P-Valve plumbing Question

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Can you please list the Mcmaster web site you referred to for the quick disconnect couplings.
 
I kinda didn't read the above stuff - but the QD thing caught my eye. Get one from Cave Adventures. A p-valve needs a QD fitting like women need men.
 
Can you please list the Mcmaster web site you referred to for the quick disconnect couplings.

Mcmaster Carr or mcmaster.com is the best source for dive gear... I mean hardware out there. Everything is usually in stock and ships same day.

The parts you will need/want for a quick disconnect are:

5012K83 Acetal Quick-Disconnect Tube Coupling, Socket For 3/8" Tube Id, 1/4" Coupler, Shut-Off

5012K72 Acetal Quick-Disconnect Tube Coupling, Plug For 3/8"TUBE Id, 1/4" Coupler, Straight Thru

5012K86 Acetal Quick-Disconnect Tube Coupling, Plug For 3/8"TUBE Id, 1/4" Coupler, Shut-Off

the hose is item # 51075K29 too.

So here is what I did:

#1 cut length of hose 2-4 inches long

#2 install male to male barbed 3/8" coupling (comes with p-valve) in one end of the hose you just cut.

#3 install 5012K83 into the other end of the short hose you just cut.

*** the fittings are 3/8" but the hose is 1/4", this means those fittings are gonna be very tight and hard to put in but you won't need to remove them or use hose clamps. If its to hard try filling a small glass with water and a tooth pick (if you don't know why don't ask) and microwave it until its hot then place the hose in the water to soften it but don't burn yourself.

So you have a 2-4" piece of hose with a socket on one end and a barbed fitting on the other, good. This it the piece you will attach to your condom cath and then leave attached to you. Then you don suit, plug in, and go diving. When the dive is done you can remove suit, unplug without spillage (maybe like 2 drops), pack up suit, take home and flush out and hang out to dry. So yes, I walk around all day with a condom on and a hose attached to it.

*** so those fitting are shut off fittings, that means you can't pee if your not hooked up. I solved this by taking a bit of cave line and attaching a flow through plug to the hose so if I have to use the rest room I need only plug in to go.

If this isn't clear I can add pics of the parts.

I would order at least 2 of each part number and 2 ft or so of tubing. You might get an extra set of the much cheaper flow through parts (plug and socket) to keep in the save a dive bag too since they are a fraction of the price and if someone needs a part or yours breaks you at least have something handy.

and this thread may be of assistance to you also:

The Deco Stop

The Deco Stop has several threads on this issue with pictures or drawings if you use the search feature to find them.
 
out the waistband of underwear underwear and through a hole cut into the drysuit underwear.
 
no matter the best laid plans, they're gonna leak one time or another. Trust me, it's an awful feeling to feel the condom swell up and you know it's goona leak and you gotta go anyway. Then that warm feeling that quickly turns cold and you know what it is.. but still, you have 20 minutes of deco.. and you know what that liquid is!
LOL
Talk about being pissed off. :D
 
no, randy - talk about being pissed *on*.

sometimes i stick in a diaper as back-up, but mostly i don't bother. larry knows the only acceptable answer to the question 'why are my suspenders so wet?' is 'gee, honey, i don't know...'

if you're going to use a back-up dipe, use ones made for babies, like size 6 or so. depends don't have gel beads so as you get squeeze in your suit - the diaper gets squeezed & totally gives it up.
 
Hi Rainsey,

If you have not installed your p-valve yet you might want to try another solution. I read about it but I can't remember where. It is supposed to work as a permanent p-valve installation.

Instead of using silicone, I just used common lub grease and a latex swimming hood (you also use a discarded latex seal) like this:

p-valve -- grease -- latex -- grease -- dry suit fabric -- grease -- latex -- grease -- p-valve


You have to cut small circles of latex and put a hole in them to let the p-valve pass through. The idea is for the latex to "smooth out" the contact surface between the p-valve and the fabric.

I had this setup on a recent vacation and it held up wonderful. You can always rotate the p-valve to try out different routings and use silicone when you find what works best for you.

regards,
jose
 
sorry for the delay
I ran my hose outlet pointed to the left (on left leg) so it would naturally make a nice large (and strain free) loop. Right leg comment by one of the other guys makes more sense- darn. However the big thing is set it up so the loop is generally slack. You do not want "critical length" connections here.
 
Well, I did it!

My wife thought I was a bloody idiot with all the 'should I do it this way' or should I do it that way'.... So I puched a hole in my suit and had a few pre glue fits befofre I chose the method.

By the way, I think the police could use Pinacle Evo dry suits as bullet proof vests, a brand new sharp 3/4" wad punch still took a dozen strikes to actually get through a material that was only a poofteenth of a millimeter thick!

Anyway, decided to have valve pointing up but on a bit of an outward angle to allow a nice curve of the thick Halcyon neoprene tube to enter over the top of my jocks. The hose curves over my navel and down to the cathedar condom. Have not hot a disconnect yet as the one I had is too small for the diameter of the hose. When I get one I will install it further down the hose over my thigh.

What I have found is to make sure the bark at the end of the Halcyon hose is pushed well into the end of the condom so it enters the bloows end other wise the weight of the neoprene hose as it wants to straighten occludes the en of the condom.

Starting my DSAT TEC course this weekend so will get to try it out.

Cheers

Rainsey
 

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