Air dump blew out on dive today...how best to fix?

[rjack321]

The fix is to replace the bladder or wing. No reattaching the part that ripped off. They are bonded for life, and the life of that part is over.

Halcyon does warranty all their heat sealing "for life" so there's a chance they will replace it as warranty. The fabric itself is not warrantied forever though. So it depends.

 

[MMM]

Halcyon does warranty all their heat sealing "for life" so there's a chance they will replace it as warranty. The fabric itself is not warrantied forever though. So it depends.

That would be nice. The fabric is in great shape. There is just a gaping hole where the dump once was...

 

[Couv]

Good luck @MMM, please keep us posted with the info you get from Halcyon.

FWIW the last time I tried to repair a Halcyon (elbow-not dump) it had the same issue with the hardware de-bonding from the bladder. However, the Halcyon fitting is substantially larger than the standard size others have suggested, so the fitting shown in their post will not work.

 

[MMM]

So, to wrap this up, I took the car ferry to the mainland and onto Zero Gravity in Puerto Aventuras. They replaced the bladder and noted that my connecting pieces for the air dump and inflator hose were extinct (over 10 years old) and would not connect to new ones on the bladder. So replaced those also. Total cost was about $120 US$. No warranty left on my damaged dump that blew out. They had me out of the shop in less than 1/2 hour, which included testing it. I was pretty impressed with them AND their shop. I told them what time I expected to arrive and they said they would make sure that their technical guy was there for my arrival. So I am back in business.

Just by way of background, I contacted the owner of the shop where I purchased my rig from more than 10 years ago. He spoke highly of Zero Gravity and assured me that I would like them. I did.

 

[Manatee Diver]

I was pretty impressed with them AND their shop.

ZG is my favorite shop to dive out of when I am in Mexico cave diving. If you have an issue, leave it there 90% chance it will be fixed by the morning. Don't nickel and dime you with weight fees or storage fees. And they hit both mix and pressure with nitrox (no idea about trimix).

For me they work out great as I stay in PDC.

 

[CT-Rich]

This is a photo of the piece that blew out. There is a big hole where it was. And a few tiny bits of broken plastic inside the wing.

Lucky the shrapnel didn’t kill anyone….

 

[rongoodman]

I had a Halcyon single tank wing. The cover to the dump valve got somewhat cracked on a crowded boat. That Halcyon one was a weird size. The Dive Rite or Hollis ones the shop had in stock wouldn’t fit. Had to get one from Halcyon.

Interesting. Both my Halcyon wings have the generic threads, but they're more than ten years old. I have the DSS dump valves with the thicker string on them.

 

[Centrals]

Interesting. Both my Halcyon wings have the generic threads, but they're more than ten years old. I have the DSS dump valves with the thicker string on them.

Time has changed!

 

[emoreira]

There is a company that sells replacement threads for bladders, but the general opinion (and likely Halcyon's opinion being a DIR company) is that it shouldn't be done as those repairs are considered to be high risk.

You mentioned that those repairs are considered to be high risk, however the original thread came apart. Should that not be considered high risk ?
The original flange is RF welded to the bladder. The replacement flange is a 2 pieces threaded flange that is glued to the bladder, just like the Dive Rite flange for Tech bladders.
If it's OK for tech divers, why it is considered that repair a high risk ?
Of course, that repair is of high risk for BCD manufacturers !!!
BCD flanges are crap. I've seen almost new BCDs with flanges broken only with one or two years of use.
We use to say that scuba gear is rock solid. Not in the case of BCDs.

 

[emoreira]

BT-DT ...

Is/was there a rubber double-gasket that wraps from the outside of the shell through the hole and on the inside of the bladder as opposed to the flange being glued/welded in place?

If so, you can probably just use a standard bladder flange assembly like this:

DGX Bladder Flange Assembly

A replacement bladder flange for older style BCs that includes the inner and outer fitting plus the intermediate seal. Please read the description details carefully for compatibility advisory.

www.divegearexpress.com

Add their dump valve since the thread sizes vary depending on manufacturer and year:

DGX BC Overpressure Relief and Dump Valve

A replacement BC Overpressure Relief and Dump Valve w/o flanges. Please read the description details carefully for compatibility advisory.

www.divegearexpress.com

And the tools to do it yourself:

Bladder Flange Tool

The Bladder Flange Tool works with Dive Rite bladder and OPV flanges.

www.divegearexpress.com

That is $25 in parts and tools. I'm sure someone on the way down would bring them to you if you ask nicely ...

It is a 5-minute install and we could talk you through it.

Of course the above mentioned Tech shop probably has a set lying around if you are willing to take a ferry ride. ETA: I'd call first.

This type of flange is for bladder holes with one inch diameter. Original welded flanges has 2 inches diameter, so this piece is useless.
Replacements like Scuba-fix and the like are the way to go. Unless you are willing to replace the BCD or (in the best case) only the bladder.
Scuba-fix is way too expensive. I've 3D printed several flanges for BCDs with good results.