People use a regulator for the cylinder. Without the regulator you can't control the amount of gas coming out, the sound would be extremely loud (like a screeching sound), and you would run out of gas extremely quick. The cylinder valve initially is what lets the gas out, but when you stick the regulator on there it becomes the thing that lets the gas out and also lets you control how much of it is coming out. Some regulators have flowmeters as well, which makes things easy since you can see what LPM you're at when the gas is being released. Otherwise, you'll just see the PSI only. Nitrogen regulators and Argon regulators are used, but Nitrogen regulators with flowmeters tend to be more difficult to acquire than Argon regulators with flowmeters. If using an Argon regulator with Nitrogen, the important thing to note is one has to make sure that the Argon regulator can fit the cylinder valve (e.g. Argon regulator is CGA-580 and cylinder valve is CGA-580).
As for LPM, it's all over the place on SaSu of the desired amount. Today, I was 'playing' around with my setup to see what the experience would be like and got a sense of what LPM I needed. I used an Argon regulator/flowmeter and set it at 17 LPM (recommended by some SaSu users as being the right amount). I scrunched out all of the air from the exit bag, pulled it down, and inflated the bag. This wasn't the proper protocol since I didn't plan on CTB-ing; in proper protocol you would inflate the exit bag on top of your head first, hyperventilate for 1–2 minutes, pull the exit bag down, and take 1–2 deep breaths. My experience was suddenly hearing a loud ringing sound, wanting to spit/puke, and being disoriented/dizzy. I actually knocked over the cylinder without realizing it until I took the exit bag off. I guess, I was too disoriented/dizzy to notice and/or the ringing sound might have muffled the fall of the cylinder. I bet that if I followed the proper protocol or if I kept on wearing the exit bag, I would've passed out, and, maybe, even CTB-ed. In short, I don't know if 17 LPM with an Argon regulator/flowmeter is the right amount, but it seemed like it would make someone pass out quickly. I think anything less with an Argon regulator/flowmeter and it would be a gradual drift, but one would need more deep breaths.
Additionally, I would recommend you do more research. Iinitially, I thought it was simply finding the right LPM and right equipment, but there are other considerations like checking for leakage, how to construct an exit bag, etc.
Last edited:
