Have any of you or maybe you've known someone who ever had a tank-to-valve o-ring failure during a dive?? Just curious...thanks.
0-ring
- Thread starter texdiveguy
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The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
Only on an HP tank... and it was MINE! Very hard to maintain direction and composure when bubbles are billowing down your back and around your head. Fortunately, this was in a pool back when the tank was NEW (I was trying to get my trim right). Imagine my chagrin when the shop wanted to charge me to re- O2 clean the tank and for another VIS inspection.
ScubaSixString
Contributor
texdiveguy:
That depends on what you mean by failure. If you mean massive blowout, there goes your gas towards the surface, oh s**t where's my pony bottle? then I'm not sure thats possible.
I did, however, suck through 2750psi (with an 80 cf bottle) at 25 ft in about 30 mins. I was kicking myself for being such an air hog until i filled my tank the next time and hooked my reg up to it in a quiet place. I heard a steady hiss from the first stage.
I put the tank and reg into a tub and i was getting big bubbles from around the o-ring and a stream of small ones from under the hose protector on my spg.
The only reason i can come up with that i didn't hear it during the dive was the 6mm hood i had over my ears
miketsp
Contributor
It happened to me at 25m and it took me some time to figure out what was going on due to the tremendous noise level it created. I only realised what it was when I rolled on my back and saw the cloud of bubbles going up.
PS - just reread your post. Do you mean the oring around the neck of the cylinder where the valve screws in or the oring between the tank valve and the first stage?
I can't imagine the former failing, only the latter.
PS - just reread your post. Do you mean the oring around the neck of the cylinder where the valve screws in or the oring between the tank valve and the first stage?
I can't imagine the former failing, only the latter.
OP
miketsp:
***the oring around the neck of the cylinder where the valve screws in the tank---yep
miketsp
Contributor
texdiveguy:
Well then let me just qualify my remark. I can't imagine a neck oring failure if the cylinder and valve were correctly inspected before mounting, (no scratches or corrosion), a new correctly lubricated o-ring of the correct type was used, that the correct torque was applied to the valve and finally that the cylinder has never been overfilled.
So that leaves some room for provoked failures. Which is why the Diverite site mentions neck oring failures as one of the reasons to dive doubles.
On this thread
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=19431
in post #48 it was commented that with overfilled steel cylinders the neck oring will extrude before the tank will burst.
The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
Mike,
Mine happened just after my HP120 had been "professionally" o2 cleaned by the shop that sold it to me. Imagine my suprise to find out that they already came that way.
So sure, this was tank technician error, but I am sure glad that it happened in the pool. I guess it's one of the many reasons I took a PSI course!
Mine happened just after my HP120 had been "professionally" o2 cleaned by the shop that sold it to me. Imagine my suprise to find out that they already came that way.
So sure, this was tank technician error, but I am sure glad that it happened in the pool. I guess it's one of the many reasons I took a PSI course!
miketsp
Contributor
NetDoc:
Unfortunately "professionally" and "correctly" are not synonymous.
I saw that once at the Flower Gardens. Diver was about 90 foot, and suddenly a torrent or bubbles coming from below the valve. And the diver was nearly killed.... by the other 10 divers all wanting to be the one who "saved" him - 10 guys all handing out octos - "here, take mine... no take mine... mine's better...."
He switched to someones octo, and they did an ascent, and the tank was still hissing away after the hit the surface, so he could have used it all the way up if he needed to, but I guess how fast it's going to drain is obviously dependent on how bad the failure of that ring is.
He switched to someones octo, and they did an ascent, and the tank was still hissing away after the hit the surface, so he could have used it all the way up if he needed to, but I guess how fast it's going to drain is obviously dependent on how bad the failure of that ring is.
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