Discuss: Safe to change inflator schrader valve fitting to high flow Air2/SS1 type fitting?

[rsingler]

I’m more curious as to why they brought a $250 inflator to market in the first place.

Because a stuck inflator valve is the one truly scary equipment failure. I bought one for me and one for my wife despite the absurd price.

1) l had lots of (smaller) students who just couldn't do the bcd hose disconnect with wet fingers during open water training (strength plus low sleeve friction).
2) The inflator is the most failure-prone piece of gear we have, due primarily to neglect. You'll note that DGX doesn't recommend servicing them, versus just buying a new $15 item. What's the most common failure I see in the shop? A stuck inflator valve due to stem corrosion.
3) Add the two plus a nitrogen load and you're bent; maybe dead if you're in deco.

So a $250 titanium corrosion-free valve just always works, even if I'm sloppy rinsing the salt out of my wing.

Plus, I like the ergonomics of the buttons. I hate K-inflators.

Buy once, cry once.

The one reasonable point I've heard so far is that the non-Schrader valve may be too much flow for tiny buoyancy adjustments, but that's just speculation.

 

[johndiver999]

Because a stuck inflator valve is the one truly scary equipment failure. I bought one for me and one for my wife despite the absurd price.

1l Had lots of (smaller) students who just couldn't do the bcd hose disconnect with wet fingers during open water training (strength plus low sleeve friction).
2) Inflator is most failure-prone piece of gear we have due primarily to neglect.
3) Add the two plus a nitrogen load and you're bent; maybe dead if in deco.

So a $250 titanium corrosion-free valve just always works, even if I'm sloppy rinsing the salt out of my wing.

Plus, I like the ergonomics of the buttons. I hate K-inflators.

Buy once, cry once.

The one reasonable point I've heard so far is that the non-Schrader valve may be too much flow for tiny buoyancy adjustments, but that's just speculation.

I agree, run away inflator situation is not given the respect it warrants in my opinion. I know it is taught in ow, but it just seems like the frequency of problems and the potential consequences are glossed over.

As for a high flow rate inflator being hard to modulate, is something I have heard (even from well respected divers) but I always felt like they were simply reaching for a reason to denigrate the air 2 and probably had limited personal experience in operating it, I certainly have never had a problem with the flow rate, “a skills problem looking for an equipment solution” you might say. Lol

 

[rsingler]

Yeah, the Air 2 and SS1 both have very small holes in the case that transfer gas to the bcd via the inflator button, so I imagine that they deliberately engineered that in response to the huge flow povided by the connector (needed for the regulator half at depth).
Whether that would pose a problem if you re-engineered the inflator connector for the Ai could probably be answered by the experiment proposed by @-JD- above.

 

[Wiznutaggie]

Yeah, the Air 2 and SSI both have very small holes in the case that transfer gas to the bcd via the inflator button, so I imagine that they deliberately engineered that in response to the huge flow povided by the connector (needed for the regulator half at depth).
Whether that would pose a problem if you re-engineered the inflator connector for the Ai could probably be answered by the experiment proposed by @-JD- above.

If you take apart a SS1 and AI, they both have the same small hole in the case passing from the inflator valve through to the inflator tube.

 

[rsingler]

If you take apart a SS1 and AI, they both have the same small hole in the case passing from the inflator valve through to the inflator tube.

Well there you are. If that's true, I think your mod sounds like a good way to be able to switch between configurations.

The pressure is obviously the same.

 

[lexvil]

Because a stuck inflator valve is the one truly scary equipment failure. I bought one for me and one for my wife despite the absurd price.

1) l had lots of (smaller) students who just couldn't do the bcd hose disconnect with wet fingers during open water training (strength plus low sleeve friction).
2) The inflator is the most failure-prone piece of gear we have, due primarily to neglect. You'll note that DGX doesn't recommend servicing them, versus just buying a new $15 item. What's the most common failure I see in the shop? A stuck inflator valve due to stem corrosion.
3) Add the two plus a nitrogen load and you're bent; maybe dead if you're in deco.

So a $250 titanium corrosion-free valve just always works, even if I'm sloppy rinsing the salt out of my wing.

Plus, I like the ergonomics of the buttons. I hate K-inflators.

Buy once, cry once.

The one reasonable point I've heard so far is that the non-Schrader valve may be too much flow for tiny buoyancy adjustments, but that's just speculation.

Okie dokie, I let you convince me that the Zeagle inflator is worth the ~$50 but I don’t think anyone could convince me to bother with one of these.

 

[Bloody Knuckles]

Logical doings are an anathema to current thinkings writings or speakings repeated until cemented into lore


But I do enjoy the control of the schraeder valve, inside my inflators, never having needed the blast of others
Even with negative entry, and diving heavy, and also racing to chosen depth, I have always been able to time
it and been able to stop my descent pretty much before the deck or shelf or bottom or not too far past them

Happy Diver, you kill me... I read that top sentence three times and had to look up the definition of anathema to fully grasp your point. And the comment, "or not to far past them" I'm still chuckling

As for the rest of the discussion, I'm now scared to use my BC and have decided to go back to my horse collar and oral inflator

 

[happy-diver]

Dude I went backward years ago and there's not much quite like the thud of crashing without burning



to live to dive another day or night, again

I had to look up anathema too

Maintain the faith

 

[Bob DBF]

Even with negative entry, and diving heavy, and also racing to chosen depth, I have always been able to time
it and been able to stop my descent pretty much before the deck or shelf or bottom or not too far past them

Ya gave me a flashback buddy, I was laughing so hard my wife asked WTF is wrong with you, not that I don't get that a lot anyway. I was cleaning mud out of gear for weeks.

 

[happy-diver]

Bob DBF without the bounceability of two layers of good thick wetsuit and this hard head I might be dead

Nice to see you around again