Frequent CCR divers, what do you do between dives?

[doctormike]

I usually dive my JJ nearly every weekend in dive season. I have been in the habit of a freshwater soak, complete disassembly, rinsing the inside of the wing, and then sterilizing the loop (hoses and CL) after diving.

But one JJ diver that I respect tells me that he leaves it assembled between dives, and I started to think how that might be reasonable and save a lot of time (as long as it gets a good fresh water rinse and the loop is sterilized). I would remove the hose and leave it to dry after Steramine wash, pull the head to let the cells dry, seal up any sorb that I was saving (don't usually do that), and sterilize the CLs while they were still attached.

Forgetting about the scrubber for now (really a different question), I'm wondering what people do. I have gotten mixed answers from some instructors that I have informally polled.

 

[tbone1004]

I voted other.
I don't dive salt hardly ever so that isn't a concern for me.

Between trips *meaning at least a week* and assuming the scrubber is dead.
Everything comes fully apart, is rinsed with fresh water, and sterilized if not being dove the next weekend
Once it is dry, the rebreather is assembled loosely *Kisskat has a cam lock that doesn't get twisted in, Meg gets latched normally* and the loop plugs are put in. If the scrubber isn't dead, then the scrubber is put in a dry bag and stored separately. I don't worry about storing partially used sorb, especially after the study was done.
Loop stays assembled and is hung up separately, and the lungs on the Meg are hung up with the loop since the corrugated hoses take a hot minute to dry. If it's going to be a while before I use it, then the loop is put back in the Pelican case.

 

[macado]

I voted "Leave assembled, freshwater rinse, sterilize loop"

I don't completely disassemble but I always do a thorough freshwater rinse, run fresh water through my loop and counterlungs. I pretty much dive my rebreather every weekend.

Full Disclosure: I rarely sterilize loop but I always run fresh water through it. If I'm on a week long CCR dive trip I'll sterilize after the trip. I maybe completely sterilize every 4-5 months or so.

 

[JonG1]

I disassemble as little as possible to avoid extra/undue wear, very rarely sterlize.

 

[flymolo]

If I'm diving the next day, I remove loop and counterlungs and run some water through the exhale side, remove head and leave to dry overnight. If not diving for several days I'll do the same but will run steramine through the loop and counterlungs (inhale and exhale side) and re-assemble a couple days later, once all the water has dried out.

I rinse with a hose after each time diving in salt water. I don't usually hose the unit off I'm diving in fresh water unless I suspect there's sand/mud/percolation.

For storage the unit is stored dry and assembled, and the scrubber goes in a dry bag if it still has sorb in it.

 

[Degenerate]

I rinse/disinfect the exhale counterlung and loop after each dive day and that's about it.
The guys I dive with do the same minus the disinfect part and have been fine for years.

Obviously pull the head free and bag up/empty the scrubber as well.

Edit: I dive an AP

 

[doctormike]

I guess I should also ask which unit people are diving, since that probably affects the answer to this question. For example, on the JJ to remove the counterlungs means taking off the backplate, and once you have done that, it's pretty close to disassembled anyway.

I was thinking of just running water through the exhale counterlung without taking it apart. Then the question is whether you bother trying to rinse the inhale counterlung, which is harder since no dump valve. You would have to turn the whole unit upside down. Inhale lung usually stays pretty clean.

 

[grantctobin]

I guess I should also ask which unit people are diving, since that probably affects the answer to this question. For example, on the JJ to remove the counterlungs means taking off the backplate, and once you have done that, it's pretty close to disassembled anyway.

I was thinking of just running water through the exhale counterlung without taking it apart. Then the question is whether you bother trying to rinse the inhale counterlung, which is harder since no dump valve. You would have to turn the whole unit upside down. Inhale lung usually stays pretty clean.

If it plays into your consideration, Patrick Oertig has been adding zippers to X counterlungs for a bit to ease this disassembly process and seem to turn out well.

 

[flymolo]

fathom counterlungs have zippers as well. i usually just unzip them and leave backplate/wing mounted on the unit

 

[davehicks]

I have a KISS Spirit LTE and I dive it once or twice a week. Many of my dive days are just 1 dive of 60-90 minutes. With a scrubber good for about 4 hours, it does not make sense to dump it after one dive. So what I do after each dive is:

• Write down my dive time on a scrubber chart on the wall next to my gear station at home
• Rinse off the entire unit with a spray hose
• About 1/2 the time I fill and dump the BC bladder with the hose
• Flush out the loop with the hose and spray in steramine
• I leave the loop to dry for a day or so, stretch it out to drain, lube the orings, reconnect to heads
• 
  
• If I have 3 dives or 4 hours on the scrubber I dump it
• Rinse lungs, loop, canisters, spray steramine, hang to dry. Sometimes a couple days, sometimes less than an hour.
• Rebuild and fill for the next dive day