Bands to hold purge valve open

[aquaregia]

The other thing is that you're not going to corrode your regulator by storing it "unsealed" from ambient air due to the seat saver. Maybe you're forgetting that there is another opening to ambient, specifically the mouthpiece.

If the LP seat is closed, won't that keep the internals of the first stage sealed from the mouthpiece?

 

[Zung]

Isn't the G250 adjustable? My Oceanic Alpha octo is not adjustable was set with high cracking pressure, which I believe implies a lot of pressure on the valve seat.

Adam

Yes it is, but I rarely touch the knob.
However, the G250 is a balanced 2nd, with a much lighter spring than a non-balanced 2nd.
But then, my wife's (former) 2nd is a M5/G200 unbalanced with a stiff spring, and it was in the exact same situation: 9-10 years in storage, no issue. I serviced this one last winter and downgraded it to a backup. The seat is clearly but neatly marked, no freeflow at all before service.

 

[halocline]

If the LP seat is closed, won't that keep the internals of the first stage sealed from the mouthpiece?

Yep, it occurred to me after I posted that leisure proski might be referring to the first stage staying dry, and theoretically I suppose it is possible for humidity to travel up the hose from the 2nd stage. However, I can't imagine that having the slightest corrosive effect on the 1st stage parts in any reasonable amount of time or any reasonable amount of humidity. However, anyone concerned about that could simply plug the mouthpiece. I store several of my first stages in a drawer with some of the port plugs out.

It's dried salt water that causes the problems.

 

[Couv]

My seats are custom made by a master seat specialist who manufactures them from a sheet of 80 durometer ethylene propylene diene monomer synthetic rubber. He considers silicone an inferior material for seat use and would scoff at the use of such an archaic material in this application.

c

 

[Marek K]

My seats are custom made by a master seat specialist who manufactures them from a sheet of 80 durometer ethylene propylene diene monomer synthetic rubber. He considers silicone an inferior material for seat use and would scoff at the use of such an archaic material in this application.

c

I'm... um... not sure what that tells me.

OK... Did you guys ever figure out if a modern valve seat lasts longer when the purge is depressed? Because we've got two old Sherwoods that have the detent plunger to keep it depressed.

Considering the diameter of an HP hose, I wouldn't imagine there's much risk of moisture or contamination getting into the first stage.

But would there be any problem with the spring continuously being under tension?

 

[Zung]

What he means is: his seats are painstakingly crafted out of an EPDM sheet with a hole punch by a skillfull and highly trained/certified elf.

The compression of the spring is worth some thoughts: for the 109/G200/M5, the seat is basically expendable, so the spring has higher priority. But the 156/G250 seats are harder to get and cost like what? 5 bucks a piece?

 

[Marek K]

What he means is: his seats are painstakingly crafted out of an EPDM sheet with a hole punch by a skillfull and highly trained/certified elf.

The compression of the spring is worth some thoughts: for the 109/G200/M5, the seat is basically expendable, so the spring has higher priority. But the 156/G250 seats are harder to get and cost like what? 5 bucks a piece?

Priority for me is whether I can extend the service interval to two years or so. I wouldn't be doing the service myself anyway.

 

[halocline]

What he means is: his seats are painstakingly crafted out of an EPDM sheet with a hole punch by a skillfull and highly trained/certified elf.

Well, not exactly an elf......

 

[Zung]

Priority for me is whether I can extend the service interval to two years or so...

Easily, unless you're one of them fortunate few who do more than 50-100 dives a year.

 

[Marek K]

Easily, unless you're one of them fortunate few who do more than 50-100 dives a year.

So as far as the second stage seat is concerned, whether or not the purge is depressed -- keeping the seat off the orifice -- won't make much difference over the course of two years?

Like I said, before, with an IP gauge now, I'll be able to monitor what's happening with the first stage.