Breathing from freeflowing reg

[TSandM]

Listen to Ber Rabbit. My first freeflow was very hard for me to handle simply because of the unholy NOISE and my inability to see anything because of the bubbles. Playing with purging a reg and getting used to breathing off it and to the noise and decreased vision is a good desensitization practice.

 

[stepup]

let me ask you this. If your reg does free flow at depth our insructor did show us how to breathe off of it but what can you do to stop it while under water. Is there anything or are you just supposed to let it go and get to the surface. He never mentioned anyhing to try to do to get through the dive.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

It's not hard to handle but you have to keep your head. I have all of my students try it in the pool for fun. There are a couple different things you can do when breathing off the regulator. You will most likely want to deflect at least some of the air that's shooting out and there are several ways to do this. You can keep the regulator in your mouth and place your tongue in front of the mouthpiece while you breathe. Some people hold the second stage in their hand with the mouthpiece half way in their mouth so they can still breathe off of it. Some even hold the mouthpiece completely out of their mouth and sip air from the free flow like they were drinking from a straw. You can actually get your mouthpiece fairly far away from your mouth and still breathe off of it if you sip carefully.

The thing about a free flow is that you have a bunch of bubbles around your face and a lot of noise plus the rushing air freezes your teeth, especially in cold water. All of this can be overwhelming if you've never experienced it and you really have to keep your head in the game. The nice thing is it's an easy skill to practice in a familiar environment whether that's a pool or local easy dive site. I usually practice it after my safety stop before I ascend, let your buddy know that's what you intend to do so they stay with you and watch for problems. Just depress your purge button and take a few breaths off the regulator. Start by pressing it a little bit so there is a small free flow and as you become accustomed to breathing off of it press the purge a little more. It's really not a big deal once you get used to it and in a real situation you're only going to be breathing off of it until you execute your "stop the free flow" procedure.
Ber :lilbunny:

Thanks, Ber. Very thorough and informative.

 

[Web Monkey]

let me ask you this. If your reg does free flow at depth our insructor did show us how to breathe off of it but what can you do to stop it while under water. Is there anything or are you just supposed to let it go and get to the surface. He never mentioned anyhing to try to do to get through the dive.

If it's freeflowing because the first stage iced up (inside), the only way to stop it is to turn off your tank and let the first stage thaw.

Assuming you're using a normal single tank recreational setup, this requires sharing air with your buddy However unless he has a real cold-water regulator, will proably cause his to freeflow while yours is thawing. A hard freeze in very cold water may take several minutes to thaw.

Your best bet might be to end the dive.

If you frequently get freeflows, you might consider buying a regulator with a sealed first stage, that is specifically designed for cold water. The Atomic Aquatics M1 for example is pretty much impossible to freeze.

There are other regs that are also hard or impossible to freeze, but I don't have any first hand experience with the others.

Terry

 

[Ber Rabbit]

If it's freeflowing because the first stage iced up (inside), the only way to stop it is to turn off your tank and let the first stage thaw.

Assuming you're using a normal single tank recreational setup, this requires sharing air with your buddy However unless he has a real cold-water regulator, will proably cause his to freeflow while yours is thawing. A hard freeze in very cold water may take several minutes to thaw.

Your best bet might be to end the dive.

Terry

Web Monkey brings up a great point, if your reg is free flowing your buddy's may be very close to doing so as well. We initiate our out of air procedure when the free flow starts and your buddy should shut your tank down. Were you taught to take alternate breaths when air sharing? One diver should be inhaling while the other is exhaling to try to minimize the demand on the first stage. The person who is providing the air in our class is the one who is responsible for watching their buddy's bubbles and waiting until they see them to start inhaling. Easy enough in controlled situations but its going to be pretty flipping hard to do if the person who had the free flow isn't calm. Our students are instructed to end the dive when there is a free flow even if you are able to turn the tank back on during or shortly after your ascent or safety stop. We figure if the equipment failed once in those conditions chances are good it may do so again so it's best to abort the dive and make whatever changes are necessary to prevent a recurrence.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[DougK]

Thanks for the replies. I very much intend to practice this the next time I am in the pool. And yes I am disppointed my instructor did not teach this. I even got a sick feel in my stomach when my co-worker told me she did. The sick feeling was what would I do if this happened to me underwater!

I will give it a try the next time I am in the water.

 

[redacted]

When this free flow is going on, you may very well need your hands for other things so don't mess with this holding the reg out in front of you and sipping it stuff. Just keep it in your mouth and breath, letting the excess air escape through the exhaust. you won't blow up. The exhaust valve opens at very low pressure. Turn you head to the side if you need to to keep the bubbles from dislodging your mask BUT, staying horizontal will help here too. DON'T GO VERTICAL...that's for walking not diving.

The air will be COLD. Once you have a handle on things, if you have a free hand, then you can back the reg out of your mouth a little for comfort.

Practice this until yo can manage it midwater. Since we dive midwater, that's where problems usually happen.

Thanks Mike. Something new to practice on boring lake dives.

 

[deepblueme]

You can seal pretty much any 1st stage.

But if freezing up is a real concern i would recamond a diaphram and have it oil filled unless it is supposed to have vodka in it.

Sealing a piston reg requires a type of grease that will trap grit and grime and salt.

Then you don't have to worry about 1st stage freeze up causing free flow just 2nd issues.

Or

Do like the oldtimers and just don't breathe from you reg till underwater when icediving.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Another option is to "feather" or modulate your tank valve --crack it open, breathe what you need, shut down the valve, exhale as you ascend, and repeat all the way to the surface. A last resort measure if your buddy is nowhere to be found. . .

 

[dmdoss]

My inst. had us do the sipping thing, works ok. But I like Mike's way better.