a good idea to have an argon bottle on hand as a cleaning agent instead of compressed air or the stuff in cans
<monochroma>
dry nitrogen is usually cheaper and used for such thing
<azonenberg>
@degi: I actually have a dry nitrogen bottle i got for unrelated purposes
<azonenberg>
and am looking into getting a higher flow regulator and blowgun for exactly this purpose
<Degi>
neat
<azonenberg>
i currently use canned duster spray. was using HFC-134a until recently but just got some HFO-1234ze which has a GWP of <1 vs 1300
<azonenberg>
But nitrogen is the most environmentally friendly option as it can be generated from the atmosphere trivially and recycled indefinitely
<azonenberg>
and costs less than argon
<azonenberg>
and also is cheap and readily available from welding suppliers etc
<azonenberg>
the big downside is that it's not as portable, the tanks are large and heavy
<azonenberg>
so i will likely keep the HFO-1234ze cans in inventory
<azonenberg>
for cleaning server fans while running, etc
<azonenberg>
and use the nitrogen tank(s) at the main workbenches for drying of boards after defluxing etc
<XMPPwocky>
do you have o2 monitoring?
<azonenberg>
XMPPwocky: Not at the moment. I have passive safety, though, because of the tank volume
<azonenberg>
it's only 20 cubic feet and the lab is 3200
<azonenberg>
so a complete uncontrolled dump won't reduce O2 levels by any appreciable quantity
<XMPPwocky>
nodnod
<azonenberg>
The only time it would potentially be an issue is if i am crawling underneath the bench where the tank is located (chained to a table leg)
<azonenberg>
the bench is 3x6 feet and about 3ft above the ground
<azonenberg>
so that's 54 cubic feet of space under each of two benches with the tank roughly at the corner of the two
<azonenberg>
but even then, while it would be a significant reduction in O2 levels
<azonenberg>
it's unlikely to be fatal or immediately incapacitating
<azonenberg>
especially since the HVAC unit is right next to that bench so there is a fair bit of mixing
<azonenberg>
and thus even if it did dump all at once, it wouldn't all remain hypoxic in that one tiny corner of the room for any length of time
<azonenberg>
This was very much a consideration when I picked out the tank originally though
<azonenberg>
I ran these numbers at that time and concluded that there was no need for monitoring