Forgot to put dust cap on.....

[D1V3R]

its not a big deal, you can actually switch out first stages underwater w/o major problems

http://cavediver.net/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=2763&highlight=switching+stages+underwater

 

[tremtech]

Don't take the chance, stop by your lds and get it checked out, never assume that Murphy is on your team this time

 

[matt_unique]

Always soak under pressure (on tank) to ensure water cannot enter your first stage. I used just the dust cap for years until one year at service time the tech said water "poured" out of my first stage. The increase in breathing performance was significantly greater after the service but the decrease over the course of the previous year due to soaking with only the "dust" cap was very gradual. Some dust caps work but under pressure you can guarantee it will remain dry.

--Matt

 

[mm777]

I'm a newbie and was wondering if my "method" is ok....after a dive I take my gear to the rinse tank and hold the 1st stage up in the air while swishing the regs around. When I get home, I lay the first stage on the side of the bathtub and let the regs soak iin warm water for a couple of days. Am I doing ok?

 

[redacted]

I'm a newbie and was wondering if my "method" is ok....after a dive I take my gear to the rinse tank and hold the 1st stage up in the air while swishing the regs around. When I get home, I lay the first stage on the side of the bathtub and let the regs soak iin warm water for a couple of days. Am I doing ok?

You really need to soak that 1st stage as much as the 2nds. If it is a sealed diaphram, its going to get funky looking and hard to disassemble. If it a piston, it will eventually also damage dynamic o-rings and their seating surfaces. Plus you may still be drawing water into the lp hoses that can work its way into the 1st stage.

You need to FW soak the entire reg (1st, 2nds, SPG) to prevent damaging corrosion & deposits.

 

[mm777]

You really need to soak that 1st stage as much as the 2nds. If it is a sealed diaphram, its going to get funky looking and hard to disassemble. If it a piston, it will eventually also damage dynamic o-rings and their seating surfaces. Plus you may still be drawing water into the lp hoses that can work its way into the 1st stage.

You need to FW soak the entire reg (1st, 2nds, SPG) to prevent damaging corrosion & deposits.

How am I going to keep water out of the first stage since responses above indicate the dust cap is good for only that...keeping dust out, not water? I don't have tanks to hook up to.

 

[redacted]

How am I going to keep water out of the first stage since responses above indicate the dust cap is good for only that...keeping dust out, not water? I don't have tanks to hook up to.

Most dust caps have a rubber seal that will keep out the water. Soaking under pressure is generally preferable but a dust cap with a proper seal will do the job as long as you don't depress a purge button. To test your "dust cap" seal, install it on the first stage and try to take a breath from your 2nd. If you get any air, even the smallest leak, something is wrong with your system. Hopefully it is only a problem with the dust cap seal as any other source is also a problem during a dive. If it does leak and you can't find the source, you will need tech help.