Free-flowing Regulator

[Tom Smedley]

Blush - I stand corrected but it is right there on my slates - in pencil and in my own handwriting. Maybe we should write Dennis and ask him the reasoning.

Slightly incorrect. It is NOT required by SSI nor is it listed as an optional skill on their slates.

 

[Tom Smedley]

If it is a high pressure leak caused either by ice formation in the first stage or by failure of the seat both stages will free flow if you try to use it. The most sensitively tuned one will just go first. This is a catastrophic regulator failure.

If this is the most common cause, would breathing off the Octo work -- or would the Octo just begin free flowing as well?

 

[gdive]

True and excellent point. My suggestion would then be to go to the alt FIRST. Best outcome being the alt works fine (primary malfunctioning because of debris possibly) and is used to surface. Worse outcome is alt freeflows as well and you are back to surfacing using one of the before described techniques. However, I will say a technique that leaves your hands free is much better IMO so you may make an OTHERWISE normal ascent.

If it is a high pressure leak caused either by ice formation in the first stage or by failure of the seat both stages will free flow if you try to use it. The most sensitively tuned one will just go first. This is a catastrophic regulator failure.

 

[Zed]

I was diving over the weekend in Fla and my son's reg got some sand in it and started to free flow. He adjusted the flow control on his Cressi reg and this helped a bit, but we were not able to correct the problem completely while under water. Fortunately we were in a very shallow beach dive (15-20 feet) and had a short dived panned. He did not go to his alt because if he took the reg out of his moth it free flowed constantly. He lived with it by having to pull the reg out of his moth every 5-6 minutes and “bouncing” it to make it stop. Had we been any deeper we would have ended the dive.

After the dive we took the reg to the LDS. A quick repair and adjustment fixed the problem.

 

[Tom725]

PADI.


Thanks for all the responses. I forwarded this thread on to the friend in question. We're planning on doing our open water dives elsewhere -- so I assume he'll have to pick up this skill prior to these...

Free flowing regulators are not as rare as it may seem, particularly in cold water. The situation is, however, managable. You can breath the regualtor as stated above. If the free flow is due to cold water you can ascend slowly of even shut off your air momentarily- I know it sounds bad and I do not recommend it for a new diver - to stop the free flow.

I hope your friend misunderstood the instructor because it is a violation of P
ADI standards.

 

[Tom725]

"TODAYS REGULATORS NEVER FREE FLOW" ??? ....... must be teaching PADI ..... the same bunch that deceided that teaching "buddy breathing" and wearing a snorkel durning your dive is now out of date.

Seems like someone has a beef against PADI. PADI teaches buddy breathing as an optional skill and requires snorkels.

 

[Phud]

Why the reluctance to practice breathing from a free-flowing reg? I don't get it. It is kind of a kick and easy to do (at least in a pool). So what if you never need it? That's really not the point. Training is about being prepared for low probability events. If everything always went well, lots of things that are part of conscientious, thorough training could be left out. Safety is subtle ... it is not measured by what does happen, but rather by what doesn't.

 

[PaulChristenson]

here's a question or though ... does any manfucturer have a 2nd stage that the air can be cut off to stop a free flow without affecting the rest of the rig. It seems to me that a simple valve installed on the 2nd stage to cut off air would solve the problem. A diver with a free flowing regulator would simple have to turn a nob to shut off air then go to his octopus or other 2nd stage to finish the dive.

My Poseidon Xstream regulator has a unique free flow solution...it bubbles out of its proprietary hose just prior to the 2nd stage...

Geez...I should have had this system when I took my OW class

Paul in VT