Apeks DS4/TX50 sucks water when upside down........help..?

[jrudicel]

I have a Apeks DS4/TX50 and for some reason it will choke you with water if you are upside down or doing a flip underwater. I have 3 of these.....2 for the doubles and 1 for the single..and they all do this. A buddys Oceanic doesnt. Why? I can say I usually dive the TX50 wide open...would that matter? Just curious why some regs..supposedly the better ones...will suck water when doing a flip and others wont.

 

[jonnythan]

Do you also have an Apeks backup reg? Does it have the same problem?

Sounds like you might need to clean the second stage or take it in for service

 

[redacted]

When you are in a normal position, any water accumulates in the area of the exhaust diaphram and most is expelled each time you exhale without ever getting in the breathing air path. In odd positions, like upside down, any water leaking in accumulate away from the exhaust diaphram and is not expelled when you exhale. And when it gets in the area of the mouthpiece, you get to inhale it. I'd take the 2nd and submerge it in a sink of water but keep the mouthpiece above the water. Use a flashlight to look thru the mouthpiece to see if or how much water is accumulating and if you get any indication of where it is coming from. Causes could be many: defective case, loose cover, hole in one of the diaphrams, leak around mouthpiece, leaking o-ring around the venturi lever or either end of the spindle assembly. The depth that the leak occurs and the size of the leak may give you clues as to the source.

 

[scubafanatic]

Have you checked out the Divernet March 2002 regulator test? Among others they tested the --ATX50--.

Here are 2 interesting quotes from the review:

" "This would have been the best of all the regulators I have ever used if it had not been wet when inverted."

"INVERTED:Wet but OK."

It appears you'd better get used to having 3 wet regulators......that's just the way the ATX50 is.

Overall, the ATX50 got a high rating (right side up anyway) ..... but when I bought my regulators, their behavior while inverted was a big consideration.

For what it's worth, I can personally testify that the following regs are BONE-DRY in ANY POSITION:

Mares MR12 and MR16 Voltrex

(I own 2 MR12 and 3 MR16 Voltrex reg sets)

Mares Ruby

(I own 1 Ruby reg set)

Poseidon Odin/Jetstream

(I own 3 Odin reg sets)

The Voltrex is out-of-production, but the Ruby and Odin are readily available......all of them are sweet breathers which I can recommend 100 %.

Karl

 

[Iguana Don]

Open all th eway. That's the problem, close it down and it won't breath wet. When you open it up you decrease the spring rate on the diaphram causing water to come in when it's inverted.

Don

 

[redacted]

Iguana Don once bubbled...
Open all th eway. That's the problem, close it down and it won't breath wet. When you open it up you decrease the spring rate on the diaphram causing water to come in when it's inverted.

Don

And trying to understand the explaination. Are you saying that setting the adjuster to the easiest breathing position results in rapid oscilation between positive and negative pressure (those flutters on the WOB graph)? And I guess this is causing a response in the exhaust diaphram that is allowing water to enter? Is that what's happening or am I totally off base?

 

[Scuba446]

scubafanatic,
Thats interesting - I am going to have to try that intentionally with my Mares Axis next dive.

It breathes quite well normally, but I want to intentionally invert it and see what happens. I'll be back after my next dive with a result.

 

[jonnythan]

My TX40 doesn't suck in water in any positions, even with the venturi fully open. I suppose it could have something to do with the adjustment, but I wouldn't put up with a reg that does that anymore