Button Gauge on Sidemount
- Thread starter DiverDownDave
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Heh heh one of my instructors said something like "don't bend it back on my account" due to the strain placed on the HP hoses. After thinking about it for a bit, I stopped doing that with stages, too.
DevonDiver
N/A
I suspect the issue of using button gauges is one of economy/finance. I can see no other reason why one would be suggested.
I tried lollipop gauges, but I didn't like the extra clutter on my chest/front shoulders - the busiest area with sidemount.
Honest question; but what makes you favor having them like this? Pros versus cons? I assume you originated in backmount - and were used to stowing the gauge on your left-hip d-ring, where it wouldn't be "at a glance". Or did you clip them up to the shoulder straps etc for the same benefit?
Also, when rotating the 1st stage to offer convenient SPG routing, doesn't that also make your other hose routing less optimal? I'm assuming, again, that you must be using a top-mounted inflator - as a bottom mounted inflator, run from the 1st stage 5th-port (end port) would mean the LPI hose was routed down to the belly - screwing up the LPI stowage.
I think the big issue is if you flex and unflex it repeatedly. I have some stage regs that have bent spg hoses for many years and they haven't an issue,but I leave them that way,and don't unflex them.
SanDiegoSidemount
Contributor
I like having the gauge tight to the first stage. Checking "at a glance" is not exactly accurate, since I do have to pull the tank out of my armpit. When I grab the tank to do this, I'm generally grabbing the valve, so when I pull it out on the bungee to check pressure, the gauge is right there by my hand, rotated so it faces me.
Pointed down along the tank, the SPG is further out of my range of vision and requires an extra grab to check it. And I don't like the clutter of having the SPG stick out "lollipop style" in some other direction.
I use a standard hip clipped SPG on my backmount rig, and I'm fine with it. Sidemount doubles require much more attention to gas pressure: there are two tanks and SPGs, and the need to switch sources every 500psi to keep 'em balanced. That's why this is a great discussion, the more efficient this process can be, the better.
I use an LP manifold, so I only have to worry about one LP hose on the first stage. It routes down along the tank, under the stage bungee to near my hip, then up along my shoulder strap to where the QC-6 connects. All the rest -- short hose, long hose, BC inflate, drysuit inflate -- are connected to the manifold between my shoulder blades.
Too many bad experiences with button gauges to recommend them for any use. Have used both branded and cheap unbranded ones.
I tend to use a 9" hose on my left side and a 6" on the right side. This works well for me and most students.
I tend to use a 9" hose on my left side and a 6" on the right side. This works well for me and most students.
Garth
Contributor
Can you describe your bad experiences as to what happened when they occurred.
I use button gauges on my bailout tanks facing downward, protected by the valve. I place a small piece of clear rubber 1"tubing around them to further protect the face of the gauge.
It certainly cleans up the top of the bottle for looping bungee around it when side-mounting bailout.
Interested to know what people have had problems with as I haven't had any. Without the spool like the other SPGs I haven't had a single problem.
Thanks for anyone who has any details,
Garth
Garth
Nothing life-threatening, but many small annoyances and some thumbed dives.
Problems have included:
-broken spg face
-stuck needlee
-difficulty to read (for students)
-lack of reading precision (do you do SAC rates with these?)
A lot of this came down to bad build quality. Haven't used them for years now. Maybe this has improved. What brand do you use?
Problems have included:
-broken spg face
-stuck needlee
-difficulty to read (for students)
-lack of reading precision (do you do SAC rates with these?)
A lot of this came down to bad build quality. Haven't used them for years now. Maybe this has improved. What brand do you use?
+1 to all those. Once upon a time I had half-a-dozen button gauges on stage/deco regs, now I have, erm, none. I think a couple of them still sort-of work, but they are incredibly prone to sticking and they're not accurate enough. A degree of inaccuracy isn't especially a problem with deco tanks, but - in my view - is unacceptable for bottom gas.
I use button gauges on my deco bottles but not on primary gas bottles where gas management requires having a more accurate reading. A button gauge just won't give you a close enough estimate of the amount of gas you have in your cylinders. As for keeping the SPGs from sticking out like curb feelers, if you have diaphragm 1st stages you can orient the cylinders so the 1st stage is facing up in your armpits. This will put the SPG right in front of your shoulder rather than sticking out in front of you. If you look at most 1st stages you'll notice the HP ports have a slight angle to them pointing them away from the DIN/yoke side. This is what makes them stick out so much when the 1st stage is facing away from you on the cylinder.
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