AirSource 3 - Wet Breathing

[srcalDiver]

I recently practiced breathing from my AirSource 3 and was very surprised by the amount of water in the air chamber. There was enough water droplets being sprayed into my mouth that I occasionally started coughing.

I tried purging it before my first breath, exhaling forcefully but water always remained in the air chamber.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Does the regulator have a defect?

 

[aaron9876]

I have one but I've never breathed off it underwater yet... I keep meaning to try that during my next dive but then never do.

 

[ONESPEED]

I have one but I've never breathed off it underwater yet... I keep meaning to try that during my next dive but then never do.

It's not a great answer to sharing air to start with. If you must use an alternate air source/octo you really should practice with it before it's too late and you have to learn to operate it the hard way during an emergency.

Better solution, get rid of it in favor of a real octo.

 

[jaymal]

I've noticed it breathes pretty wet. I don't know if it is a defect. AL might call it a "feature."

 

[astrofunk]

Whether it's a feature or a defect, it's a bad deal. Your LDS may be able to get it to breathe dry with some servicing; if not, I'd definitely replace it with something more robust.

A real life OOA scenario is going to involve getting your OOA buddy a working regulator, and then safely ascending (and holding stops, ideally) while sharing air -- all with a huge dose of stress.

Practice that all the way through and I think you'll find it's already hard enough without having a backup which breathes so wet you're forced to cough.

 

[Riverrat Dave]

I got one in Jan, 08... It too was a wet breather, my LDS went through it and said they could not find anything. However now it's alot better... maybe have someone check it out?

 

[srcalDiver]

Thanks for the comments. I will ask my LDS to look it over.

Regarding practice, I highly recommend it. It's a bit tricky breathing from it while simultaneously managing the BC's buoyancy.

 

[Couv]

Before you take it into the shop and they talk you into getting another regulator, do a water tight check.

A water tight check is very easy to perform and checks the integrity of the second stage. Connect the first stage up to a tank and without turning on the air (if you have a good tight dust cap you can use that instead) draw a breath on the second stage until you hear the main diaphragm retract. Do not draw too hard as it will collapse the exhaust valves and cause a leak. Does the regulator hold vacuum? If so, it is probably water tight. If not, the usual items to inspect are the mouth piece, the exhaust valves, the second stage diaphragm, the o-rings that seal the air barrel in the housing and finally, the housing itself. If the housing is plastic, look closely at the area where the air barrel fitting goes into the second stage housing. If a shop monkey removed the hose without using a backup wrench, there is a good chance he cracked the housing.

One thing to keep in mind with any combination regulator/inflator. You should use a long hose on your primary. The primary will be the regulator that you will donate so the longer hose will facilitate air sharing.



Good luck, tell what you find out.

couv

 

[srcalDiver]

Ok, here is the result of the suck test: it does not hold a vacuum. I can hear air leaking into the air chamber at the end were the purge button/diaphragm is. This happens even when I create a light vacuum.

The unit is new and has never been wrenched - it comes with the LP hose and shutoff valve attached.

What component do you think needs replacement/adjustment?

 

[halocline]

Sounds like a leaky diaphragm, but I don't know much about octo/inflator combos. You could try screwing off the cover (if it works like a typical 2nd stage) and making sure the diaphragm is seated correctly, then re-install the cover. Or, seeing as it's new, you could just bring it back to the dealer and say "fix this please".