@Dizzi Lizzi, I've tried various methods and the extra hose with a blow gun is by far the simplest method to inflate a bag. Disengaging/re-engaging your lp inflator hose is a good skill to have for a variety of reasons. Here's a little trick....for disengaging, grasp the base of the hose and push it hard towards the connector on your BC inflator. If you get enough pressure on it that way, the little quick release collar will lose all it's pressure and you can easily slide it back with one finger. Then just pull the hose off. For re-engaging, its the same, pull the quick release collar back and then push the hose hard onto the connector. That will release the pressure on the collar again and it should slide forward easily and lock the hose onto the connector. Granted I've never tried this wearing 7 mm gloves, I imagine that would make anything a challenge!
DSMB size - is 6’ overkill ?
- Thread starter Dogbowl
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
@Dizzi Lizzi, I've tried various methods and the extra hose with a blow gun is by far the simplest method to inflate a bag. Disengaging/re-engaging your lp inflator hose is a good skill to have for a variety of reasons. Here's a little trick....for disengaging, grasp the base of the hose and push it hard towards the connector on your BC inflator. If you get enough pressure on it that way, the little quick release collar will lose all it's pressure and you can easily slide it back with one finger. Then just pull the hose off. For re-engaging, its the same, pull the quick release collar back and then push the hose hard onto the connector. That will release the pressure on the collar again and it should slide forward easily and lock the hose onto the connector. Granted I've never tried this wearing 7 mm gloves, I imagine that would make anything a challenge!
Well its not 7 ml gloves but...
I do plan on gearing up at home on a nice cool night and practicing this...I do realized there might be a situation where I need to be able to reconnect, and I need to be able to do this, for me and a buddy.
I do plan on gearing up at home on a nice cool night and practicing this...I do realized there might be a situation where I need to be able to reconnect, and I need to be able to do this, for me and a buddy.
I orally inflate. With a small SMB (mine is DSS) it takes me about half a lungful at 20-30 ft to have it surface completely inflated. With a 6 ft bag (mine is DAN), even using all the lung capacity I can comfortably muster at safety stop depth doesn't result in it being fully inflated when it surfaces. Still, boats can often see it even if it's flopped on its side, and I figure I could inflate it some more on the surface if there is no boat to be seen. I have never tried deploying an SMB from more than about 40 ft.
I had a very difficult time disengaging my low pressure hose, worst yet was I was totally unable to reconnect it. I simply did not have the strength with a pressurized system. My buddy had to reattach it for me when they saw I was oral inflating at the surface. It might be a combination of dexterity and strength, seems pretty hard to imagine doing that in 7ml with gloves! I figured I would just continue to use the smb i have (no OPV valve or inflator hose connection) as I have practiced inflating it at depth...well a 6 foot pool, it takes a little coordination but I can do it, and I feel safer with my bc all connected up. I like safe
You could use a "hose hat" when wearing thick gloves. It would help to make gripping the Inflator easier.
Hose Hat
I like that!
outofofficebrb
HARRO HUNNAYYY
Ah, good old Scubaboard...enabling people to buy things that they didn't even realize existed but makes life so much easier once you know about it and have it. I just had that epiphany with the Ember ceramic mug a couple weeks ago.
Thankfully it wasn't a Scubaboard enable. But, yes, coffee and tea drinkers, do Google this one. This "hat"....It's quite brilliant.
TONY CHANEY
Contributor
OK, I"ll add a slightly different point of view. If you are deploying a DSMB then things are usually not going too well.
You may want to select a DSMB based on the lift capacity of your BC should your BC become unable to hold air. Also, a large lift bag can assist in getting things off the bottom to include a flooded DPV. Longer bags are better because it is easier to be seen from a greater distance. Never an oral inflation stem unless it is just to be used on the surface. It is rather hard to oral inflate at depth and, unless someone can show me, it can't be done while on the loop with a rebreather. Nozzles for bag inflation just adds another hose and it is rather hard to hold the bag, the reel / spool, and the inflation nozzle. Exhaled gas with an open bottom bag works best.
Reel or spools? Both work well under certain conditions. Reels add a level of complications like locks and the chance of rat nesting. Spools are great until you are trying to pay out line wearing thick gloves whereas the friction catches and stops the spool. Also spools can be dropped. Spools usually do not carry a great length of line. Why is that important? Well, let's say that you are on a wreck and cannot locate the up line. If you start your trip toward the surface you will be blown away from the wreck and you could wind up miles from the dive site. Now, if you had a reel that has twice as much or more line then you can shoot a bag from the bottom, attach the line to the wreck and reel yourself up (Jersey up line). Once on the surface you can get your bag and you will be still be anchored to the wreck. After the boat arrives you can cut or unclip the line and reel in back up. Also, don't forget that if you have to ditch a scooter at depth or to mark a great find then you could use the bag to mark the location. You better have enough line for that!
So this is what I use because I am doing deep dives with double steel tanks and usually with a deco tank or a couple of stages, DECO and a DPV. An OMS 9' 100 lbs lift open bottom with an OPV. A Manta reel that has an auto lock to prevent it from falling and unwinding or my favorite OMS no spill reel with 300' of line. I use Poseidon regs that make exhaust inflation easy.
What has yet to be discussed is DSMB with a rebreather. So what my buddies and have came up with is 1) use you bailout reg to inflate or 2) hold the dump and inflate buttons of your LPI at the same time and inflate the bag.
Hope that this helps.
You may want to select a DSMB based on the lift capacity of your BC should your BC become unable to hold air. Also, a large lift bag can assist in getting things off the bottom to include a flooded DPV. Longer bags are better because it is easier to be seen from a greater distance. Never an oral inflation stem unless it is just to be used on the surface. It is rather hard to oral inflate at depth and, unless someone can show me, it can't be done while on the loop with a rebreather. Nozzles for bag inflation just adds another hose and it is rather hard to hold the bag, the reel / spool, and the inflation nozzle. Exhaled gas with an open bottom bag works best.
Reel or spools? Both work well under certain conditions. Reels add a level of complications like locks and the chance of rat nesting. Spools are great until you are trying to pay out line wearing thick gloves whereas the friction catches and stops the spool. Also spools can be dropped. Spools usually do not carry a great length of line. Why is that important? Well, let's say that you are on a wreck and cannot locate the up line. If you start your trip toward the surface you will be blown away from the wreck and you could wind up miles from the dive site. Now, if you had a reel that has twice as much or more line then you can shoot a bag from the bottom, attach the line to the wreck and reel yourself up (Jersey up line). Once on the surface you can get your bag and you will be still be anchored to the wreck. After the boat arrives you can cut or unclip the line and reel in back up. Also, don't forget that if you have to ditch a scooter at depth or to mark a great find then you could use the bag to mark the location. You better have enough line for that!
So this is what I use because I am doing deep dives with double steel tanks and usually with a deco tank or a couple of stages, DECO and a DPV. An OMS 9' 100 lbs lift open bottom with an OPV. A Manta reel that has an auto lock to prevent it from falling and unwinding or my favorite OMS no spill reel with 300' of line. I use Poseidon regs that make exhaust inflation easy.
What has yet to be discussed is DSMB with a rebreather. So what my buddies and have came up with is 1) use you bailout reg to inflate or 2) hold the dump and inflate buttons of your LPI at the same time and inflate the bag.
Hope that this helps.
Ah, good old Scubaboard...enabling people to buy things that they didn't even realize existed but makes life so much easier once you know about it and have it. I just had that epiphany with the Ember ceramic mug a couple weeks ago.
$80? Are you kidding me? For $80 I could get a nice double-walled stainless steel travel mug and have $50 left over for an electric kettle.
Similar threads
