100% Free flow at 135Ft and 41F water

[MasterGoa]

Update: Well, at the end of the season, I sent
all my stuff for servicing and a few things cam up:

It is a TUSA RS-240
The spring design changed in the 2nd stage with rebuild
kit.

The 1st stage was giving 132PSI which my tech says in not enough.
He set it at 145PSI.

The 1st stage poppet (spelling) was sticking and it's design was also
changed with the rebuild kit.

So, I do not know if it has any value in terms on
information, but it might help someone out there.

MG

 

[elan]

Update: Well, at the end of the season, I sent
all my stuff for servicing and a few things cam up:

It is a TUSA RS-240
The spring design changed in the 2nd stage with rebuild
kit.

The 1st stage was giving 132PSI which my tech says in not enough.
He set it at 145PSI.

The 1st stage poppet (spelling) was sticking and it's design was also
changed with the rebuild kit.

So, I do not know if it has any value in terms on
information, but it might help someone out there.

MG

Have you got the pony finally ? If you have not get the pony yet, get a good reg, as good as you have gotten for the primary, otherwise it's can free-flow as well and the pony will be useless. Also when you eventually switch to doubles you can use this reg. IMHO, which is not valuable yet I think here in Canada unsealed reg can only be used for pools

I also always set the flow level to the hardest position when diving that cold.

Man I read your post glad you made it up well more or less.

Some operators do not even take on the boat unless you have good pony, doubles or H valve in that cold water.

 

[bluebubble1995]

Update: Well, at the end of the season, I sent
all my stuff for servicing and a few things cam up:

It is a TUSA RS-240
The spring design changed in the 2nd stage with rebuild
kit.

The 1st stage was giving 132PSI which my tech says in not enough.
He set it at 145PSI.

The 1st stage poppet (spelling) was sticking and it's design was also
changed with the rebuild kit.

So, I do not know if it has any value in terms on
information, but it might help someone out there.

MG

Yeh but have you worked on you? Your panic was the crime here. Do you practice OOA and free flow drills every dive now?

 

[charlesml3]

Maybe I'm oversimplifying this since I don't dive in cold water but nevertheless, I always play this little game on the way to my dive destination. "What would I do if THIS happened....?"

Q: "What would I do if my 2nd stage began to freeflow?"

A: "Switch to my octo. If it's early in the dive, just let the primary freeflow and head up. If it's late in the dive, fold the lp hose over on itself to pinch off the flow."

 

[CDNScubaMoose]

It is a TUSA

In my books - that is your problem. I don't exactly look at TUSA regs as being great cold water regs. I'm sure others will disagree but in cold water I stay away from their regs (although I do use their gear in other environments).

Thanks for the updated information.

 

[grf88]

Maybe I'm oversimplifying this since I don't dive in cold water but nevertheless, I always play this little game on the way to my dive destination. "What would I do if THIS happened....?"

Q: "What would I do if my 2nd stage began to freeflow?"

A: "Switch to my octo. If it's early in the dive, just let the primary freeflow and head up. If it's late in the dive, fold the lp hose over on itself to pinch off the flow."

If it is a first stage freeflow folding over the LP hose of your primary will cause the octo to freeflow or even worse cause your BC inflator to freeflow into your BC resulting in an uncontrolled and rapid ascent.

 

[Web Monkey]

Maybe I'm oversimplifying this since I don't dive in cold water but nevertheless, I always play this little game on the way to my dive destination. "What would I do if THIS happened....?"

Q: "What would I do if my 2nd stage began to freeflow?"

A: "Switch to my octo. If it's early in the dive, just let the primary freeflow and head up. If it's late in the dive, fold the lp hose over on itself to pinch off the flow."

The dive mentioned in the first post is at or beyond the limits of recreational diving depending on which tables you use, which makes handing a failure more of a training/planning/equipment question than a "should I kink the hose and will it work" question.

On a dive like this, the diver should have reliable, practised responses to failures, which would include doubles (or at least a big pony), valve shut-down drills, buddy skills and most certainly realistic gas planning.

The last time I was on that wreck was several years ago on a morning dive. There was someone there later in the day that bolted for the surface and didn't survive, which you can take for what it's worth.

Terry

 

[DA Aquamaster]

In my books - that is your problem. I don't exactly look at TUSA regs as being great cold water regs. I'm sure others will disagree but in cold water I stay away from their regs (although I do use their gear in other environments).

Tababta is one of the oldest reg manufacturers in the business and they do the actual manufacturing of the regs deigned by many of the major brands (Scubapro, etc) then in many cases sell licensed versions of the reg under the TUSA name (TUSA = TabataUSA).

As an example of the licensed copy issue, the RS-460 uses the R-400 first stage which is a licensed copy of the Scubapro Mk 16 and the S-60 second stage is also a copy of a Scubapro second stage. So it is in effect a Scubapro Mk 16 and the Mk 16 is approved for cold water use down to 190' at 38 degrees F.

If you look closely at TUSA regs you will see that most look an awful lot like models from other major companies and it is again because they are in fact the same reg with minor trim and cosmetic changes. The parts are in fact 100% interchangeable.

The RS-240 uses the R-200 first stage and the S-40 second stage (hence the RS-240 designation) and the R-200 first stage can be equipped with an environmental kit.

It is consequently hard to say that Tusa regs do not make good cold water regs.

 

[MasterGoa]

Yeh but have you worked on you? Your panic was the crime here. Do you practice OOA and free flow drills every dive now?

Yes I did.

However, the main issue with that day is ingesting water in the lungs.

I will not practice THAT anymore

I did practice shutting off my main bottle and I will dive with a pony (rental)
when I go under 100ft.

MG

 

[charlesml3]

If it is a first stage freeflow folding over the LP hose of your primary will cause the octo to freeflow or even worse cause your BC inflator to freeflow into your BC resulting in an uncontrolled and rapid ascent.

OK. Is that better or worse that the OP's reaction? Looks to me like you've got nothing to lose by going to the octo. That freeflowing 2nd isn't going to consume any less are because you're on the octo.

I guess I'm just confounded by two separate posts here recently. One where someone did a CESA because the zip-tie on his mouthpiece broke and it came off. Now this one with a freeflowing 2nd. It sure seems to me like "grab your octo" should be the very first thing you do in either case.

-Charles