Why don't wings have shoulder dump valves?

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See? It takes so long to fail, I didn't even know they changed materials.
As a solo diver, what mitigation strategy do you have in place for its failure?

(Not picking on you, making the point about redundancy and risk assessment)

Mine is my drysuit and two SMBs. That and no pull dumps putting strain on the elephant's trunk.
 
As a solo diver, what mitigation strategy do you have in place for its failure?

(Not picking on you, making the point about redundancy and risk assessment)

Mine is my drysuit and two SMBs. That and no pull dumps putting strain on the elephant's trunk.

I'm not the same person, but it depends which failure & where you are in the dive. This was my answer (as a solo-diver):
Great post. I'd add a few more:
  • What ways could it fail?
  • How would you manage that failure? Also practice your solutions.
  • Prevention - Can any of the failures be prevented, or reduced likelihood of happening? Prevention is important, but not a substitute for ability to manage failures.
For this scenario:
  • Stuck open, stuck closed, rip out hose, broken pull-cord.
  • A redundant buoyancy device and/or not being over-weighted. For example, since I always have redundant buoyancy with a DSMB, sometimes a lift-bag, and my backplate wing is dual-bladder (1x to 3x redundant). Being properly-weighted should allow one to surface with an empty BC, an 80% lung capacity (which can & should be practiced). DSMBs also make a good pool-noodle/life-jacket for surface floatation. For stuck-closed, you have your normal dump-valve & manual-inflate button.
  • Prevention: Here, you could double-check that the hose and attachment points are all properly secured & tightened. I'm not sure if oiling dump-valves in a thing, but that might prevent the stuck open/closed scenario. Verifying your dump is activated with the right amount of tug-tension & doesn't rip out with a harder-than-necessary tug. If you're really worried, sometimes there are ways to secure an item more than one way.
 
As a solo diver, what mitigation strategy do you have in place for its failure?

(Not picking on you, making the point about redundancy and risk assessment)

Mine is my drysuit and two SMBs. That and no pull dumps putting strain on the elephant's trunk.

My concern is more on the side of releasing the air, instead of inflating the wing. I do carry an SMB but is to avoid getting run over at the surface if I lose the flag.
The pull mechanism could fail before splashing when I make sure there's no air in the wing, or at the end of the dive when I'm about to surface and also want to remove whatever little air I pumped earlier if needed.

If it happens before splashing, I'll check the inflator portion. If both things are messed up, we usually have a spare on board or worst case I take my husband's.

If the failure is at depth at the end of the dive, I'll use the rear dump.

One could "what if" further, but I generally don't because my current dives are ridiculously easy, always within NDL, rarely deeper than 100', with a 3 mil and a hood at the most.
Starting next week or maybe the other one up, it will be with just a rash-guard and a hood so the wing will be part of the gear but won't be used at all, unless I find some heavy treasure.
 
One could "what if" further, but I generally don't because my current dives are ridiculously easy, always within NDL, rarely deeper than 100', with a 3 mil and a hood at the most.
This is what I mean by saying that the harm created by a failure depends upon the dive. A dump valve failure in a BCD that does not have much air in it is not a big deal at all. It would not bother me in the slightest.

I am just repeating that making the absolute statement that an equipment feature is a failure point and therefore should never be used interferes with thinking. If that feature provides a benefit the diver likes, and if the potential for failure is low and the harm from the failure is also low, why not use it?
 
My concern is more on the side of releasing the air, instead of inflating the wing. I do carry an SMB but is to avoid getting run over at the surface if I lose the flag.
The pull mechanism could fail before splashing when I make sure there's no air in the wing, or at the end of the dive when I'm about to surface and also want to remove whatever little air I pumped earlier if needed.

If it happens before splashing, I'll check the inflator portion. If both things are messed up, we usually have a spare on board or worst case I take my husband's.

If the failure is at depth at the end of the dive, I'll use the rear dump.

One could "what if" further, but I generally don't because my current dives are ridiculously easy, always within NDL, rarely deeper than 100', with a 3 mil and a hood at the most.
Starting next week or maybe the other one up, it will be with just a rash-guard and a hood so the wing will be part of the gear but won't be used at all, unless I find some heavy treasure.
For the air-dump scenario, wouldn't you just lift the hose and push the manual inflate/deflate button?

Positive buoyancy freaks me out enough I stop ascending using lung-volume or swim down until I can fix it, and that's practical to do, except perhaps at the last 12ft of a dive. Your buoyancy will rapidly increase close to the surface, but you should have just done a safety stop. I usually dump a little more air before surfacing & you could always use the rear dumb valve at a safety stop. Although in a couple cases I had no more air to dump at about 18ft & I was able to surface safely, using decreased lung capacity, with only about the last 3-4ft being uncontrolled positively buoyant. You can also go horizontal to act like a parachute.

This is what I mean by saying that the harm created by a failure depends upon the dive. A dump valve failure in a BCD that does not have much air in it is not a big deal at all. It would not bother me in the slightest.

I am just repeating that making the absolute statement that an equipment feature is a failure point and therefore should never be used interferes with thinking. If that feature provides a benefit the diver likes, and if the potential for failure is low and the harm from the failure is also low, why not use it?

I'm with you there. The failure-cost for an experienced and competent diver should be relatively low, although the risks are worth thinking through. For example, this would give me one extra reason to always carry my DSMB, even if I don't plan to use it, or technically don't need it.
 
For example, this would give me one extra reason to always carry my DSMB, even if I don't plan to use it, or technically don't need it.
A DSMB is a potentially valuable safety aid and easy to carry. I would not bother with one in a small lake, but for other dives I will almost always have one. Search back through old threads in the Cozumel forum and you will find posts over a decade old in which I said SMBs at least should be required there.
 
AFAIK Dive Rite wing came a lot earlier than certain brand. But I cannot tell you where the dump valve is situated.

For the old Sea Quest bc the dump valve is on the right hip at the back.

There is no such thing as BEST.
Dumps are on the left on the 4 different Dive Rite wings I have. One is from 2003. The most recent is from 2017.
 
On my SM rig (Dive Rite Nomad XT), I switched the corrugated inflator hose to bottom left and dump valve went to the top. Put in a longer string to have a shoulder dump. Backmount I used the butt dump. Way easier to have a shoulder dump SM. My previous Hollis SM rig came with a shoulder dump.
 
On my SM rig (Dive Rite Nomad XT), I switched the corrugated inflator hose to bottom left and dump valve went to the top. Put in a longer string to have a shoulder dump. Backmount I used the butt dump. Way easier to have a shoulder dump SM. My previous Hollis SM rig came with a shoulder dump.
In sidemount I'm flat in the water, so a shoulder dump woudn't work :)

There's different sidemount wing/harnesses; the XDeep has that butt dump which (once you've added a decent toggle!) is easy to get to from either side and easily dumps when you're flat or head down.
 
In sidemount I'm flat in the water, so a shoulder dump woudn't work :)

There's different sidemount wing/harnesses; the XDeep has that butt dump which (once you've added a decent toggle!) is easy to get to from either side and easily dumps when you're flat or head down.

Not if you’re a woman with short arms! It’s an issue a number of women have reported that they can’t reach the XDeep dump on the back with the wing fully inflated.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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