Atomic o ring blew at 60'

[Akimbo]

Atomic has an extremely tiny bleed hole. There's no way it could drain a tank in 20-30 minutes.

As near as I can measure (which is not all that good), the orifice on the end of my Atomic hose is about 0.008" (not using it so it was easy to get to). No idea what size the test was on. It is about the same as the other hoses I have though. I have not checked the hole in my regulator’s HP ports.

I suppose it is academic, though interesting. No matter how you cut it, there’s plenty of time to make it to the surface.

 

[mikeycanuk]

I realize the free parts for life doesn't cover the HP hosed but my LDS said he 'd never changed any Cobalt o rings, he had to order the kit just to fix my sons leak. I just would of thought that a reg service would have normally covered the HP lines as well ( I got a bag full of old o rings and such after the 2nd reg service), that would have made sense but never assume anything. One thing about this sport, you never stop learning!


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[Akimbo]

On the hose side of the Atomic there is a small piston about 3/8" long, at the end there is a tiny O ring....

It sounds like the O-ring on the HP spool failed. Did it look like one of these?

Air Spool Straight - Northeast Scuba Supply Store

Sometimes they have a flange on them but always have two O-rings. You may have seen just one end. A spool is used between the standard HP hose and the Atomic quick disconnect. Take a look at this:

Atomic Aquatics Cobalt High Pressure Quick Disconnect | Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL

If that is where the leak was, you just use standard O-rings for an HP spool, same as on any SPG.

Edit: Sometimes the spool sticks in the hose end instead of the QD or SPG, but is the same part.

 

[mikeycanuk]

Sort of like the first pic but the second clearly shows the end where my son had his tiny leak, you need a pic on the inside if the other end. You'll need dental tools to be able to replace it, there isn't much room to work in there.


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[teknitroxdiver]

Does the whole spool not come out? They're only about 70 cents.

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[Akimbo]

Does the whole spool not come out? They're only about 70 cents...

Yes. It is prudent to change both O-rings, if not the whole spool when a leak occurs. Sometimes you have to destroy the spool with pliers if it is stuck too hard. Try ultrasonic cleaning first though.

 

[flots am]

As near as I can measure (which is not all that good), the orifice on the end of my Atomic hose is about 0.008" (not using it so it was easy to get to). No idea what size the test was on. It is about the same as the other hoses I have though. I have not checked the hole in my regulator’s HP ports.

Since a new diver can burn though a full tank in 20 minutes, and I've seen the kind of bubbles they produce, I'd be really surprised if that could come out of a high pressure port.

In any case, as you said, it's still plenty of time.

 

[Akimbo]

… You'll need dental tools to be able to replace it, there isn't much room to work in there…

True, that’s one reason many divers just change the whole spool rather than fool with those little O-rings. Another is that corrosion may have compromised the O-ring grooves in the spool.

 

[flots am]

As near as I can measure (which is not all that good), the orifice on the end of my Atomic hose is about 0.008" (not using it so it was easy to get to). No idea what size the test was on. It is about the same as the other hoses I have though. I have not checked the hole in my regulator’s HP ports.

I suppose it is academic, though interesting. No matter how you cut it, there’s plenty of time to make it to the surface.

I couldn't resist checking

Calculator: Air Flow Rate through an Orifice | TLV

The average rate though a .008" orifice is about 2 CFM @ 3000 PSI, 1CFM @ 1500 , 0.5CFM @ 750, etc., which would give about 70-80 minutes on a full tank.

 

[Akimbo]

Since a new diver can burn though a full tank in 20 minutes, and I've seen the kind of bubbles they produce, I'd be really surprised if that could come out of a high pressure port….

Since it sounds like Mike has a damaged hose to burn, maybe he can run an experiment (hint, hint!)?

Based on the Advanced Diver article, bleeding the tank down on the surface is the same as at 99 or 232'. I bet his local diver shop would be willing to donate a tank of air for the experiment.