Common Equipment Failures?

[Gombessa]

As a new diver, I rent or borrow pretty much everything except for mask, snorkel and fins. In my 30 dives, I've had 1 stuck inflator (slowly and steadily leaked air into the wing) and two BCs that couldn't stay inflated (right at that pull-dump where the corrugated inflator hose connects to the BC). One of the latter I caught at the store, the other was a slow enough leak where I didn't notice until some time in the water and had no trouble topping-off at the surface.

These problems happened on different equipment on different trips, and I'm pretty certain they're isolated. However, it got me wondering, how often do you run into problems, and what kind of problems are they?

 

[hudson]

I haven't run into any problems yet (underwater at any rate) in about 70 dives, but I dive and maintain my own gear. This doesn't quite answer your question, but look into getting your own gear - you have enough dives under your belt to make meaningful decisions after some research.

Edit: OK I lied, I had a weight belt pop open and a rubber one disintegrate.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Common problems are free flows on regs, leaking bc inflators, reg mouth pieces falling off or damaged, fin and mask strap breaking, leaking pressure guages, computer battery problems, flashlight leakage, weight belts poping open because they are loose and people use plastic buckles......

 

[piikki]

In the brief period that I rented equipment the most common problems I encountered were poorly attached thingamagigs. I have had reg hoses pop off or hanging loose, reg/octo covers and mouthpieces hanging on by a thread or at worst the octo cover must have popped off with previous customer who then screwed it back on but did not notice that the diaphragm had fallen out meanwhile...

Common problems with loan gear has been also broken or missing buckles and half useless velcros that can cause a bit of a mishap when cummerbund wants to open mid flight or weight pockets do not want to stay put. These kinds of things convinced me fairly quickly that I wanted my own gear because pre-dive checks at the shop alone were too aggravating (swapping between bad and worse offerings).

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Flooded Lights and Camera housings.

Mask strap attachment point.

Inflator slow to inflate (green junk in the schrader valve).

Reg slight bubbling free flow between breathes. (just an adjustment)

This is all of my own gear except the camera housing that was my buddies.

None of these where very serious (expensive maybe!) Keep in mind this is over 3'ish years and quite a few trips and dives cold water and carribean etc...

I have seen quite a few other people with equipment problems usually rental stuff.

 

[TSandM]

About 450 dives now:

One freeflow we couldn't stop.
One weight belt loss (plastic buckle, replaced, no further problems).
One soft weight lost from weight belt with pockets (not discovered until end of dive).
One can light failed to strike (faulty Anderson connector, repaired by me).
One pinch flat in a wing, diagnosed because I kept having to add air to the wing at the surface at the end of the dive. Bladder replaced by me.
One slowly leaking inflator hose (swapped out for another one, I haven't fixed this yet).
One slow leak at the junction of hose and second stage (terminated dive uneventfully, fixed immediately).

That's all that's happened, unless there's a GUE instructor in the water nearby. Then things seem to fail with depressing regularity . . .

 

[redacted]

Bad tank valve o-rings. Carry plenty of spares. I have experienced a few minor leaks in regs, inflators, and BCs but none that effected the dives.

 

[JRScuba]

The question is: How much do you value your life?????

Life support: Regulator and BC--- IMHO

Would you drive a car with a leaky brake line. Etc,Etc. :no

 

[David P]

slow inflater leak (keep dumping air)
pinch in wing bladder(fixed with aqua seal,then replaced)
freak stuck drysuit inflater (never able to duplicate)
leak at hose to bc inflater, removed hose, and schrader valve FLEW out!(valve shut down exit water, borrow extra hose, get back in water with GUE instructor and had even more failures)
inflater button slight leak (open up and clean it after dive)
broken spring strap (WTH? thats why I bought the spring straps!)
slight reg free flows
catheter plumbing blow out... go home and change

 

[Nemrod]

The question is: How much do you value your life?????

Life support: Regulator and BC--- IMHO

Would you drive a car with a leaky brake line. Etc,Etc. :no

A BC is not really life support, get your BC and read the tag on the inside and see if it has a CG rating or such as that. I never saw a BC that has a rating. A BC is not even essential, it is a convenience really. N