Air consumption vs regulator ease of breathing

[BRT]

A scuba regulator that is not stable and cannot mimic as transparently as possible the divers demand is a regulator I do not want. And all the anecdotal evidence to the contrary will not change anything. A higher WOB will result ultimately in a higher air consumption. Nobody, including me, is recommending tuning the regulators outside of service manual specification to achieve some breathing nirvana. Some weird ideas get promoted herein, example that hard breathing regulators reduce air consumption, and hairs get split to the purpose of argument. I stand with exactly what I said in post #32.

And no, it is not a personal thing, it is a service manual thing and the limits of the particular regulator. If you do not like the result of tuning per specification maybe it is time for another regulator. The goal is transparency to your demand cycle.

The divers that I have dove with that had the lowest air consumption feather their valves to maintain a high work of breathing. As the tank empties they open it a little more. They do more work on less air than anyone I know.

 

[steinbil]

The three components of regulator WOB (work of breathing) performance are:

1. Cracking effort
2. Venturi assist
3. Exhalation effort

The easier, lower effort and less work to maintain an inhalation (low cracking effort to initiate and effective Venturi to sustain) and the easier it is to exhale the breath the less air you will use when diving. WOB, if it takes more work to do any or all of those three things then you will use MORE air, not less. Anyone saying different is misguided.

I know you were listing regulator specific items, but for the readers of this thread I think it's important to add GAS DENSITY to that list, as that greatly affects WOB.

 

[Royan]

Very interesting points of view. I've found that with my reg knob turned all the way to "easy breathing", it is difficult to me to enter the "diver mode" (lower heart rate, aka mammalian diving reflex?) at the beginning of the dive. Other than that, I don't notice any difference in air consumption.

 

[Sensorone]

A scuba regulator that is not stable and cannot mimic as transparently as possible the divers demand is a regulator I do not want. And all the anecdotal evidence to the contrary will not change anything. A higher WOB will result ultimately in a higher air consumption. Nobody, including me, is recommending tuning the regulators outside of service manual specification to achieve some breathing nirvana. Some weird ideas get promoted herein, example that hard breathing regulators reduce air consumption, and hairs get split to the purpose of argument. I stand with exactly what I said in post #32

A scuba regulator that is not stable and cannot mimic as transparently as possible the divers demand is a regulator I do not want. And all the anecdotal evidence to the contrary will not change anything. A higher WOB will result ultimately in a higher air consumption. Nobody, including me, is recommending tuning the regulators outside of service manual specification to achieve some breathing nirvana. Some weird ideas get promoted herein, example that hard breathing regulators reduce air consumption, and hairs get split to the purpose of argument. I stand with exactly what I said in post #32.

And no, it is not a personal thing, it is a service manual thing and the limits of the particular regulator. If you do not like the result of tuning per specification maybe it is time for another regulator. The goal is transparency to your demand cycle.

I was not clear enough. I should have said personal within the specified range of adjustment.

 

[CT-Rich]

I turn down/off the venturi nob on my SP G260. The Venturi would give me the sensation of the regulator inflating my lungs for me at the end of the inhalation cycle. Without it, my breathing cycle feels much more natural.

 

[dmaziuk]

I think you might be extrapolating from what I mean to something beyond what I mean .

All the anecdotal stories to the contrary I will stand with what I have said.

Yes, but too much venturi assist is a thing, I think at least two more posters in this thread said they leave venturi lever on "pre-dive".

 

[Nemrod]

Yes, but too much venturi assist is a thing, I think at least two more posters in this thread said they leave venturi lever on "pre-dive".

I would not. Each to their own. But I would not, I would look to correct the problem if there is one. We all have to figure our way, do what is comfortable but to me based on my experiences getting comfortable in a less than optimal condition is, well, suboptimal.

IMO, a reg that is jumpy with it set in Dive/Max then it is either poorly tuned or a badly designed (and most bad designs went away a long time ago so that leaves one choice).

 

[CT-Rich]

I would not. Each to their own. But I would not, I would look to correct the problem if there is one. We all have to figure our way, do what is comfortable but to me based on my experiences getting comfortable in a less than optimal condition is, well, suboptimal.

IMO, a reg that s too jumpy with it in Dive/Max then it is either poorly tuned or a badly designed (and most bad designs went away a long time ago so that leaves one choice).

Thank you for the definitive answer for a subjective opinion. I will be in touch when I want to know which jeans are most comfortable....

 

[Nemrod]

@CT-Rich, I think you just earned an ignore and feel free to do the same and the same for anyone else who thinks cute responses are clever.

Work is work, it comes with a cost.

 

[CT-Rich]

You are welcome. And I will stay with what I said, work is work, and it is not free. Go ahead and set your regs up to breath stiff and think you are saving gas. A fools errand.

And thanks for the smartaxx response. Very informative and so clever. I think you just earned an ignore.

I never said anything about saving gas. I don't like the unnatural sensation I get from the Venturi blowing air into my mouth. It's the way I, personally, find breathing off my regulator. It breaths very easily and smoothly without the venturi assist. Again I apologize if my preferences offend you....