Is It Feasible/Desirable to "Upgrade" a Regulator for Cold Water Use with an Environmental Seal

[Ironborn]

I have an Aqua Lung Titan XL. It is rated for use in water as cold as 50F/10C. As I understand it, using this regulator in water below those temperatures poses a risk of freezing and free flow in the first stage.

I understand that cold water regulators generally have environmental seals in order to prevent such freezing. Would it be feasible/desirable to have an environmental seal added to to the regulator during the next annual servicing in order to "upgrade" it for safe use in water temperatures below 50F/10C?

Or, do cold water regulators have additional safety features beyond the environmental seal that are also necessary to prevent such freezing and free flows? In that case, would I be better off buying or renting a cold water regulator?

 

[davehicks]

I think the 50F limit is very conservative. I have been diving Aqualung Legend regs with that 50F "limit" in 44F water and below 32F air temps for over ten years and never a problem. If you are going to be in true arctic conditions very often you may want to get a sealed regulator, but you will not freeze up if it's just a chilly 49 degree day.

 

[runsongas]

I have an Aqua Lung Titan XL. It is rated for use in water as cold as 50F/10C. As I understand it, using this regulator in water below those temperatures poses a risk of freezing and free flow in the first stage.

I understand that cold water regulators generally have environmental seals in order to prevent such freezing. Would it be feasible/desirable to have an environmental seal added to to the regulator during the next annual servicing in order to "upgrade" it for safe use in water temperatures below 50F/10C?

Or, do cold water regulators have additional safety features beyond the environmental seal that are also necessary to prevent such freezing and free flows? In that case, would I be better off buying or renting a cold water regulator?

you can, but also look into the 2nd stage. 2nd stages rated for cold water use usually have metal barrels and a heatsink nut on the hose connection.

 

[Bowers]

yes it is. Ive been working at getting all my student regs replaced with environmentally sealed ones. better for cold and for long term in silty water.
50F is a conservative number but a good one to stick with. the military did a study with regs under workloaded respiratory rates and they created freeze ups in as warm as 46F water if i remember correctly. keep in mind, adiabatic cooling increases with more gas movement (ie. breathing harder, faster or at greater depth) so being conservative is good just in case you ever have to share air or any other scenario that would increase chances of freezup.

 

[JackD342]

I assume you mean Titan LX and not XL. There should be a heat exchanger on the 2nd stage already.

1. Install environmental seal dry kit.
2. Tune 1st stage to lower IP specs for Supreme.
3. Tune 2nd stages to higher cracking effort specs for Supreme.

That does it. The only thing missing is the Supreme snowflake and EAN250 markings on the stages, and the lip shield. If you can’t find a cooperative local dealer to do it, drop me a note.

 

[Ironborn]

I think the 50F limit is very conservative. I have been diving Aqualung Legend regs with that 50F "limit" in 44F water and below 32F air temps for over ten years and never a problem. If you are going to be in true arctic conditions very often you may want to get a sealed regulator, but you will not freeze up if it's just a chilly 49 degree day.

@davehicks Yes, I think that the 50F rating actually incorporates a margin of error, i.e. they test it in water as cold as 40F degrees, and they give it a margin of error to account for flukes such as thermoclines, cold upwellings, and other variables that may be difficult or impossible to predict. Just the same, I would like to play its safe and also respect the manufacturer's guidelines.

By the way, it was a potential trip to British Columbia, where water temperatures are often in the 40s F, that prompted this inquiry. I see that you are in Seattle. Is it in Puget Sound where you have been using your 50F-rated regulator without problems? I imagine that temperatures and other conditions there would be comparable to British Columbia.

 

[Ironborn]

yes it is. Ive been working at getting all my student regs replaced with environmentally sealed ones. better for cold and for long term in silty water.
.

@Bowers Thank you for reminding me of another important point.

I have also started diving locally around New York, where the water is not only cold (albeit within the temperature rating of my regulator at this time of year), but also very silty as well. I remember reading that environmental seals are good for diving in polluted waters (e.g. harbors) - but silt is another factor to consider? Where I am diving around New York is far enough away from the city that I am not too concerned about pollution, but if silty water is a risk factor too, then perhaps I have another good reason to add the environmental seal anyway.

 

[Ironborn]

I assume you mean Titan LX and not XL. There should be a heat exchanger on the 2nd stage already.

1. Install environmental seal dry kit.
2. Tune 1st stage to lower IP specs for Supreme.
3. Tune 2nd stages to higher cracking effort specs for Supreme.

That does it. The only thing missing is the Supreme snowflake and EAN250 markings on the stages, and the lip shield. If you can’t find a cooperative local dealer to do it, drop me a note.

@JackD342 What if any impact would tuning the regulator to those Supreme specs have on the regulator's performance? Would such tuning increase or decrease the breathing effort? One of my reasons for wanting to upgrade this regulator instead of buying a new one is that I really like its ease of breathing, even at greater depths.

 

[JackD342]

Yes, the changes in tuning slightly reduce the performance as tested on an ANSTI machine, but probably not enough for you to notice. Those cw ratings are based on independent testing to EU standards, not just arbitrarily assigned by the MFGR. Those tunings are essential to the cw rating and the successful testing.
I don’t have the specs handy for the Titan XL, but it was replaced by the VERY similar Core. The work of breathing for the Core is .80 joules/liter, and the Core Supreme is .84. So the difference is measurable, but not significant. Anything at 1.0 or lower is really good. Go ahead and make the changes, no worries.
Also, with the addition of the environmental seal kit, I think the 1st stage will be slightly overbalanced, but not as much as the Legend or an Apeks. (I know that is true of the Core Supreme, and I think the parts that count are the same as the Titan LX Supreme.) That improves performance a bit at depth, but probably not noticeable within recreational limits. Overbalancing has more pronounced effect the deeper you go.

 

[davehicks]

@davehicks Yes, I think that the 50F rating actually incorporates a margin of error, i.e. they test it in water as cold as 40F degrees, and they give it a margin of error to account for flukes such as thermoclines, cold upwellings, and other variables that may be difficult or impossible to predict. Just the same, I would like to play its safe and also respect the manufacturer's guidelines.

By the way, it was a potential trip to British Columbia, where water temperatures are often in the 40s F, that prompted this inquiry. I see that you are in Seattle. Is it in Puget Sound where you have been using your 50F-rated regulator without problems? I imagine that temperatures and other conditions there would be comparable to British Columbia.

Yes, I am in Seattle and dive in British Columbia all the time. I go up to Browning Pass (God's Pocket Resort), Hornby Island, Nanaimo, several times a year. Occasionally in freezing weather up in BC. I have AquaLung Legend and ScubaPro MK25 / S600 regs I've been using up here since 2001. Never a problem. I think you'll be just fine with your existing regulator. Sealed vs Unsealed regs are not a big discussion topic in the dive community here.

Where in BC do you plan to travel? If you are not used to diving in the PNW you'll want to focus on your Drysuit, Undergarments, and Dry Gloves, and BC/Wing with plenty of lift. These are going to be major gear and comfort factors on your adventure up north. And a good light.