Guide to Mares regulators from 2000-2020

[TrimixToo]

Bienvenido.

I don't think you need the CWD kit. That original Abyss first is a big chunk of metal that is naturally freeze resistant and your experience backs that up.

The other theoretical advantage is it seals off the ambient chamber which keeps it clean. But on a diaphragm first stage a good rinse serves the same purpose and you obviously take care of your reg so that reason goes away as well.

I have had one of mine freeze. It only happened once. I switched to the other reg on my doubles, and within a few minutes, the freeze had thawed and I returned to the original reg and continued the dive. Water temperature was about 42F and depth about 225'. I was searching an area, so workload was moderate finning. It didn't freeze again, and at less depth in colder water none of my Abysses have ever frozen. I haven't bothered to get CWD kits and probably won't unless one freezes again someday.

Just a random data point. YMMV. Past performance does not assure future performance. Manufactured in a facility that also processes nuts. The State of California has determined that this product might cause cancer. etc.

 

[lowwall]

I have had one of mine freeze. It only happened once. I switched to the other reg on my doubles, and within a few minutes, the freeze had thawed and I returned to the original reg and continued the dive. Water temperature was about 42F and depth about 225'. I was searching an area, so workload was moderate finning. It didn't freeze again, and at less depth in colder water none of my Abysses have ever frozen. I haven't bothered to get CWD kits and probably won't unless one freezes again someday.

Mental note: either take it really easy or stay above 6.85 atmospheres when diving single tank in 42F water.

Are you still doing open circuit trimix dives with your Abysses? Did you find what you were searching for?

 

[Zef]

I have a MV as my Octo - my primary is a Proton Metal. I’ve been flirting with the idea of primary donate but I do want to replace that as my secondary for now. What are my upgrade paths? I’ll transition over to primary donate on my next set of regs(after I test out an Aqualung-style mouthpiece, I absolutely love my SeaCure but that can make primary donate difficult).

I switched to primary donate a bunch of years ago and my primary 2nd stage has a custom moulded mouthpiece similar to SeaCure (mine is the Trident brand version)....the reality is that in an OOA situation, the person you are donating an air source to will be so stressed and so happy to be breathing that they will not notice your custom mouthpiece in the slightest....I do not believe it will add to the stress of the situation one iota. I do believe the stress they experience in the moment will cause them to initially involuntarily bite down hard enough on that mouth piece that you will most likely need to replace it after the dive (small price to pay for saving someones life), and I believe you will have to point out that they macerated your custom formed mouthpiece, to which they will most likely reply "oh, I didn't even notice that".

Of course, your mileage may vary, but how a mouth piece fits is one of those small detail things that will be lost in the sauce when the option is between drown, maybe making it to the surface performing a CESA, or breath off of someone else's equipment. For whatever reason, the form and fit of the "borrowed" air source is not a relevant topic when the sh!t is hitting the fan. So don't let your custom mouthpiece inhibit you from giving a primary donate gear configuration a shot.

-Z

 

[TrimixToo]

Mental note: either take it really easy or stay above 6.85 atmospheres when diving single tank in 42F water.

Are you still doing open circuit trimix dives with your Abysses? Did you find what you were searching for?

Thanks for assuming I'm sane enough to be using Trimix, which of course I certainly was.

To reiterate, I was using doubles, not a single. (Yeah, I know you know, but some people have "I haven't read all the posts but..." or reading comprehension issues of or both.)

I haven't done any dives that deep at that temperature lately but a significant number of dives on about the same mixes preceded and followed that dive at similar depths and workloads without incident, so I don't know why the reg chose to freeze on that particular day. All the mixes were done in my garage, and the test dew point for my compressor is typically -70F or so and that's before the He is added to bring it even farther down. Just one of life's mysteries, I guess. But I have to stress this is one of hundreds of deep cold water dives. If I thought it was a significant risk I'd order a bunch of CWD kits. But that's my opinion, worth what you paid for it.

I have...lemme see...yeah, 5 Abysses. Two primary, two stage/deco, one set up for recreational that's been pressed into service infrequently as a third deco reg. Easy to rebuild, nearly flawless except for the freezing incident and one other for over 15 years. The other was a first stage not locking up before a dive for no particularly good reason a few years back. They're gonna outlast me, I think. They'll certainly outlast my dive career.

Finally, no. Unfortunately. Happens.