Blowing Tank Air on a Regulator

[Rocknrone]

I'm SDI aow trained, maybe four years ago. We were taught this in our class. It might have been the instructors prefered method or SDI methods, not sure.
Either way I find it annoying, but also convienent. I'm usually the only one on the boat that does it, and I don't care! The looks I get are typically two fold. 1. Stupid noob, just use a towel. or 2. I'm a noob I thought we couldn't do that.

I will gladly give it up and dry off the cap with a towel, if all the smokers quit lighting up and making me sick. Something about a rocking boat and inhaling vapor laced with 4000 chemicals that dampens a trip. No one will admit it but smoking disturbes more people than a jolt of compressed air.

If anyone is a smoker, and blows off their dust cap, stop both practices and I will share my cookies.

 

[CuzzA]

Who brings towels on a boat?

 

[TMHeimer]

You guys have sensitive ears!.

RIGHT... I hear this so many times on SB. Jeesh, it's not THAT LOUD, and we know what it is. Of course, only for the dust cap, and aim it completely away from the first stage. Can't hurt. I do this once, in between wiping (the dust cap...). Of course, if you solo dive, no one to annoy.
Yikes, I also smoke a pipe...but never on a dive boat. But hey, that's a long lost thread to revive.

 

[arcticat99]

bigger question are you not risking blowing out the o ring when you do this?\]

 

[KeithG]

bigger question are you not risking blowing out the o ring when you do this?\]

Nope.

 

[Nemrod]

I saw some people doing this earlier this year in Cozumel, the only reason I can see to do it is to annoy everyone else on the boat.

Perhaps you do not service your own equipment? If you did you would realize that the protective cap holds water, some of them, quite a bit, others hardly at all. This water will enter the first stage, long term there is potential for corrosion, short term the sintered screen can be contaminated.

It is not needed to blast the protective cap to Kingdom come, merely blow the water from the cap interior. Annoying or not, I will continue to do it.

N

 

[AlexL]

others, like mine SP MK25, cannot be dried with a towel

really don't know what SP was thinking with that dust cap design. save a few pennies per 1000 units at the expense of making your customers repeatedly apparently appear rude.

personally, crack it open just a fuzz and keep the dust cap close, it muffles the sound quite a bit. cranking a tank wide open is fairly inconsiderate, but don't care, going diving.

 

[redacted]

bigger question are you not risking blowing out the o ring when you do this?\]

Possible, but what is the problem? Simple to reinstall or let the dive op handle it.

 

[Steelyeyes]

I was taught to do it in 1975. I've done it ever since without any negative outcomes. I was just diving in Kona last week and the boat crew did it when swapping tanks. I didn't see anyone crying about the sound.

 

[TMHeimer]

bigger question are you not risking blowing out the o ring when you do this?\]

I figure I've blown the dust cap about 320 times now. Never thought of it.