Gear Rinse - Maybe a better way

[Catito]

Here are 2 Gear Rinsing tips that I added this past year and have made a HUGE change. I'm a bug & lionfish harvester and ocean dive about every other week in S.E. Fla. I'm brutal on my gear and every trip I always break something small or big.

1st change I made was recommended by SB'er @Divin'Papaw . I used to use Simple Green to clean my wetsuits and gear when it started to smell or about every 4-5 trips. I started using his solution on every trip. It's called Revivex Odor Eliminator by Gear Aid. It's friggin Amazon cheap at $5 for a 10oz bag and you use a 1oz capful for 20 gallons of rinse water (about a rubbermaid tub size). You unscrew the built in measuring cap & dump it in the tub, using your fin to swirl it. I still soak my Regs & Pony first without the cleaner, then pull those, add cleaner and then put the BCD & everything else in the tub. I let it soak 30 mins, then hang it to dry WITHOUT rinsing out the soap. The solution continues to work eating bacteria while the gear dries. It's been 7 months & 40 dives of using it and zero damage to my BCD valves, SMB, reel, wetsuits or any other gear. It's cheap and no more musty gear smells.


View attachment 719157


2nd Tip change I did came from my regulator rebuilder. Every ~250 dives my IP pressure would creep up and when I took it in for a rebuild, they would SCREAM at me for not properly rinsing my regs because they were crusty & nasty inside. I used to do like everyone else, secure the dust cap and toss it in the fresh water. Finally he said, Look Johnoly, buy a 13ft pony bottle, and put an “ H “ valve on it. Then instead of rinsing with just a dust cap, you can “power rinse” the salt away in your fresh water. Fellow SB'er @2airishuman sold me his 13 pony with a handle. Screwed on a $95 DGX “H” valve and now I attach my pony & main reg sets and power rinse them. A couple of times, I grab the whole setup and shake it underwater as well as the 2nd stages and let it soak ~10 mins. I just took my regs in to be checked and they are as clean as a whistle, a Huge improvement and my monthly IP checks are rock solid and don't move. This was a big safety change for me because I've had crusty regs freeflow on some of the triple-digit-deeps where I dive.

View attachment 719158
(Tech diver's cringe at a 13 cuft Pony with an " H " Valve )

I just wanted to writeup 2 gear rinsing tips that proves you can still teach a longtime diver a new & better way to rinse & clean gear.

Wait, what? Attach the reg to a pony, put it in fresh water and purge…or what? H valve? What? Break it down please.

I too use the odor eater thanks to Divin’ Papaw. Might hand out cup fulls on the next boat that I am on. Sometimes…p-u!

 

[Johnoly]

Wait, what? Attach the reg to a pony, put it in fresh water and purge…or what? H valve? What? Break it down please.

Yep. When I get home I hook up both my pony reg and my B2 main reg to the H valve on my 13cuft pony. This way I can soak them pressurized both at once and don't have to switch them on & off a single valve which would double my time swapping them. I let them soak for 20 mins, purge the 2nd stages under water and continue soaking for another 20 mins. Then remove, purge & hang to dry. It works really well and the internal inspection results are fantastic >> no more crud & salt on the internals.

 

[ChefMatt]

My BCD is starting to smell a bit musty inside the bladder, might try this method

 

[eelpout]

Many years ago while taking my first DACOR regulator repair clinic in Illinois, Sam the head engineer who was teaching the course gave us the procedure of rinsing your gear. He rigged a system so he could run water through the fresh water regulator and then attached it to a tank and pressurized it and purged it 10 x. I always thought that using hard water would screw up the orings internally so I never used this procedure. Has anybody ever tried it?

 

[Divin'Papaw]

My BCD is starting to smell a bit musty inside the bladder, might try this method

Why exactly are you smelling inside the bladder?

I fill my wing about half full with fresh water and rinse the inflator/deflator well, but that's all I do. I let the wing sit for a day and then drain it. I've never understood the concern with cleaning and drying the inside of the bladder. What the heck for??? This method has been working fine for years. I've NEVER had a wing develop an issue with the bladder.

 

[dflaher]

Why exactly are you smelling inside the bladder?

I fill my wing about half full with fresh water and rinse the inflator/deflator well, but that's all I do. I let the wing sit for a day and then drain it. I've never understood the concern with cleaning and drying the inside of the bladder. What the heck for??? This method has been working fine for years. I've NEVER had a wing develop an issue with the bladder.

I basically do the above, and I have an adapter that fits on the end of the inflator hose to which I connect a garden hose. After the wing is about half full, I swish the water around, drain it, then put a few breaths of air into it. I've heard this helps dry any remaining moisture.

 

[TMHeimer]

I basically do the above, and I have an adapter that fits on the end of the inflator hose to which I connect a garden hose. After the wing is about half full, I swish the water around, drain it, then put a few breaths of air into it. I've heard this helps dry any remaining moisture.

That's what I do, then I repeat inflating & dumping a time or two. Like Papaw asked, what are you smelling?-- Like, you're smelling something by sniffing the end of the inflator hose? Maybe the baby shampoo I put in there prevents any smell?

 

[Ron Robertson]

How to Rinse your Regulator - 10 Tips - Dive O'Clock!

There are some things you should and definitely should not do when rinsing your regulator. A regulator is often the most expensive part of a dive equipment set. Taking good care of it obviously extends the lifespan but it also can prevent unnecessary repairs or malfunctions.

www.diveoclock.com

 

[happy-diver]

I have a well under my house

SAWater - Glossary - what makes up your water

Understanding what makes up your drinking water can be interesting and useful. This helpful guide will explain the various elements and components

www.sawater.com.au

Must give it a good experiment

Neat, as in
(of liquid, especially spirits) not diluted or mixed with anything else.
"he drank neat Scotch"

No added chemicals

but I don't have stink to sink

 

[topher10]

I don't own a scuba tank in order to do this. Is there any harm in soaking regs unpressurized?

I am a beginning diver, but a few years ago I purchased an AL19 that I use solely for checking regs before a dive trip and then soaking regs overnight after a trip. The AL19 fits perfectly in the bathtub, and I get it filled 1-2 times a year.

I am happy with this purchase and am confident it helps clean the regs. In hindsight, perhaps I should have purchased an AL40, but I was worried that it wouldn't easily fit in the bathtub or the closet, so from a size perspective, the AL19 has been good. I would measure the size of your container (or tub).