Cave Course w/ a Rebreather

[padiscubapro]

your right about that, but any catostrphic failure would pretty much screw you over, you hear about guys getting leaks and the getting "caustic cocktail"

I think rebreathers are great 9wish I could afford one, lol), but If your using a unit with no bailout its not apropriate for caving

A "caustic cocktail"is pretty unlikely on a properly designed rig... I have had almost HALF my cannister flooded and never had an issue.. Most of the reports come from recreational designs like the drager which have very poor water trapping ability..

Carrying OC bailout is the norm (although forreally big dives a second RB is an option).

The other group of divers that get a "CC" is miliraty/commercial divers since they use lithium hydroxide which does not like any water at all.. This is primarily where the term came from.. Civilian rigs use Sodalime which NEEDS water to function..

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

...if not a full-blown hijack...

The other group of divers that get a "CC" is miliraty/commercial divers since they use lithium hydroxide which does not like any water at all.. This is primarily where the term came from.. Civilian rigs use Sodalime which NEEDS water to function..

So WHY does the mil/com community use lithium hydroxide?

 

[padiscubapro]

...if not a full-blown hijack...



So WHY does the mil/com community use lithium hydroxide?

The duration per Kilo and per volume is much greater than that of sodalime which is a combination of sodium and calcium hydroxide (in medical use they add potasium hydroxide in a small quantity).. Its also used in the space program as well where weight is an issue.
If lithium hydroxide gets wet the loop becomes very unbreathable very fast.. Sodalime only becomes a problem if there is enough water to "wash" the chemical down the loop and to the diver.. The dust from sodalime is an irritant, it can be inhaled, and will be a slight bit unpleasant but it wouldn't force one off the loop necessarily..
A little bit of moisture laden with sodalime will have a chalky taste, it doesnt taste the best but its bearable..

There are lots of other chemicals that have been tried with various levels of success..