Aqualung hoses

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My shiny new wrench is made of Starl. Or perhaps that's the brand name...

I'm going to try to organise a pool session to test my wrenched reg (don't be alarmed, I was gentle). What should I be checking for, other than obvious things such as air coming out of places that it didn't ought to?


Zept
 
Originally posted by Zept
We measured the nut at 14mm, but I guess it might be 9/16 inch (14.3mm), given that it's an American regulator.

Hey Zept... 3 wrenches will fit almost ALL of the hoses off of your regulator; the rare 1/2", the common 9/16" and for HP a 5/8" will do nicely. I do keep 3/8", 7/16', 11/16" and a 3/4" in my diving tool kit... but I can't remember ever using them on dive gear, maybe the 11/16". At first I used line wrenches, which have some great applications, but SCUBA isn't one of them... the tiny flats on some of these fittings preclude using anything wide though, so they went back into the "big" tool box and my Snap-On extra long wrenches came out. Normal length wrenches will work fine, but do buy something like a Craftsman or better. I really don't expect anyone on the board to go looking for Snap-On, Matco, or Mac wrenches, but the better you buy the easier the whole job is.

BTW, Starl would be the name (not familiar with them) as most wrenches are dropped forge steel with a chrome or matte finish. I do have a set of brass wrenches for working near super con magnets, but thats a WHOLE 'nother story.
 
Originally posted by Uncle Pug
you URT guys really chap my hide and so I think I'll even saw a few boards with my hatchet just to show you.....

Uncle Pug,

There are quite a few training agencies out there... you can get help! Asylums, hospitals, and many independant health professionals are available nationwide... :tease: (BTW, please make sure your hatchet has been O2 cleaned first before sawing high pine content woods)
 
Sorry Zept,

I have never heard of Starl in reference to steel before, so I missed the humor entirely. This is why colloquialisms are the hardest thing to pun with... very few understand their origin or significance.

As for manufacturers... I have seen a metric butt tonne of them, and most are horrific.
 
I just went over four of my regs (my stages are in the shop for PM) and saw something I hadn't really made note of before... With the exception of two hoses, all the flats are actually spaced out away from the body of the first stage, making it very easy to put a wrench, even a crescent, on them without marring the 1st's body.

Two hoses had flats going down to the body of the 1st, but these were quite wide, again allowing my small Craftsman 6” Crescent to easily engage the flats without bumping up against the body.

If you’re going to do this a lot, get a good set of wrenches. If this is a “field” repair, my 6” engaged all the surfaces without any interference from the 1st stage body or the hose crimps.
Originally posted by NetDoc
Still consider this...

1) the jaws of an adjustable wrench can be way too wide and the crimped portions of the hose can interfere with it.

2) the jaws of a crescent wrench are seldom parrallel

3) the resultant fit can deform a brass fitting, even on low torques. the corners will round FAR easier than a steel fitting. Remember, most fittings are chromed which makes the slipping and resultant deformation THAT much easier.

4) A set of wrenches is a GREAT thing to have.

5) As in diving... Use the RIGHT Tool (URT is a registered trademark and represents not only a degree of craftsmanship and technical skill but the proper attitude as well... merely owning a long primary wrench does not make you a true URT technician. :tease: )
1) Found not to be a problem on every hose I checked. In fact, the jaws on the 6" Crescent were narrower than the open end wrenches I was using.
2) Solved by buying a good Crescent
3) An attempt at making point 2 look like two seperate problems.
4) Yes
5) URT for field work is a Crescent for two reasons. First, it allows you to carry other URTs rather then fill up your tool box with a set of wrenches and secondly, if you only put a few wrenches in your field tools and you come upon some oddball size you don't have a wrench for, you're SOL because you can't URT.

At home I use open-end wrenches. In my save-a-dive tools I have a Crescent.

Actually I have two. If you take the dedicated wrench route remember that you may need two same-sized wrenches for the SPG or second stage connnections. So now double the number of individual wrenches you're carrying.

Dedicated wrenches is a worthwhile goal for the workbench, but a Crescent is a better solution for the field.

Roak
 
On some regs (like the AL Cousteau) the hoses are too recessed into the body to use most adjustable wrenches.

I have plenty of room in my save a dive kit for wrenches, including two 1/2" and 9/16" wrenches. I also have a few metrics thrown in, and a 15/16" for the yoke adapters on my Cousteaus. I use them thar adjustable wrenches on my lug nuts on my wheel :tease:

I don't have time tonight, but I will inventory my save a dive tool kit, and post it here. It might be "overkill", but not when someone needs it. I got laughed at for having an intermediate pressure guage... until I used it to solve a freeflow on a recently serviced reg.
 
Originally posted by NetDoc

I don't have time tonight, but I will inventory my save a dive tool kit, and post it here.

We await your list presented in verse...
You have time - no need to rehearse...
With rhyme and meter...
And quickly Peter...
Do your best and give us the worse...
 
NetDoc’s Save a dive tool box…

Tools:
1 set of Mac wrenches, 5/16” thru ¾”
3 long wrenches 1/2”, 9/16” & 5/8”
1 15mm & 26mm wrench
1 set of metric allen wrenches
1 set of fractional allen wrenches
#0, # 1 & #2 Phillips screwdrivers
3/16” & ¼” slotted screwdrivers
SS Needle nose pliers
SS hemostats
Robo grip pliers
Diagonal cutters
2 sizes snap ring pliers
2 brass picks (for o-rings)
dental probe
My small Intermediate Pressure guage
Tank Pressure guage
DIN/yoke adaptor
Yoke plugs for 200 bar OMS convertible tank valves

Supplies:
4 snorkel keepers
1 assortment of o-rings (Viton) #3, #10, #11, #12, #14, #112, both sizes tank valve to tank O-rings
1 inflator valve
1 duo air integrated inflator valve
1 metal & 1 plastic weight belt buckles
6 ft of 2” webbing
6 plastic weight keepers
Silicon grease
Krysto-lube
3 hose protectors
6 assorted brass clips
3 d-rings
bunch of 6” tie straps
bunch of 3” tie straps
2 ft of ¾” Velcro
10 ft 3/16” surgical tubing
10 ft ¼” surgical tubing
10 ft 3/16” bungee cord
various keepers for gauges, etc.
Mouthpiece
2 fin straps
2 mask straps
Anti-fog
Toothpaste
Various plugs for regulators
Regulator hose adaptors (for special needs with AL hoses)
Hp hose
Regulator hose
BC hose (the corrugated type)
(Last three actually reside in my dive bag with an extra mask)

Except for where noted, all this fits in a standard 16”x8”x8” plastic tool box from Sears. While these go with me on every dive trip, I don’t always take them on the boat. I probably should! I also will take along my O2 meter if I think I will be getting gas from the boat. (For gas from the fast food joints, I take along Di-Gel)

BTW, can I get anyone to come and help me clean up this mess on my den floor??? Actually, I did find a lot of extraneous crap in the box, so I threw all that stuff out.
 

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