Can I purchase any regulator and adapt it for use with my Brownies Third Lung?

[herman]

Hate to burst your bubble but that adapter is not going to work. Sure it will screw in but you are not accounting for the 2 sealing surfaces you need. If you look in the hose, I am betting there is an oring in there around a male section. It should extend into your adapter and mate with a sealing surface. Even if you got the diameter correct ( and considering its metric it's not likely) the surface needs to be polished so the oring will seal. Then there must be a second male section with an oring on your adapter that goes into the second stage, look at the end of a standard LP hose. Without these 2 seals, the adapter is not going to work. It is going to leak badly. In addition, second stages are not "adjusted" for a lower IP. To some extent they can be but for the amount you will be needing ( I am assuming the Brownie runs at an IP of 80-110) the second stage will have to be modified with lighter springs to work properly. These are not standard (or OEM for that matter) parts so it is very unlikely a dive shop will touch them....let alone have someone who actually knows how. My best guess (without having the parts in my hand) at how you will have to go about this is to remove a standard LP fitting from an old hose, remove the fitting off your hose and have the LP fitting installed by a hydraulic hose supplier. Or if you can find a proper female adapter for your hose, have an adapter hose made up.

 

[geekedup]

XS Scuba Hookah Second Stage Regulator could've been an option.

i think i wouldve had the same problem. that looks like a standard 9/16the old brownies hose i have is 20x1.5

---------- Post added November 26th, 2015 at 09:32 AM ----------

I am betting there is an oring in there around a male section.

there is no o-ring in this hose

---------- Post added November 26th, 2015 at 09:41 AM ----------

My best guess (without having the parts in my hand) at how you will have to go about this is to remove a standard LP fitting from an old hose, remove the fitting off your hose and have the LP fitting installed by a hydraulic hose supplier. Or if you can find a proper female adapter for your hose, have an adapter hose made up.

worst case, I'm only $30 into the stainless steel plugs and I can reuse the 3 DGX second stages for my scuba gear i have now, so, it wouldn't be a total loss.

if i can find someone who'd donate 3 old lp hoses with standard fittings, or find them some place cheap (can i buy just the stainless steel LP hose fittings?)

i actually went to a hydraulic hose shop that was ready to install a 9/16" fitting onto my brownies hose but the problem was that they only deal in steel fitting and it would have rusted immediately. if i brought them all the hardware i need, theyd happily modify my hoses.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Can he simply splice the hose? I have done it with pneumatic tools - never on life support equipment.

More specifically, chop the end off the Brownie's hose, chop the end off a normal regulator hose, get a 3- inch piece of stainless tubing that inserts in both hoses, slap it together, put two hose clamps on each end ?

Worked for a pneumatic tool, but it might be a stupid way to die?

 

[herman]

Hummm, there has to be some form of seal, not likely a metal to metal seal although some do exist. There could be an oring in the female part of the original second stage, in any case, there has to be seals somewhere.....could be missing from the hose or if it's old, I have seen them so flattened it was difficult to see it.

 

[geekedup]

Can he simply splice the hose? I have done it with pneumatic tools - never on life support equipment.

More specifically, chop the end off the Brownie's hose, chop the end off a normal regulator hose, get a 3- inch piece of stainless tubing that inserts in both hoses, slap it together, put two hose clamps on each end ?

Worked for a pneumatic tool, but it might be a stupid way to die?

i think that'd be very doable.. i just dont have 3 old LP second stage hoses around..

if this project crashes and burns, i'll go that route next. i'm too deep at this point!

 

[diversteve]

Brownie's is in Pompano. Might be worth a drive/call to see if they sell an adapter. I can't believe you're the first to do this.

Our Sales Team |

 

[Tracy]

i think i wouldve had the same problem. that looks like a standard 9/16the old brownies hose i have is 20x1.5

---------- Post added November 26th, 2015 at 09:32 AM ----------



there is no o-ring in this hose

---------- Post added November 26th, 2015 at 09:41 AM ----------



worst case, I'm only $30 into the stainless steel plugs and I can reuse the 3 DGX second stages for my scuba gear i have now, so, it wouldn't be a total loss.

if i can find someone who'd donate 3 old lp hoses with standard fittings, or find them some place cheap (can i buy just the stainless steel LP hose fittings?)

i actually went to a hydraulic hose shop that was ready to install a 9/16" fitting onto my brownies hose but the problem was that they only deal in steel fitting and it would have rusted immediately. if i brought them all the hardware i need, theyd happily modify my hoses.

I will send you some lp reg hose ends. How many do you want and where do I send them?

Sent from my Dive Rite Bridge II

 

[geekedup]

Brownie's is in Pompano. Might be worth a drive/call to see if they sell an adapter. I can't believe you're the first to do this.

Our Sales Team |

That was my first stop. They told me they no longer service my equipment and were happy to sell me 3 new kits at $200 a piece.

---------- Post added November 26th, 2015 at 01:10 PM ----------

i will send you some lp reg hose ends. How many do you want and where do i send them?

Sent from my dive rite bridge ii

pm sent!

 

[geekedup]

Thanks everyone who chimed in on this thread!

I got everything working.

After a couple of different attempts:

1) the adapters i bought and drilled/tapped worked, but it took me a really long time to drill/tap the first one so i wanted to try something different

2) i actually sawed off the plastic male 20x1.5 fitting on the old regulator since its plastic, and just ran the 9/16 tap through the hole where the valve originally was. that worked also, but, i didnt feel comfortable with that setup

3) i ended up buying some stainless steel oetiker clamps and brass fittings for my hoses from amazon. This turned out to be the winner. it took like 2 minutes to do each hose this way.

i tested the brownies this weekend in the neighbor's pool and the dive rite regulators work perfectly.

the key to the whole thing was a bunch of top end kits i had laying around the garage for my 1984 honda 200x atc! lol ... there are some rubber o-rings that come with those kits i never use and they fit perfectly into the fittings on the hose and kept them from leaking any air.

 

[Tracy]

You didn't just install the hose ends I sent you onto your hoses?

Sent from my Dive Rite Bridge II