This document was last updated on May 29th, 2021
If the oxygen addition system is the rebreather’s heart, then the scrubber is its lungs. The Fathom CCR uses an 8.8 lb/4 kg radial scrubber, which has been used on exploration dives exceeding thirteen hours. A 5 lb/2.3 kg radial scrubber is also available, which is far more practical for most dives. The flow through the scrubber is inside to out, which was determined to be slightly more efficient than outside to in during extensive testing by Peter Ready, the designer of the Prism Topaz rebreather.
The scrubber is housed in a Black Amalgon canister, which is nearly indestructible and insulates the scrubber four hundred times better than aluminum. Constructed of fiber-reinforced thermoset epoxy matrix, Black Amalgon features an ultra-smooth inner surface. It is a lightweight, high-strength, corrosion-resistant composite alternative to aluminum. Both the head and bottom are CNC machined Delrin and secured to the canister with a strong and simple latchless line-lock design that streamlines the profile and eliminates snags or broken latches. With both the head and bottom in place, the scrubber canister measures 16 in/406 mm tall and 7 in/178 mm diameter. The canister bottom has a recessed water trap that holds 6 to 8 chammies to absorb condensation and small amounts of water. The stock canister also accepts the 8 lb/3.6 kg Meg radial scrubber.