Change of regulator advice

[Hintermann]

I have an Apeks XTX50 regulator which has been with me for 8 years and around 430 gives and after accompanying me on 17 of my 18 liveaboard cruises, it beginning to wear out a bit. The main problem is a slight leak from the main second stage which keeps recurring despite regular servicing. I had it serviced just before my recent Raja Ampat trip but had to change to a rented 2nd stage because of a steady leak. Now my LDS has agreed to try and rectify the problem free of cost but I just had another idea.

I have 4 more dive trips scheduled before hanging-up my fins for good in 2016. My wife has already retired from diving and her Oceanic Delta 4 regulator, less than 100 dives old, is just sitting in its case. It is much lighter and easier to pack than the awkward Apeks and the mouthpiece fits me OK. I am thinking of borrowing it but is that change inadvisible? Will it make a significant difference to my air consumption?

 

[tbone1004]

shouldn't make any change but the XTX should be pretty easy to fix. Your gas consumption should be identical.

Send the XTX to me!! I'll dispose of it properly for you...

 

[runsongas]

the xtx is pneumatically balanced, you may see a performance change depending on how often you use the adjustment knob during a dive. i don't have a delta 4, but i do have a similar mechanically balanced dive rite and xtx50s. the xtx50 does breath a bit better imo, ymmv though.

 

[Hintermann]

One thing I noticed was that my wife's air consumption when we dived together (this was when my XTX was not leaking) was significantly lower than me. She is a much smaller person but not particularly athletic; but starting at 200 bar on a 12L aluminium tank, she usually emerged with 70 to 80 bar after an hour's dive, whereas I had 30 to 40 bar with the same kind of tank on the same dive, as did most others on the boat with similar age profiles as ourselves. I did wonder if it was because of the regulators.

 

[KathyV]

Can you take both regulators (the repaired Apeks and the Oceanic) with you on the next trip to try them out and compare performance?

I am certainly not an expert on regulators but I truly believe that your regulator can make a big difference in air consumption. I know that there are others that don't share my opinion but my very first regulator was an Oceanic Omega. I used it for many years and it was okay but never great. Maybe it was defective but we have our gear serviced every year and no one could ever find any mechanical problems.

But I would often experience a slight spray of salt water in my mouth during dives and I always used up the air very fast. I was consistently the first diver back on the boat, and sometimes with less than the recommended 500 psi. I made a lot of efforts to reduce air consumption, often staying shallow during the dives but I still quickly used up air. My husband would go deeper and still have half a tank left while I would be running out; it was very annoying for both of us.

I always figured that the problem was me and never considered that my regulator might be a factor. I finally got tired of the salt water spray in my mouth and I decided to get a new regulator so I bought a ScubaPro. I didn't change any other gear, lifestyle, or dive behaviors but the change in my air consumption was dramatic and immediate from the first time I dived with the new regulator (and I didn't have any more salt water spray problems, either.) Now I can do the entire dive with my husband and frequently I have more air left than he does when we get back on the boat. I was really surprised by the change, I never thought that a regulator could make such a big difference.

I know that Oceanic is a respected manufacturer with a good reputation. I don't know if the problem was with that specific model or just a flaw in my regulator, but I feel certain that the regulator made a big difference in my air consumption. My husband doubts my assertions and in fact he just retired his old Dacor Fury and bought an Oceanic Alpha. He likes it fine and has seen no difference in his air consumption so we've agreed to disagree. He is happy that I now have longer bottom times, though.

My advice is to try out your wife's regulator and see how it works for you; it may be great or it may not be what you are hoping for; good luck!

 

[jarrow]

Maybe a smaller person has smaller lungs and therefore less air consumption

 

[tbone1004]

The Omega is a different beast because it is a completely different regulator design. It is a servo-assist so behaves very differently than the regulators above. You'll be fine with the Delta 4, same basic design. You shouldn't notice any difference

 

[KathyV]

The Omega is a different beast because it is a completely different regulator design. It is a servo-assist so behaves very differently than the regulators above. You'll be fine with the Delta 4, same basic design. You shouldn't notice any difference

Thank you for the clarification; it is good to get confirmation that there was a design difference between my 2 regulators. I wish I had gotten rid of the Omega much sooner. I especially regret our liveaboard trip to the Red Sea, it was all drift diving and I was always the first person up and signaling for an early pick-up. Later when we did a liveaboard in the Sea of Cortez using my ScubaPro, it was again drift diving but I was able to stay with my husband and enjoy nice long dives - a big difference!

 

[Bob DBF]

If I had the same problem after service, I'd find a new reg tech. I do it myself so I can deal with the knucklehead with the wrench and get results immediately.


Bob

 

[KathyV]

If I had the same problem after service, I'd find a new reg tech. I do it myself so I can deal with the knucklehead with the wrench and get results immediately. Bob

Thanks, you are right. I can't do the repairs myself but I agree about getting a new reg tech. I am sure that we used 2 different shops during the time that I was using the Omega - no special reason it just worked out that way; but I didn't realize that the regulator was a factor in my air consumption. I was sure it had more to do with my physiology or dive skills. The salt water spray problem was annoying but not critical so it took me a long while to finally get fed up and invest in a new regulator. I am older and wiser now and so I will also consider equipment and the skills of service techs if I encounter problems in the future.