Another Question about assembly

[mood]

Hello all,

i know this has been asked many times but i still dont get it, and no one replied to my other thread in the BCD's forum. Anyways, i just got my DR Hurricane regulator and im looking to assemble it myself. Ive installed the proper hoses in the appropriate plugs, tightened them with my hand until they no longer turn with my hands. I understand i need to tighten them a wee bit more with a wrench. Here is what i dont understand. What do i tighten with the wrench? Is it the nut that comes on the hose, or the head of the hose. Im confused because my second stage came asembled and the nut is completely tightened and its sitting against the first stage. I tried to see how tight it has been installed, and i cant even budge it without scraping the nut.

Ive attached the picture to help describe what im trying to say. Please feel free to use the pic to show me .

Thanks!

 

[Web Monkey]

Hello all,

i know this has been asked many times but i still dont get it, and no one replied to my other thread in the BCD's forum. Anyways, i just got my DR Hurricane regulator and im looking to assemble it myself. Ive installed the proper hoses in the appropriate plugs, tightened them with my hand until they no longer turn with my hands. I understand i need to tighten them a wee bit more with a wrench. Here is what i dont understand. What do i tighten with the wrench? Is it the nut that comes on the hose, or the head of the hose. Im confused because my second stage came asembled and the nut is completely tightened and its sitting against the first stage. I tried to see how tight it has been installed, and i cant even budge it without scraping the nut.

Ive attached the picture to help describe what im trying to say. Please feel free to use the pic to show me .

The pic looks weird. Does your octo hose have hex-flats where it screws into the regulator, like the one marked "2nd stage"?

Terry

 

[mood]

Hey Terry,

Yes it does, but it doesnt move. I mean if its loose i should be able to at least move it with my hands. Im beginning to feel like it has be moldered there. And if i screw the hose into the ports with my hands, the hex wouldnt allow a wrench to fit in between for the last torque.

If it helps, my octo is the DR R2015.

Appreciate it

 

[mood]

I took a picture of the octo hose

 

[herman]

Both hoses will come loose at the first stage...and second for that matter. You loosen and tighten them ONLY by the hex portion on the hose. It will come loose but I suspect some wrench happy person really cranked down on it. First, get the correct wrench/spanner for the hex portion of the reg, do not use an adjustable one or one of the multiscuba tools. You may have to apply some torque but is will come off. Some ports or hoses are hard to get to, making using the correct wrench and properly torquing it all the more important. There are some first stage/hose types where the spacing between the first stage and hose compression fitting is too tigh to get your wrench in. You will have to buy or make a "thin wrench". Basically, it is a standard wrench that has a thinner head. I make them by carefully grinding down the faces of the wrench until it fits the opening. If you make one, take your time grinding to avoid overheating the metal. Once you have them off, reassemble them with the proper torque, depending on the hoses and reg port layout you may have to install them in a certain order to have easy access to all of them. As an alternative to buying a wrench, have your LDS remove the hose - if they do any reg work, they will have thin wrenches- and buy a new one with a wider hex head.

 

[redacted]

It looks like you will need a thin wrench to get on that nut since the crimp connector is larger than the nut. Herman may not like it but a scubatool will do the job.

Scuba Tool, ScubaToys

 

[mood]

Im heading out to the hardware store right now, Im getting a 5/8 for my Oceanic transmitter, but what size shall i get for the regs? 9/16?

The scuba tool looks helpful, but i cant afford the wait

 

[herman]

I own one and use it if I must but I find the tolerance of the "wrenches" way too loose and any hose that is tightly connected will more often than not round off the edges of the connector. If ya gotta ya gotta but IMO it's best to get the correct wrench.

 

[mood]

Done!

I think i have it correctly threaded. I appied halocarbon based sillicon lube (came with the oceanic) to the octo, inflator and transmitter. I used the wrench to tighten the hoses tight enough that I cant untighten them with my hand, but with a tug using the wrench they can come off. Should i loosen them a bit more or is this just fine.

 

[Nemrod]

You can often buy half decent scuba wrenches at dive shops. These are very thin and will fit into the small space sometimes left after the hose has been threaded in on a first stage. Common---as in cheap crap--tools are usually thick and clunky. Professional tools are available in a thin pattern for close work.

An alternative is to purposely purchase cheap crap tools because they usually are only surface hardenend and then use a grinder/sanding belt/disc sander/bench grinder to thin them down and custom shape them to suit your purpose. You will have a hard time grinding down high quality through hardened tools but the soft Chinese made Harbor Freight/Sharper Image junk tools are great for throw away or one time use or for custom made wrenches for occasional use--like for a scuba tool kit.

Do not put the wrenches on the hose swage, the wrench must go on the hex nut. Other than that I am not sure I follow your question but it looks like you figured it out whatever it was. Good luck with your new rig.

N