"Dust Caps" and rinsing rant

[mania]

One of my DIR firends when in fact I did flooded my 1st stage after soaking it with the dust cup on sold me a tip. - After the dive in the resort - as mentioned by Marek - while the regulator is still attached to the tank simply pure a bottle of mineral water over the first stage. The same with 2nd stage, unattached it and then put the dust cap on.
Max - I've flooded the DIN because all my regulators are DIN.

 

[Marek K]

Hi Mania!

I don't know... any drinking/mineral water I have with me on a dive boat, I'm probably going to drink.

Besides, doesn't seem like that would be enough water to thoroughly rinse all the salt water off. Not to mention using it for the second stage too.

Hey, we gotta get together for lunch again!!

--Marek

One of my DIR firends when in fact I did flooded my 1st stage after soaking it with the dust cup on sold me a tip. - After the dive in the resort - as mentioned by Marek - while the regulator is still attached to the tank simply pure a bottle of mineral water over the first stage. The same with 2nd stage, unattached it and then put the dust cap on.
Max - I've flooded the DIN because all my regulators are DIN.

 

[mania]

Marek
Anytime anyplace. Just give me a call. How about this week?
Cheers
Mania

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

Rinse while pressurized. Let's face it, there is never enough time to do this the way you would like to do it when you get off the dive boat, etc.

Spend a few bucks and get a quality cap instead of the cheapies that often come from the manufacturer.

Take home and soak with the quality cap in place. Soak in a shallow tank (just deep enough so that the regulator is under water) so that hydrostatic pressure does not force water into the first stage.

After soaking for a while, long enough for any salt crystals to dissolve, swish around a bit in the water to remove any other particulate that may have gotten in during the dive. Replace with fresh water and soak again.

Compare the shape of your regulator when you send in for annual inspection to its condition before you started doing this. That will say it all.

 

[archman]

Spend a few bucks and get a quality cap instead of the cheapies that often come from the manufacturer.

Uh, what's a "quality cap", and how do you get one?

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

Uh, what's a "quality cap", and how do you get one?

Best to ask your local dive shop to show you what's available. They can show you rather than just talk about it in general terms.

 

[Marek K]

Quote:
Originally Posted by archman
Uh, what's a "quality cap", and how do you get one?

Best to ask your local dive shop to show you what's available. They can show you rather than just talk about it in general terms.

Um, actually, that was a good question; though since archman is a SB staff member, I suspect it may have been rhetorical. In my particular case, living in Europe, all I'm liable to find at local shops are DIN caps. And while I'm trying to convert all our family equipment to DIN, some of it is still INT/yoke; I need to find an on-line source for "quality" yoke caps.

--Marek

 

[OneBrightGator]

Anything with an o-ring seal or one that is rubberized will work, hell, even a soft rubber bouncy ball has worked for me in a pinch!

 

[pipedope]

There is some difference between yoke and DIN valves in this respect.

As to the loss or poor condition of the O-ring. I LOOK at the face of the cap before I put it on to make sure it is CLEAN, DRY and the O-ring is in good condition.

There is also a difference in where you are diving.

In clean fresh water you may not need any rinsing at all.
In salt water you want to get the salt out so you probably need more of a soak.
In the mud and soup that I usually dive in it usually takes a rinse, soak, rinse cycle or two to get a reasonable level of cleaning.

If you do your own regulator work, or watch when the shop tech does your regs you will see right away if you are doing a good enough job cleaning your regs after diving.

 

[Hank49]

According to the NAUI Openwater Test a regulator should be rinsed with the DUST CAP in place OR with a pressurized tank. If a dustcap is put in place properly the amount of water that can get into the first stage is insignificant.

BTW I work in a dive shop. I help to service regulators almost EVERY SINGLE DAY and I have yet to see any moisture get into the first stage if a reg is rinsed or soaked properly with the dust cap in place.

I agree. I may be the reason this thread started because a few days ago I responded to someone who was asking how to wash gear and I told them to soak it. Whether you rinse with a hose or submerge the reg, if your O ring or seal from the cap is bad, water will get into the reg. If you submerge it and don't see bubbles, it's not leaking.