Adapter for a Shrimp BOV...

[Larry7895]

Tassi Devil (small world I am a native Tasmanian as well!). Do you have the part number for the Swagelok Tap? I like that idea better than the slide flowstops.

Cheers
Larry

 

[JohnnyC]

@NetDoc those are the Omniswivel QD's. It's the same setup I run on the BOV side. I run a QC6 on the bottle side.

 

[The Chairman]

@NetDoc those are the Omniswivel QD's. It's the same setup I run on the BOV side. I run a QC6 on the bottle side.

Can I ask why? I like the offboard dil having a different connector than the offboard O2, but I wanted to keep all of the Dil QDs consistent with each other. I like being able to bypass it all and just plug into the BOV straight from the Bail Out Bottle.

how many hoses you have on the Dil Mav side?

1. Feed from the 3L bottle (with isolator)
2. Feed from the Manual Add to the Unit
3. Feed for the BOV
4. SPG

Of course, there's the offboard connector, which is not connected at this time. Here's the one fly in the ointment. If I have a boom on the 3L regulator, I will lose the use of my power inflater. I can resolve this in either of two ways. Run a small block manifold and split the feed for my BOV into serving the BOV and the power inflater, or (even simpler) just keep an inflater hose on the bail out bottle. If you have to isolate the 3L reg, just unplug the one and plug in the other. So each Bailout will have a QD hose, an inflater hose and a five foot hose with a second stage. I'm going to dive it with this set up for a bit and see just how hard it is to change back and forth.

 

[Larry7895]

Can I ask why? I like the offboard dil having a different connector than the offboard O2, but I wanted to keep all of the Dil QDs consistent with each other. I like being able to bypass it all and just plug into the BOV straight from the Bail Out Bottle.

1. Feed from the 3L bottle (with isolator)
2. Feed from the Manual Add to the Unit
3. Feed for the BOV
4. SPG

Of course, there's the offboard connector, which is not connected at this time. Here's the one fly in the ointment. If I have a boom on the 3L regulator, I will lose the use of my power inflater. I can resolve this in either of two ways. Run a small block manifold and split the feed for my BOV into serving the BOV and the power inflater, or (even simpler) just keep an inflater hose on the bail out bottle. If you have to isolate the 3L reg, just unplug the one and plug in the other. So each Bailout will have a QD hose, an inflater hose and a five foot hose with a second stage. I'm going to dive it with this set up for a bit and see just how hard it is to change back and forth.

Ah yes I see what you have done, connected one port of the two port manifold to the bottom of the Mav. I always run an inflator hose from my bailout tins, don't think you will have any problems changing back and forth. As a matter of interest, may have been psychological on my part, but I didn't like the way my BOV breathed on the Omniswivel connectors and I have just switched to the QC6 which is the only one I am aware of that has been flow tested. Many thanks for getting back to me.
Cheers
Larry

 

[JohnnyC]

Can I ask why? I like the offboard dil having a different connector than the offboard O2, but I wanted to keep all of the Dil QDs consistent with each other. I like being able to bypass it all and just plug into the BOV straight from the Bail Out Bottle.

I don't run offboard O2 on either my Meg or my Pelagian so I'm not sure how you have yours plumbed, but agree, they should be different connectors. And since you're never breathing directly off the O2 bottle, it doesn't need to be high flow, ergo the QC4's on the Megs.

I don't have my onboard dil plumbed to the BOV in any way whatsoever. I know plenty of people who disagree, but I feel it's dangerous. If you're coming off the loop, it's for a good reason, and you want to isolate yourself completely from the rebreather. If you have onboard dil plumbed to your BOV and it happens to be bad gas, now you've escalated the issue since you're breathing directly from it at OC PPg levels (think CO levels in the loop making you feel funny, but dil level not enough to scramble your brain). If it's offbord, you've got completely separate, fresh gas (of which you should already have enough of). And unless you're running air in your dil and air in your bailout, it's a different gas anyway and should be treated as such.

I'm not a fan of relying on differing IP to passively select which gas you're breathing because theoretically you don't have control over it. I know people who use it quite successfully, I don't, it just makes me uneasy relying on something I am unable to physically control other than turning it on or shutting it off. Different strokes type of thing, a little IP creep and the whole thing can get thrown out of whack. I think a switchblock is a much better solution.

Basically once I bail, the BOV is simply existing to buy me enough time to get my fecal matter arranged and the reg in my mouth. It's more comfortable than a heavy BOV and loop hoses and in a stressful situation, I don't want to deal with anything that might take up any more of my gerbil's time on the wheel. So the procedure goes, problem, BOV while I fix problem, bailout reg until I get back to the big scuba tank above the water.

It works for me, but if you've got something you like better, go for it. I find that most rebreathers only stay in factory condition for as long as it takes to process the c-card and then all the fun stuff happens.

 

[kensuf]

So..

Pete, the KUR guys (and I believe a few others) have standardized on having the male fitting on the drive bottle side, not the CCR side. They also moved to QC6's from the Omniswivel style QD's after a couple of problems with compatibility between a few of the QD's. Next time you see Ted, ask him about his manatee springs / QD that wouldn't mate story.

I agree with Johnny that the BOV shouldn't be your on-board DIL. For me, one of the biggest considerations is gas volume -- a 3L bottle just doesn't have a lot of gas when you're 200' deep.

For cave diving I use two steel bailout bottles (85's or 108's) rigged in SM config. Both bottles have a QC6 male fitting that can be plumbed into my rebreather. My KISS has a QC6 female with a Y-splitter that feeds both the BOV and ADV. I only use that on-board 3L bottle for wing and suit inflation in the cave, the ADV and BOV are both driven by off-board gas. Even limiting that 3L bottle for wing and suit gas, I've come up close to empty on a couple of long dives with a lot of vertical relief in the cave (with depth changes from 180' to 30' back to 180').

OW configuration would change by removing the Y splitter and driving the ADV from the on-board DIL (via a QC6) and the BOV from the bail-out bottle. I suppose I could probably keep it consistent and drive the KISS completely from off-board gas. Something to think about..

 

[The Chairman]

Dude, this is like reading "Who's on First" for QDs. Pics please!

 

[sea_ledford]

I run the Omniswivel locking QD on my BOV, straight to my bailout. I attach it at the surface, so no need for the weight of the dry connectors in the QC6. I've kept both original QC4s for the dil and O2 offboard (no need for high flow QC6 there), but I'd like to flip one or the other around so I can't plug O2 into my dil MAV or vice versa. I just haven't spent the time to figure out which adapter I need.

-Chris

 

[JohnnyC]

Here's the Swagelok hardware. This is a QC6, but the QC4's look identical, just smaller. The come with various hose-end adapters, and in various colors. They lock with a simple push, release by pushing on the retainer ring.

I run these on the bottle side of the BOV hose, male on the reg, female on the BOV side, so I can clear the male of debris if I need to by depressing the plunger.

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Here's the Omniswivel QD's, male and female. The Omni rotates to lock, rotates to unlock, then pull on the retainer ring. I run the male on the actual BOV itself, and the female on the hose side of the BOV.

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Essentially my BOV feed hose has 2 female QD's on it. Since I don't offboard my bailout, I never have to worry about whether I'm plugging it into something with little bailout volume (onboard) and off board I just treat it like a gas switch where I verify contents before plugging it in.

Clear as mud?

 

[Tassi Devil Diver]

Tassi Devil (small world I am a native Tasmanian as well!). Do you have the part number for the Swagelok Tap? I like that idea better than the slide flowstops.

Haa, yes a small world indeed!!! I got the Swagelok tap from Martin at TekMe, it's a custom piece with 9/16" male and female threads.