How did water get into my inflator hose?

[Divectionist]

Hi

I just swapped a Miflex LP inflator hose for another, shorter hose of the same make. After I disconnected the old hose and put it on the bed (where my equipment fiddling takes place), I noticed water seeping out of it, and there was quite a bit more water inside the disconnected hose.

I tasted it and luckily it was rinse water (I dive in salt water only), but it is a complete mystery to me how the water got in there in the first place. When I rinse/soak the reg, I click the inflator connector a few times to make sure no salt gets deposited, but the schrader valve should not be opened without mechanical pressure on the stem. The BCD and reg get rinsed separately, so the inflator button would not be depressed with water entering through a submerged inflator assembly. The hose itself is only a few months old.

Getting water in through the first stage is very unlikely as I rinse it carefully with a screw in DIN cap. I saw no signs of water inside the first stage, which does not mean that it is not in there though.

Any clues?

Cheers

 

[Erik Forsberg]

Screw-in DIN cap doesn't mean it is watertight. Water can only get in through the first stage or a broken/unscrewed schrader valve, so I think the most probable explanation is a leak in to the first stage.

ALso, for water to get in through the schrader value, the DIN cap needs to be off/leak or there wouldn't be a way to offset the air inside so both alternatives assumes a leaking DIN cap

 

[Divectionist]

Screw-in DIN cap doesn't mean it is watertight. Water can only get in through the first stage or a broken/unscrewed schrader valve, so I think the most probable explanation is a leak in to the first stage.

ALso, for water to get in through the schrader value, the DIN cap needs to be off/leak or there wouldn't be a way to offset the air inside so both alternatives assumes a leaking DIN cap

I just experimented with the hose and it lets water in! So the good news is that it did not come through the first stage (unlikely because of the tightly sealing cap and the way I rinse it) and likely stayed out of it because I keep it above the hoses when drying and storing. When unscrewing it I also felt like the water came from the valve end of the hose because I did not see any until it seeped out once it was flying flat for a bit.

So I just held the screw-in end of the hose above water and submerged 3/4 of the hose, playing around with the connector underwater for a bit. I then took the hose out, dried it off externally, tipped it over and a whole heap of water splashed out.

This surely can't be normal for that valve? I've got a Scubapro rubber inflator hose flying around that I may try also to compare. I bought that Miflex in December and treated it well. Now I am wary of rinsing the brand new one I just connected

 

[The Chairman]

Was the hose attached to the BC during the rinse? If the hose itself has to be pressurized to be tight, I would condemn it and get another.

 

[lexvil]

Have you tried blowing through it, it’s possible that the schrader seats with pressure behind it but maybe allows the water past when unpressurized. Either way try tightening the schrader or just replace it.

 

[Divectionist]

Was the hose attached to the BC during the rinse? If the hose itself has to be pressurized to be tight, I would condemn it and get another.

No it was not and I ended up testing the hose, it lets water in suggesting the valve is not tight.

Have you tried blowing through it, it’s possible that the schrader seats with pressure behind it but maybe allows the water past when unpressurized. Either way try tightening the schrader or just replace it.

I already replaced the hose which is why I found water in it.

The Scubapro hose I dug out did not let any water in under the same scenario, so the Miflex must be faulty, which is concerning for a hose with less than 20 dives on it. I replaced it with the same type of hose as I just bought a slightly shorter one, but now I doubt its quality also.

Did anyone else have similar issues with these valves letting water in when rinsing submerged?

 

[rsingler]

Simple test for this issue. If the hose leaks, then submerging it while pressurized on a tank will show where the holes in the hose are.
I think it more likely that the Schrader valve is malfunctioning. Under pressure, it may pop closed and not leak when disconnected from the bcd. But without back pressure, it may not seal , and thus leak during an unpressurized sink soak.
I agree, it is unlikely to be first stage the way you describe your rinse.

Pretty inexpensive fix: take a tire valve extractor tool and unscrew the Schrader valve. Soak it in 50:50 warm vinegar and water for 20 minutes, while regularly compressing the pin and spring during the soak. Put it back and try again. Or spend $3 and get a new Schrader valve. But compare the two valves for length and shape before switching.

 

[Bob DBF]

The schrader valve is in the BC, and the OP said his BC was not connected when soaking. If the hose has water in it the connector on the hose is leaking, or it coming through the reg.


Bob

 

[Divectionist]

The schrader valve is in the BC, and the OP said his BC was not connected when soaking. If the hose has water in it the connector on the hose is leaking, or it coming through the reg.

The schrader valve is in the hose and the pin that opens it is in the BCD. That's why the hose should be watertight once disconnected, unless, of course, it leaks like mine.

So the connector end of the hose (being the schrader valve) is what is leaking here, of that I am certain now.

Why this valve fails on a hose with 15 or so dives on it is the question that concerns me now. I assume that the male QD assembly on my Scubapro inflator (standard type, not Air2, which is a different connection) fits the Miflex female part because it locks just fine and shows no signs of leaking when in use. I tried to google whether the male Scubapro part could be ever so slightly off standard enough to break or dislodge that hose schrader valve but did not find any clues.

If I can't find a definitive answer I am going to throw out that brand new Miflex hose unused and source an old fashioned scubapro rubber hose in the right length

 

[happy-diver]

Man, this one is one of those ones that gets done like diving, slow and easy

The O rings in the female end of the hose are sometimes crap in new hoses

Go collect some pieces not from the dive shop

make a tool like I did up there

You see soaking without your gear under pressure on a tank whilst purging
that permits the moving mechanisms to move and disgorge
is like showering out of a bucket with a cotton bud

So get a tank-s

listening and talking at the same time can be taxing