DM responsibilities/another Q

[Jason Ooi]

Maybe is right, who know?
Did anyone purge a reg upon turning the air on, please share with me, my Instructor never teach me since OW till today and this is my first time heard about that.
Thanks you for your information.
Cheers
Jason

Second question;
One of our instructors tells us that we should purge a reg upon turning the air on as apparently 'this saves the first stage o rings
& generally helps stop long term damage'. Is this true?? Or is there any actual reason for doing this.
Or as I was originally taught-just placing the gauge against something to stop the glass/plastic from exploding out in to eyes etc is fine??
Again please no opinions. I've heard enough 'heresay'.
Appreciate replies.
Regards
Luke

 

[Diver Dennis]

I have never done that Jason, just turn the air on slowly.

Most of the places I dive, Asian resorts lately, it is standard procedure for the operators to set up the clients equipment unless the diver does not want this done. I always setup my own equipment but most divers do not. In fact, they wash the gear and hang it up as well. Divers just have to put on their gear when they jump in the boat and take it off when they are done, leaving the boatmen to do the rest.

 

[pir8]

I always teach my students to set up their own gear. Its their life that the gear is supporting. Any boats I crew on you have to set up your own gear. I'll help you if you need it but you gotta do it. Its your life, not mine.

 

[lamont]

As for the "damage", I have seen high pressure seats actually cracked. According to the manufacturer of this design, it happens during the initial pressurizing as the knife edged valve slams into the hard plastic seat. Some manufacturers (notably Atomic) have changed the composition and the geometry of this seat to resist this tendency.

We have chronic problems with the high pressure seats of Apeks DS4s warping, I'm wondering if this is the cause and purging while opening is the solution....

 

[The Chairman]

Ya know Lamont,

I have stopped teaching my students to turn the SPG away from everyone, and just have them concentrate on slightly depressing the purge valve in my OW classes. SPGs are so stinking reliable nowadays, that I have never seen one that has exploded nor can any of my homies remember it happening in recent history.

 

[Diver Dennis]

So Pete, it's better to slightly depress the purge instead of worrying about the SPG? Sounds like a good idea.

 

[The Chairman]

Well, that's what I teach. Your SAC rate may vary! For a while there, I was trying to get them to do it ALL. It was just so funny to watch small hands try to fumble holding it all that I just rethought WHY we do these things.

 

[Diver Dennis]

Thanks Pete, I'll try that.

 

[Storm]

I took my certification training with PADI and setting up our own gear was mandatory. Nobody, and I mean nobody touches my life support. Not eve me

er.. wait wel never mind :shakehead.

Seriously though, the only person, other than myself I trust to assemble my gear is my primary dive buddy...my wife, and the only reasn I would let her touch my gear is that she dives exact same set up and configuration so she knows how to set it up properly....and even then I double check her work. She also has the same attitude about her gear.

Perhaps the dive ops see this as a courtesy, and thank you for your kind offer but we're fine..thanks again.

 

[Peter Guy]

Re the SPG issue. My guess (and this is ONLY a guess) that this is a left over from "the early days" of recreational Scuba. When I started, we didn't have SPG's and they didn't come into common use for several years thereafter (late 1960's). While I never saw one, I certainly did hear stories of them breaking and so it was the thing to do to turn the face away from you when first pressurizing.

My "guess" is that they are MUCH better made today than they were 35+ years ago!