breathing vs the correct regulator
- Thread starter mrxray80
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Oh.
I read it as a "Piston vs. Diaphragm" thing...
I read it as a "Piston vs. Diaphragm" thing...
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Just so you know....I used the Scubapro entry level Mark 2 .. 1st stage , with R190 2nd down to 300 feet plenty of times ...While I tend to prefer the slightly easier breathing of the G250 2nd and Mark 25's I use as my daily regs, there was no problem doing a 300 foot dive with the entry level SB regs...they put out far more air than you could ever need. Breathing effort is "almost" nothing on the entry level ones, and essentially nothing on the high end Mark 25.....
It sounds like your problem is the guy that "Tuned" your reg...or detuned it...whatever was done to it.
Find a good reg maintenance guy....
You really need to revisit the lessons taught us by Boyle's Law. Deeper you go, denser the gas you breathe, quicker you use your available volume.
I have used MK25 Scubapros at depths greater than 100 metres, and that experience informs me that it's not the regulator that is "using" too much gas.
Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
Back in the day there was a Dacor double hose regulator called a "Dial-A-Breath" that you could dial down to restrict airflow. The thinking was that it would make divers use less air. The result was not so good and the reg was nicknamed "Dial-A-Death".
Simple fact, divers need the air they need period. This can improve over time possibly with more practice, sometimes not. You also can't Compare yourself with anybody else's usage, everybody's different. If you can't keep up with your buddies then get a bigger tank. Trying to restrict your air usage by shallow breathing or skip breathing is a really bad thing to do. Once C02 buildup happens from not cleansing your system with plenty of fresh Oxygen flow by breathing steadily and deeply it can be very uncomfortable and nasty causing a whole terrifying chain of events than can ruin your day, especially when deep.
It takes a lot of concentration of perseverance to get out of it and back to normal.
I've been there, not fun.
Simple fact, divers need the air they need period. This can improve over time possibly with more practice, sometimes not. You also can't Compare yourself with anybody else's usage, everybody's different. If you can't keep up with your buddies then get a bigger tank. Trying to restrict your air usage by shallow breathing or skip breathing is a really bad thing to do. Once C02 buildup happens from not cleansing your system with plenty of fresh Oxygen flow by breathing steadily and deeply it can be very uncomfortable and nasty causing a whole terrifying chain of events than can ruin your day, especially when deep.
It takes a lot of concentration of perseverance to get out of it and back to normal.
I've been there, not fun.
Well, let's give him a little break since he said that he was a new diver. I think we can summarize the advice so far as:
1. You have a totally top of the line reg that will last your lifetime. Replacing it will not change anything and, honestly, you could not replace it with anything that is better in any meaningful way. The whole piston vs diaphragm thing is irrelevant anymore for recreational diving as all regs can deliver more air than you need.
2. If the reg is not free-flowing on the boat when you open your tank valve, then it is tuned properly enough and most likely does not need a servicing
3. If you feel it "pushes" too much air to you, it has two adjustment features to adjust air flow. Read your manual and play with those to see if you can dial in the resistance you like.
4. As a newer diver, you might be breathing harder than you think due to stress, and a high-flow reg like yours will really deliver if you "suck hard" on it while inhaling. More practice with your breathing as you gain more experience will deal with this if you are self-aware at all, be patient.
5. Don't ever feel you are an "air hog" or need to be ashamed of your air consumption. As everyone says, you need what you need. You will need less as you gain experience, but you might always use more air than others. That is no big deal at all and you should never try to conserve air, skip breathe, etc because that leads to CO2 buildup which increases fatigue, decreases judgment, and all sorts of bad things. If you need the air, suck it down proudly!!! And, be glad you have a regulator that delivers.
4. As everyone else said, you use much more air at depth due to basic physics.
1. You have a totally top of the line reg that will last your lifetime. Replacing it will not change anything and, honestly, you could not replace it with anything that is better in any meaningful way. The whole piston vs diaphragm thing is irrelevant anymore for recreational diving as all regs can deliver more air than you need.
2. If the reg is not free-flowing on the boat when you open your tank valve, then it is tuned properly enough and most likely does not need a servicing
3. If you feel it "pushes" too much air to you, it has two adjustment features to adjust air flow. Read your manual and play with those to see if you can dial in the resistance you like.
4. As a newer diver, you might be breathing harder than you think due to stress, and a high-flow reg like yours will really deliver if you "suck hard" on it while inhaling. More practice with your breathing as you gain more experience will deal with this if you are self-aware at all, be patient.
5. Don't ever feel you are an "air hog" or need to be ashamed of your air consumption. As everyone says, you need what you need. You will need less as you gain experience, but you might always use more air than others. That is no big deal at all and you should never try to conserve air, skip breathe, etc because that leads to CO2 buildup which increases fatigue, decreases judgment, and all sorts of bad things. If you need the air, suck it down proudly!!! And, be glad you have a regulator that delivers.
4. As everyone else said, you use much more air at depth due to basic physics.
george_austin
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The regulator is just an innocent bystander until you begin your breathing cycles based on a combination of factors from visibility to lead to trim to experience / comfort. Consider Boyle's Law too as you talked about your dives in 80 - 90 fsw. Diaphragm or Piston, all modern regulators will provide more air than you can possibly use in your breathing cycles within recreational limits, unless you'er a Blue Whale or an Elephant or something. Just keep diving and I'll bet you that your SAC goes down in relative proportion to your experience in EVERY kind of conditions, from the Caribbean to California
Recreational divers, vaca divers who travel and dive only a few times a year and spend the majority of time well above 100 feet, are being seriously over sold on dive equipment. The SP195 with MkII is a fully capable regulator. The second stage housing is the same as the SPG260. The first stage is unbalanced with a piston and it's operating IP range is well within the normal IP range that most balanced first stages are set to. The WOB is Very Good on the ANSTI machine. It is an excellent regulator.
N
Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
I don't see why a MK2 couldn't be used for all heavy use recreational diving in anything but extreme cold, and even including some tech diving like Dan mentioned he has done.
If I knew then what I know now when I bought my first reg set I would have just bought a MK2/R-something and been happy for the rest of my recreational diving life. Instead I was upsold on a MK20/G200B (which is nice) but overkill for the dives I was doing and still do.
The MK2 has one moving part, two if you count the spring, two O-rings and a little white teflon HP seat. Parts are widely available through sourced kits for about $10 and the reg can be rebuilt in about 30 seconds blindfolded.
Like I said, If I only knew.
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