Why not add a second OPRV dump valve to the Stealth Tec 2.0?

[RayfromTX]

I've read the complaints about the Stealth dump valve being inconveniently mounted in the center at the bottom of the wing and I can get past that issue. Unfortunately my wife is 5'1" tall and can barely reach it if the wing is partially inflated (barely) and not at all if it is close to fully inflated.

Being able to easily dump air from the wing is about as important as it gets to me. I can move it from the bottom to the right side but why not just add a second one? Yes, it is a second chance to have a leaky valve but that seems like a maintenance issue more than anything else.

What am I missing and why wouldn't this have been the answer all along to those that have complained in the past?

 

[Mike1967]

I did move mine but moved it back, I did other things to make it easier to grab. If she can't reach it at the bottom anyway, why bother having two?

 

[divezonescuba]

If the bladder is really inflated, you can use the deflation button on the inflator even if it is stretched across your chest. No need to detach or raise it. I also have trouble reaching the dump when The bladder is fully inflated and sometimes use the deflation button.

 

[tbone1004]

@RayfromTX talk to Edd. He's moved it to the right side and routed it to the left shoulder so you can pull it from there. The right side as a dump location is REALLY awkward to chicken wing back there, especially if you have any exposure protection on.

 

[RayfromTX]

I did move mine but moved it back, I did other things to make it easier to grab. If she can't reach it at the bottom anyway, why bother having two?

She can reach it at the bottom when there is less gas in the wing and it would seem a better place to get the last bit out then having to roll hard to the left to get it from a right side dump if we kept the option.

If the bladder is really inflated, you can use the deflation button on the inflator even if it is stretched across your chest. No need to detach or raise it. I also have trouble reaching the dump when The bladder is fully inflated and sometimes use the deflation button.

Yeah we came to that conclusion and she would be willing to try diving it that way. I'm far more reluctant to set up a system where she has to use one AND then another to control the gas in her wing. When other things are going on, I want venting her gas to be as simple and natural as possible.

@RayfromTX talk to Edd. He's moved it to the right side and routed it to the left shoulder so you can pull it from there. The right side as a dump location is REALLY awkward to chicken wing back there, especially if you have any exposure protection on.

Thanks Tom, I'll keep that in the back of my mind as this progresses into pool sessions. We're still waiting on her drysuit. The pool is outdoors. I'd sure like to avoid a pull string but we may end up there.

 

[JohnnyC]

Just out of curiosity, is she wearing it with the bladder high enough? If she can touch her butt crack, she should be able to pull the dump. Sometimes (more with the classic) I see people wearing it too low and they have a hard time finding it because it's sitting halfway down their butt instead of just below the small of their back.

 

[tbone1004]

this is the mod for anyone curious. Grommet put in near the dump and at the top of the wing. Sprinkler hose run up and over the shoulder like it is on all of the rigs that had the Sorenson-Swap done. Definitely have to cant over to the left a bit to dump, but nice to have everything on your chest. Edd prefers to top-mount stages, and without this mod done, you can't do that with the xDeep.

 

[RayfromTX]

We have it shortened up and moved up as far as it will go without removing the spine weight pockets. Before we TWEAKED it to get every last 1/4" of adjustment out of it she couldn't reach it even when empty. She little is the oft repeated descriptor. One arm still can't get to it even when only partially deflated. She would never be able to do shutdown drills effectively in back mounted doubles even if she was able to manage the weight of them which she can't. Single tank is ALL she can manage on our dive site and that valve drill is a real struggle for her. She sure is motivated and excited about it though. She is a joyful dive buddy. We just have to get past the obstacles.

 

[J-Vo]

This may be a maintenance issues, but I have a friend with the Ed mod on his Armadillo. More than once I have seen him with the dump stuck open doing a secondary buoyancy assent. This has been a hang up for me as I was thinking of adding a top dump to my Razor wing to match the butt dump I added.

 

[RayfromTX]

In the first image you can see the rig is as high as it can go. The second image shows it fully inflated and she can't reach the bottom valve. The third image shows that partially inflated she can reach the valve. The fourth image shows she can just reach the right side valve with a chicken wing maneuver. The fifth image shows where the valve should be for her comfort of use. We may have to go with an Edd type modification.