Freeflow damage reg?

[spurtill]

Was diving at the weekend when my buddy's octopuss freeflowed after filling a lift bag in cold water. Tried all the usual stuff and could not stop it. So it very kindly drained the bottle Probably should have turned the bottle off and back on again but hey, you live and learn.

Anyway, After such an incident I believe you are supposed to get the bottle re-inspected as the moisture condenses out of the air as it escapes. What sort of bad things can happen to the reg? Presumably some of that moisture from the bottle gets blown through the reg? anything else?

 

[MikeFerrara]

There shouldn't be much moistudent in the tank air.

The reason that it's recommended to inspect the inside of a tank after it was drained in the water is because wit no air pressure to keep water out, water may have entered.

If the tank was emptied and the reg was still stuck open water may have entered the first stage of the reg (like if you purge a reg with the tank air off).

 

[Rick Murchison]

To expand on what Mike's already said, whether or not you need to have the reg and/or tank looked at depends on what you did from the point the tank went dry to when you got it out of the water. In general, if you only go up and out, there's very little chance of a problem, as physics will keep the tank and regulator full of gas due to dropping ambient pressure. If on the other hand you left the tank at depth after it was dry, and especially if you took it deeper, then there's a good chance you got water in the regulator and possibly even the tank.
At a minimum I'd remove the second stage that freeflowed and inspect the hose for moisture in it - if there is any, then have the reg overhauled as a precaution. Since the tank's already empty, popping the valve off and having a look inside to make sure there's no moisture there is no big deal... so why not?
Rick

 

[The Chairman]

As usual, I agree with Rick and Mike. There is a good chance that you do not to do anything but inspect the tank and reg. BTW, if there is water in the tank, have the reg serviced.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Once the air stops flowing the iced up portions of the regulator thaw fairly quickly. And more to the point, the odds are that the first stage froze, not the second which means once the air stopped flowing the poppet on the second stage would have closed and prevented any water from entering the reg let alone the tank even if you went deeper.

So most likely you have absolutley nothing to worry about and I would definitely not push the panic button on having the reg inspected just yet.

As for the tank, probably don't have any option. Most shops won't fill a completely empty tank without doing a new VIP due to the potential for water and ultimately rust or corrosion to end up in an empty tank. Popping the valve off and peeking inside is a 30 second operation and good saftey practice.

If the tank has water in it, you obviously want the reg serviced. If the tank is dry, odds are that the regulator is fine.

 

[spurtill]

Cheers for the input lads. All makes sense and is very helpful.

S