Do you turn the air off or leave it on after setting up on a tank?

[Belzelbub]

Sounds like you had either expired batteries, "cheap" batteries, or bad batteries.

I keep spare batteries for everything I use diving in my save-a-dive kit, and have never had this issue. I also usually go for lithium batteries, and check the expiration upon purchase.

Agreed. I keep a spare set in my save a dive kit. The box I use for the kit is water tight, so that may be a factor. As could storage conditions. When not on a dive, the kit is stored indoors. Batteries are either in their original packaging, or loose with the contacts covered with electrical tape, so the storage conditions are as close as possible to what they would be if they weren't in the kit.

When it's time to change the batteries in my devices, I install the devices that have been in the kit, and replace with ones from the shelf. They seem to last as long as I need them to this way.

 

[TMHeimer]

I dive alone and drive to the sites with my unit set up but reg not attached. When I attach it I turn it on and lay the unit down while I don my wetsuit, belt, etc. It aint going anywhere while it's laying down in the van. If for some reason there was a leak from the valve that would be happening once I dive as well so better to find out beforehand. I have no batteries to worry about.

 

[ThatDogDontHunt]

Can we think this through?

Worst case for "leave air on" is an empty tank.

Nuff said....

 

[lermontov]

wow! 193 post on this question (now 194) weve really surpassed all expectation

 

[SlugLife]

wow! 193 post on this question (now 194) weve really surpassed all expectation

You may have missed the part where we spent 189 of those posts debating the topic between camps "you're gonna die!" and "that's air abuse!"

 

[Still Kicking]

wow! 193 post on this question (now 194) weve really surpassed all expectation

The Twitterization of Scubaboard .... where no opinion is left unexpressed, even if it's been expressed 40 times previously.

Perhaps Elon will swoop in with his billions and clean this place up.

 

[Bob DBF]

Perhaps Elon will swoop in with his billions and clean this place up.

At least the Chaiman will come out ahead.

 

[Big_Orange]

Turn it off

 

[Shasta_man]

I don't see any benefit to leaving it on, because you should always do the same pre-dive checks just before getting in the water including checking that the valve is on and fully on. Thinking you can make that check optional based on some previous state such as whether you left it on after assembly introduces an unnecessary but very real risk for nearly zero gain.

 

[TMHeimer]

I don't see any benefit to leaving it on, because you should always do the same pre-dive checks just before getting in the water including checking that the valve is on and fully on. Thinking you can make that check optional based on some previous state such as whether you left it on after assembly introduces an unnecessary but very real risk for nearly zero gain.

OK. I think the biggest thing here is to get into a routine and don't vary it. As mentioned, I shore dive from the trunk of my car. I attach the reg and turn on the air, then don the wetsuit, belt, etc. So I KNOW the air is on-- always the same way. I also take a few breaths before walking into the water anyway. I turn it on when I attach the reg because that's when I re-check my PSI, and because 3-4 times years ago I walked in the water forgetting to turn the air on. If you did the same thing as me but left the air off until you had the wetsuit on and were now going to don the unit and at that time always turned the air on, that would work too. Maybe if boat diving this may have to be re-thunk.... Are we making too much out of this?