Basic? questions on regulator caring

[HISSDC]

Hello, I'm kinda new and have been searching a lot about this...
But I'm still unsure and have several questions about regulators.

*Cleaning and maintaining
1. I've saw a lot of posts recommending to leave the cap off for 1~2 days to let any moisture dry out, but does this apply too when I dry them outdoors? Won't the moisture just attract more dust to accumulate in in the filter?

2. We've been submerging our regulators in fresh water for several minutes to hours, but later I found out that most of the dust caps can't keep water out, and it's been sneaking in. I recently started to submerge only the 2nd stages and rinse the 1st stages in flowing water, but I'm not sure if this is enough to clean the 1st stages
(I once licked.. one after cleaning and it was slightly salty. Not to mention about the chambers not getting proper rinsing with just flowing water over them.)
What could be the best compromise?

3. We use our regulators in the swimming pool really often, but we rarely rinse them in fresh water- we dry every gear- boots, bc, regulator, fin, mask, snorkel- and store them that way.
(I recently found an old snorkel with the plastic weak and cracked- is this the future of our gears if this continues?)

4. When hose tearing is not severe (only signs of slight cracks), we cover them with electric tape and dive. I'm pretty sure there are dangers lurking under this- what are they, and what's the worst scenario?

+
*about cold water diving
5. when diving in cold water ( near 7 degrees celsius, about 22meters depth), my friend reported a freeflowing regulator. Went up and checked it on a tank, and it wasn't leaking at all.
It's Apeks DS4, had a octopus and due to unopening Environmental cap, has a low IP and is unable to adjust.
I have no idea what's wrong, and if it's safe to use it again.


Please leave thoughts! Any would be immensely helpful.

 

[halocline]

1. A good way to dry out your reg after soaking/rinsing is to put it on a tank and blow some dry air through it. Then store it with the cap on.

2. It is not true that "most" of the caps cannot keep water out; in fact that is exactly what they are intended to be used for. If your first stage is getting water internally from soaking the reg, it's because you either have a faulty cap, or it's not on tight enough, or water is getting in through a seat saver in one of the 2nd stages. There's an easy test to see if your cap seals. Put the cap on and try to suck some air through the 2nd stages. If you can't, you have a good seal. If you can, then either the dust cap or something in the 2nd stage is leaking; often it is the 2nd stage. A good way to find out is to remove the 2nd stage from the hose if you can and then try sucking on the hose.

I soak my regulators for hours after salt water dives, and they are typically clean when I rebuild them after years of use. Most of my regs are at least 20 years old.

3. Chlorine is probably bad for some plastics and probably not so good for metals either, but honestly I don't know much about it. I would rinse your gear in fresh, non-chlorinated water after pool use.

4. I replace hoses when I find some significant cracks, it's hard to know what you mean by "slight". The tape is certainly doing little or nothing to help the situation. The worst case scenario is dependent on how you dive, I guess. If a LP hose burst during a dive, your tank would drain amazingly fast. Are you prepared for that? If so, it means a quick end to the dive and no more diving until you replace the hose. If you are not prepared for it, it could mean panic and injury or death. It's not an easy question to answer.

5. A sealed 1st stage, with the IP adjusted low, is exactly what most cold water divers recommend. So I would have no idea why your apeks is free flowing in cold water. Whether it's 'safe' I guess depends on what you mean by safe. Safe from happening again? Nope. Life-threatening? Not if you are prepared to handle the free flow as you did when it happened the first time. But you'll probably need to find a good tech. If this is an "overbalanced" first stage, meaning IP rises more than the change in ambient pressure with increased depth, that might have something to do with it. 28 meters is pretty deep. So the IP could have gone up enough to make one of the 2nd stages start flowing or freeze due to higher flow. These are just guesses.

 

[BoltSnap]

*Cleaning and maintaining
1. I've saw a lot of posts recommending to leave the cap off for 1~2 days to let any moisture dry out, but does this apply too when I dry them outdoors? Won't the moisture just attract more dust to accumulate in in the filter?



3. We use our regulators in the swimming pool really often, but we rarely rinse them in fresh water- we dry every gear- boots, bc, regulator, fin, mask, snorkel- and store them that way.
(I recently found an old snorkel with the plastic weak and cracked- is this the future of our gears if this continues?)

4. When hose tearing is not severe (only signs of slight cracks), we cover them with electric tape and dive. I'm pretty sure there are dangers lurking under this- what are they, and what's the worst scenario?

1. I wouldn't leave the dust cap off for any length of time at all. I would properly rinse the dust cap with fresh water and make sure that it is very dry and put it back on to seal the first stage air inlet. If you have any suspicion that water may have entered the first stage, do what @halocline suggested right away.

3. Chlorinated water is probably worse on gear than salt water. I rinse and soak ALL equipment used in the pool immediately after coming out of the pool.

4. If I find ANY cracks or ANY damage in any of the regulator hoses, they get replaced immediately. I also, generally, replace hoses after 4 - 5 year use even if there are no visible signs of damage. Don't mess with these hoses and don't be cheap about it! I do NOT want any hose, especially LP hose, to rupture when the regulator is pressurized ESPECIALLY underwater!!!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

1. Soak the 1st stage only if pressurized and on a tank. If not the soak and RINSE the seconds and rinse the 1st with the cap on. You need to rinse as well as soak because once you put any gear used in saltwater in a freshwater tank to rinse it is no longer freshwater. Just slightly less salty water.
2. Dust caps are dust caps. Not water caps. Some people get lucky and their caps keep water out. The caps that are not solid rubber and go over the inlet that are more like cones will let water in. Tighten them too much and they collapse around the rim, not enough and they don't seal. DIN caps are somewhat better but I still see evidence of saltwater intrusion when servicing regs.
3. Everything gets rinsed with freshwater. Chlorine is hard on everything. The more chlorine in the water the better you need to rinse.
4. Hoses that show signs of cracking get replaced immediately. No if's, and's, or but's.
5. Get the reg serviced or don't use it. A sealed reg with low IP should not free flow. Something is wrong with it.

 

[wgmontgomery]

FWIW-I don't "rinse & dry-off" my dust cap before capping the reg after a dive/before a soak. I carry a second dust cap in a plastic bag (Derlin DIN caps are $4 at DGX) and always put on a 100% dry cap after each dive. After I rinse & soak the reg in fresh water (changed at least twice) I put it in the shade to dry. I put the original cap on before storage & put cap #2 back in its plastic bag.
Cl is VERY harsh...assuming the pool uses Cl. Some use salt water. Pools also contain acid (HCl if I remember correctly) to maintain pH. Cl...acid? Harsh? You bet!! Just look at any metal (screws that hold the plastic drain cover, for example) anywhere in the pool & you'll probably see corrosion.
I have always rinsed/soaked my regs (except my AA with its "seat saver") & actually had the same question (if the dust cap keeps out water); every tech I've asked has said that if properly seated, the cap should seal water tight. I can only say that I've never had a problem & have always rinsed & soaked my regs.

 

[Oldbear]

1. Soak the 1st stage only if pressurized and on a tank. If not the soak and RINSE the seconds and rinse the 1st with the cap on. You need to rinse as well as soak because once you put any gear used in saltwater in a freshwater tank to rinse it is no longer freshwater. Just slightly less salty water.
2. Dust caps are dust caps. Not water caps. Some people get lucky and their caps keep water out. The caps that are not solid rubber and go over the inlet that are more like cones will let water in. Tighten them too much and they collapse around the rim, not enough and they don't seal. DIN caps are somewhat better but I still see evidence of saltwater intrusion when servicing regs.
3. Everything gets rinsed with freshwater. Chlorine is hard on everything. The more chlorine in the water the better you need to rinse.
4. Hoses that show signs of cracking get replaced immediately. No if's, and's, or but's.
5. Get the reg serviced or don't use it. A sealed reg with low IP should not free flow. Something is wrong with it.

Jim is right on the money here...

Soak your 1st Stage while still pressurized on the tank...stick tank and regulator together into the dip tank.

Dust caps are NOT watertight caps

Chlorine is super hard on dive gear...I have dedicated "pool" gear just for that reason

Crack hoses = hose replacement time

If it does not work...get it fix

 

[HISSDC]

Thanks for all the advices, I should probably read them all over to decide what is best.

 

[Fossil_Diver]

My dust caps have the same o rings installed on them as my tank valves and they seal water tight. They also can be used as a spare if the tank o ring goes bad.

 

[herman]

Some of the other types may not be but the classic cone shaped ones with the oring are water tight. Properly installed and if the dust cap has an oring it's installed properly and in good shape, they are water tight....actually they use the same type seal as a tank. That said, it's not uncommon for the orings to be missing and unnoticed.

 

[diversteve]

(I recently found an old snorkel with the plastic weak and cracked- is this the future of our gears if this continues?)

Mine are pretty much in that condition about every 5-10 years but for most of that they're riding around in my bag. I've found ones with the corrugated tubing or that fold up are the worst - I had one crack on a dive once when I needed it - started breathing wet suddenly. Mine never see chlorine except what's in my city water during rinsing.

Atomics have a hard rubber dust cap so moderately tight and it doesn't leak while soaking/submerged. They likely work equally well on other gear.

However due to their seat saver, you can't soak both stages at the same time or water might get into the 1st stage internals thru the 2nd stage/hose. I just soak them one stage a t time since I don't own a tank to drop them in the rinse bucket with.

I believe the Aqualung ACD (Automatic Closure Device) has something to do with not allowing water to enter past the dustcap in case you have one of them.