Free Flow

[weight_for_me]

While diving last friday, my reg "froze" and went to free flow. Air temp was about 50f and water temp was 40f. When I got back to shore to inspect the reg, I noticed ice in the mouthpeice which I assume was caused from the massive venting of air and it's rapid cooling. I have a Aqualung Titan and it has never caused this problem before, even in colder air temps. Is there anything I can do to avoid this problem in the future or to rectify it during the dive?? And yes, I read my owners manual re: cold water diving.
Thanks
Randy...

 

[brian cooper]

Hi there,

Just a couple / half dozen questions for you :
Was the air in your tank cold? Had it been in your car boot/trunk over night before the dive?
When you kitted up and tested your kit did you breathe from the reg on the surface for long, before starting the dive?
Did you drop the 2nd stage into the water diaphragm side down?
Was your air from your normal supplier ? ie nice and dry.

How long into the dive before the free flow occured and when was your reg last serviced?
hope we all can help find the definative cause...

Brian C

 

[weight_for_me]

brian cooper once bubbled...
Hi there,

Just a couple / half dozen questions for you :
Was the air in your tank cold? Had it been in your car boot/trunk over night before the dive?

It was not overly cold....air temp...about 50f

When you kitted up and tested your kit did you breathe from the reg on the surface for long, before starting the dive?

I took 3 or 4 breaths on the surface before decending...enough to check that the SPG wasn't showing a drop.

Did you drop the 2nd stage into the water diaphragm side down?

No, but once I was back on the surface, I tried the purge a couple of time to see if it would loosen. Some water may have entered the mouthpiece at that point.

Was your air from your normal supplier ? ie nice and dry.

Yes, my LDS has good air....was just filled within a couple of hours of the dive.

How long into the dive before the free flow occured and when was your reg last serviced?

It started free flowing about 2 minutes into the dive...gradually at first and then with a rush. The regs were new a year ago and had them looked at last summer, about a dozen dives ago. I plan on getting them looked at ASAP and realize that might be a cause, however, if it wasn't, I want to avoid the problem again.
Thanks
Randy...

 

[tinman]

http://www.divernet.com/equipment/0501icing.htm

This may help to:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21067&highlight=ice+mares+abyss

 

[subh2o]

if you look at the first stage you will see that the reg is only CE certified for >10 c which is 50 f.
It is too cold for that reg.

 

[weight_for_me]

Really???......I'll get it out tomorrow and check it out!
Randy...

 

[kavka]

When you tested your reg , did you exhale into reg?

 

[weight_for_me]

subh2o...I checked the reg and the manual and nowhere does it say that this reg cannot be used below 10c. The manual recommends cold water training and special precautions only. And yes kavka, I breathed into the reg when I checked it.
Randy...

 

[brian cooper]

The Aqulung Titan 1st over here can be with or without the environmental seal (Apeks like extra diaphragm and hydro-static transmitter). The Titan 2nd is a simple 2 adjustment downstream reg.

What you discribe sounds like a 1st stage IP rise (caused or made worse by the temperature or maybe wear and tear or drift) which then made you 2nd stage start to weep (its NOT a balanced 2nd), which then makes the 1st stage start to freeze which then makes the 2nd even colder, more ice starts to form and round you go again until you have a full free flow/ frozen 2nd and 1st stages...

IP should be 135psi+/- 5psi.....err towards the lower side forcooler water. whats your's and does it creep up when not being sucked on? What is your cracking pressure? the book says +0.8" to +1.4" H2O, with it being a non-balanced 2nd I would tend towards the 1.4" or even higher at1.6" to make it bomb proof. Then try again in cold water but have a truely alternative air supply "just in case".....Another tank and a known good reg

Look forward to your next report...

Brian C

 

[tinman]

The Titan Glacia is designed for cold water. Maybe worth a call to a trusted LDS tech to see if you can upgrade the guts of your Titan 1st stage without breaking the bank. I don't know if they are compatible - I'm sure someone on the board can answer this one (Just looked down and read your response Brian C - what do you think?). It depends on whether marketing or production drove the design (marketing = non-compatible, read incremental revenue streams; production = streamlined production, read reduced WIP, bean counters like that).

http://www.aqualung.com/catalog/prodpage/regulate/titan1.htm#titan

Of course, a more robust, second stage may be an option to. Then again 90% of the diving public think we're nuts to dive in this temp. of waters, so maybe "patience" and a little prayer for a really warm summer is another option.

Then again, since you're diving wet, it's a great alibi to be the first to the hot chocolate and hot water flush...