Thanks to all the great advice here, I've started simplifying everything. I moved to a back inflate, and started pulling apart my console to put things "where they belong".
It looks like I've accidentally been running a long term (8 years) science project on hose protectors and corrosion.
I pulled the computer and compass out of the console a few weeks ago and put them on my wrists for a few dives. I left the SPG in the console in case I decided I needed to switch back. (I'm not, by the way!)
Plus getting the SPG out of the Aeris console looked much harder than it actually turned out to be.
This past weekend I got around o pulling the SPG out of the console and moving it from the right to the left. I also pulled all the hose protectors to take a look, as I will likely be replacing the 2nd stage hoses with different lengths, and maybe miflex.
Take a look at what I found.
The reg set is from 2008, and has only about 40 dives on it, serviced according to the Atomic schedule.
It is always, always, always rinsed in fresh water at home, within 2-4 hours of diving.. Apparently not as carefully as I thought..
The console had a small amount of sand inside behind the SPG, and you can see the hoses on the 1st stage and their relative states of corrosion.
https://goo.gl/photos/pLcRKPHzdbB6CMzt7
On the left, the 2nd stage hoses, the back one had the host protector firmly pushed against the 1st stage, you can see the corrosion. The front hose always had the hose protector pulled a little away from the 1st stage. See the difference? The reg is an Atomic with Z1 and Z2 2nd stages.
On the right, the top is the SPG, where the hose protector was extremely tight; it took a lot of work to get that off. Probably why there's so much corrosion. The bottom is the power inflator, where there's never been a protector of any kind.
The other photo shows the corrosion at the SPG end where it was inside the console all those years. Even with overnight soaking after most dives, you can see what happened.
Is this a LOT of corrosion? Not at all, really, but the differences are interesting. The two 2nd stage hoses especially because they're the same manufacturer, same material, same number of dives, the only difference is the position of the hose protector and the amount of corrosion.
The SPG hose is a difference manufacturer (Aeris), and it looks like a different material, but still...
So I clearly needed to pull back the protectors better when I rinsed, or, as I'm going to do, get rid of them altogether.
It looks like I've accidentally been running a long term (8 years) science project on hose protectors and corrosion.
I pulled the computer and compass out of the console a few weeks ago and put them on my wrists for a few dives. I left the SPG in the console in case I decided I needed to switch back. (I'm not, by the way!)
Plus getting the SPG out of the Aeris console looked much harder than it actually turned out to be.
This past weekend I got around o pulling the SPG out of the console and moving it from the right to the left. I also pulled all the hose protectors to take a look, as I will likely be replacing the 2nd stage hoses with different lengths, and maybe miflex.
Take a look at what I found.
The reg set is from 2008, and has only about 40 dives on it, serviced according to the Atomic schedule.
It is always, always, always rinsed in fresh water at home, within 2-4 hours of diving.. Apparently not as carefully as I thought..
The console had a small amount of sand inside behind the SPG, and you can see the hoses on the 1st stage and their relative states of corrosion.
https://goo.gl/photos/pLcRKPHzdbB6CMzt7
On the left, the 2nd stage hoses, the back one had the host protector firmly pushed against the 1st stage, you can see the corrosion. The front hose always had the hose protector pulled a little away from the 1st stage. See the difference? The reg is an Atomic with Z1 and Z2 2nd stages.
On the right, the top is the SPG, where the hose protector was extremely tight; it took a lot of work to get that off. Probably why there's so much corrosion. The bottom is the power inflator, where there's never been a protector of any kind.
The other photo shows the corrosion at the SPG end where it was inside the console all those years. Even with overnight soaking after most dives, you can see what happened.
Is this a LOT of corrosion? Not at all, really, but the differences are interesting. The two 2nd stage hoses especially because they're the same manufacturer, same material, same number of dives, the only difference is the position of the hose protector and the amount of corrosion.
The SPG hose is a difference manufacturer (Aeris), and it looks like a different material, but still...
So I clearly needed to pull back the protectors better when I rinsed, or, as I'm going to do, get rid of them altogether.
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