Hose Thickness?

[vel525]

Hi all,

I am in the process of adding a longer hose on my primary regulator. I have a Scubapro R390 and am looking to add a 40" - 5ft hose (haven't decided on exact length yet). When I looked online there were two types of low pressure hoses. One was 3/8 inch and the other was 1/2 inch (I'm guessing it's circumference or diameter?). I'm confused on which I should buy. Does it make a difference? Any info would be great. Thanks.

Victor

 

[redacted]

check the site again. 3/8 and 1/2 inches are the two sizes of the male LP hose connectors in use. Scubapro and almost all others use the 3/8ths inch connector.

If you are going to use it on your primary, 40 inches may be auckward for routing but the 5ft hose wraps under your arm and around your neck leaving no dangleing loops for things to grab. For an Octo, the 5 ft hose may leave you with routing and storage problems.

 

[vel525]

check the site again. 3/8 and 1/2 inches are the two sizes of the male LP hose connectors in use. Scubapro and almost all others use the 3/8ths inch connector.

If you are going to use it on your primary, 40 inches may be auckward for routing but the 5ft hose wraps under your arm and around your neck leaving no dangleing loops for things to grab. For an Octo, the 5 ft hose may leave you with routing and storage problems.

Ahhh, thanks. The site wasn't too clear what the 3/8 and 1/2 meant :06: The reason I'm leaning towards 40" is that I'm not too tall and I was just going to go under my arm and into my mouth. it'll just give me a little more wiggle room for sharing air. maybe i'll just go 5ft and go under my arm, around my neck, and mouth like the DIR people. still deciding, but i'm gonna use rope and try it just to get a feel for it before i order i have an air2 so no worries on the octo. thanks for the info.

 

[herman]

Which ever size you choose, consider one of the Halcyon hoses. They are a little more expensive than some of the others but they are a lot softer making the loop around your neck more comfortable. Personally, I like/use a 5ft hose. Besides giving you the "wiggle room" for OOA, I find the soft 5ft hose DIR routed relieves a lot of the jaw stress and pull caused by a stiff primary hose.

 

[redacted]

Ahhh, thanks. The site wasn't too clear what the 3/8 and 1/2 meant :06: The reason I'm leaning towards 40" is that I'm not too tall and I was just going to go under my arm and into my mouth. it'll just give me a little more wiggle room for sharing air. maybe i'll just go 5ft and go under my arm, around my neck, and mouth like the DIR people. still deciding, but i'm gonna use rope and try it just to get a feel for it before i order i have an air2 so no worries on the octo. thanks for the info.

If you want to route a 40 inch hose under your arm you will need some type of elbow joint on the reg or it may be very uncomfortable at best. The 5 ft hose makes for very comfortable routing, more options with air sharing, and a primary that pretty much stays under control even when it is not in your mouth. For storage and donning and doffing, you will want to clip the primary somewhere that it will be safe and out of harms way until you get it looped around your neck.

 

[Nemrod]

I route my 40 inch hose for my primary (donner reg) under my arm using the M&J swivel ball. It is very comfortable and routes perfect. The shorter hose (back up reg), standard or slightly longer, comes over my shoulder and bungees to my neck with a quick release setup -- the bungee is around the mouthpiece but can be pulled free with a solid jerk. This is an OW set up for me. I have had absolutely no trouble with my ball swivels either. N

 

[vel525]

If you want to route a 40 inch hose under your arm you will need some type of elbow joint on the reg or it may be very uncomfortable at best. The 5 ft hose makes for very comfortable routing, more options with air sharing, and a primary that pretty much stays under control even when it is not in your mouth. For storage and donning and doffing, you will want to clip the primary somewhere that it will be safe and out of harms way until you get it looped around your neck.

How do you clip it? Just can't picture it. Thanks. And nemrod, I am going to check out the swivel. Thanks guys.

 

[redacted]

How do you clip it? Just can't picture it. Thanks. And nemrod, I am going to check out the swivel. Thanks guys.

Many folks attach a bolt snap (tied with cave line) on the hose where it connects to the primary. Then they clip it to something high up on their BCD (like the D-ring on the shoulder strap of the BP) so the reg is relatively safwe & sound. Rather than using a bolt snap, I attached a larger o-ring to the primary hose with a zip tie and clip it off with a double ender between dives.

 

[Nemrod]

I think there is a discussion up in the Basic Scuba Disscusions for ball swivels. Look in the DIR section for info on how to bungee a regulator around your neck such that it can be pulled free. I would not bungee a regulator without a break away ability because the panicked OOA diver might grab it instead of the primary and it's hose might also snag on something as well. By looping the bungee back on itself so as to form an opening to insert the regulator mouthpiece will hold it snuggly but still allow it to be yanked free with no diffuculty. Some DIR sorts also seem to place the bungee under the tie strap for the mouthpiece. Even if jerking it free pulls the mouthpiece off you can still use the regulator--just not comfortably---lol. N

 

[vel525]

Which ever size you choose, consider one of the Halcyon hoses. They are a little more expensive than some of the others but they are a lot softer making the loop around your neck more comfortable. Personally, I like/use a 5ft hose. Besides giving you the "wiggle room" for OOA, I find the soft 5ft hose DIR routed relieves a lot of the jaw stress and pull caused by a stiff primary hose.

Herman, where can you buy a Halcyon hose? Directly from Halcyon or can you buy it through some online shops? Oh ya, I used to live in Cary, NC