How do you setup your primary and secondary regulators/hoses for recreational?

[RayfromTX]

Just a thought, you may consider trying your primary computer on the right wrist, I find that it helps a lot with using my left hand to control the inflator hose on the ascent and the right hand free to easily keep an eye on the computer.

That being said, my lower dump valve is also on the left so it is always "left for buoyancy, right for DC"

YMMV etc etc

Thanks for the advice. I have two dump valves on the right and my inflator is also my alternate air so it is slung under my chin and is most easily accessed by my right hand which is also where my primary light usually lives. For me it's knowledge on the left and functions on the right. I'll think some more on if my division of labor can be improved. Just because if seems to be working doesn't mean I can't consider other options. Oh the other thing is if I carry a slate, it is on the right arm as well as I'm a lefty,

 

[RainPilot]

There we go then, I hadn't thought you might be a sinister lefty ...
Interesting about the Air2, I never thought about bungee-ing one of them.

 

[Storker]

I hadn't thought you might be a sinister lefty ...

I'd like another helping of pleonasms, please.

 

[Dish]

When I re-cert'ed (SSI) in 2007, my instructor suggested a "tech lite" setup. Necklaced 2nd (short hose) and a primary (medium hose) to donate. This was completely backwards from my original NASDS training in the 70s, but to be honest, it immediately made sense. He also recommended (initially) either using a console, just to keep everything in one place, or go ahead and put everything on the wrists, my choice. There were pros and cons for both. As a "new again" diver, I decided to keep everything in a console, at least to start. That worked pretty well for a long time, but as I got more dives...

You were lucky to find an instructor that provided that advice. My 70s experience did not include "alternate air" or "octopus"... or "safety stops" for that matter... just pull down on the J-valve wire when your reg started to flutter, or buddy breathe, and return to the surface slower than the bubbles.

When I got back into diving after a long hiatus, I was a bit taken aback by these vest BC's that you're supposed to use like elevators, octopus rigs, integrated weights, consoles, dive computers, something called an "Air-2", fins that are cut in half and myriad death-preventing dive accessories. Wierd. I'm surprised that I somehow survived my 70s-80s diving. Upon my return, I did discover the concept of necklaced backup and primary donate easy to grasp... particularly since I had been trained to donate my primary, if only for a breath or two. I also like dive computers... which I wear on my right wrist, with my compass on my left and an SPG clipped to a D-ring on my left waist strap. BP/W... same as the old days, just the horse collar is now on the back (without the CO2 cartridge).

My question is: if you go to the under the right arm routing for a 40" hose and the 90 degree connector at the 2nd, which LP port do you bring that off of? One of the right side ports, or the end/down port? This is an Atomic original Z2 1st stage with 7 LP ports (one is on the bottom).

I have the same and would recommend connecting your primary to your "end/down port" and angling the first stage so that it runs alongside the tank and under your arm. You won't die if you don't do it this way, it's only a suggestion.

(My LDS telling me that the "we won't install a 90 or a 40" hose because that @#$^ "streamlined setup" has too many failure points and you'll probably die before you even get into the water, you NEED a 7' hose..." is a separate story.)

At least your LDS is open to the 7' hose idea. I was informed that I would die because the extra 4' of hose would not leave me with enough air pressure at my second stage. (Okay, he didn't say I would die, but he attempted to inform me of the potential drop in pressure that the use of a long hose would incur.)

 

[tep]

I want to believe you are adding just a wee bit of exaggeration, for effect. But, if you are really being told such rubbish by your LDS: a) find a new LDS, sooner rather than later; b) go online to Dive Gear Express (Dive Gear Express® | Official Site) and order a 90 degree adapter (90 Degree Swivel Adapter, LP 2nd Stage: 9/16-Inch M x 9/16-Inch F), or even a 70 (70 Degree Swivel Adapter, LP 2nd Stage: 9/16-Inch M x 9/16-Inch F) - my personal preference - and install it yourself.

Thanks for the exact part numbers. I was planning to order all that over Christmas break, but got too busy. Now I just need to decide "braided" or MiFlex2. Not quite sure what the difference is, I know MiFlex (and 2), don't know how that differs from their regular "braided".

I love DGX, I've become a happy customer over the past few months.

 

[KevinNM]

Long hoses made of braided material are both very floaty and abrasive to your skin. I use a braided hose on the secondary regulator, but abandoned using braided for a long hose after trying it for a while and went back to rubber.

 

[Colliam7]

Long hoses made of braided material are both very floaty and abrasive to your skin.

I agree. I am not particularly enthusiastic about braided second stage hoses. That's just my preference, obviously. I do use braided HP hoses for SPGs, and for connecting the LPI.

 

[tbone1004]

I stay with rubber for long hoses, but have no real objection to braided on any of the others. If using a 40" hose, I would recommend going with a ball swivel instead of an elbow personally. Cave Adventurers has them as well as any hoses you may need if you want to do one transaction

 

[halocline]

I want two fully, and equivalently, functional second stages that perform well at all depths, and which I can adjust to suit the diving conditions. The modest extra expense on the front end is, frankly, trivial considering the overall cost.

2nd stages are 'constant volume' devices, which means that other than increased gas viscosity, depth has no effect on how they work. Because IP increases with ambient pressure, 2nd stages are always handling the same pressure drop, roughly 125-150 PSI. I don't think gas viscosity plays any significant role until way beyond recreational depths, at which point most divers are using helium mixes that have less viscosity anyways.

What does change with depth is how well the 1st stage works, because it is tasked with flowing more air (higher IP) at depth. So there's always a greater drop in IP under sharp demand the deeper you are. Since unbalanced 2nd stages are more IP dependent, they can show a 1st stage's deficiency at depth.

Not that this really matters, I guess....I agree with you about having two good quality 2nd stages and I also like adjustable 2nds for my alternate. But some simple downstream 2nds are really quite good; the conshelf and SP108 are both excellent, and the R190 is not bad at all. I can't imagine anyone at recreational depths with a decent 1st stage complaining about those for an alternate.

 

[halocline]

At least your LDS is open to the 7' hose idea. I was informed that I would die because the extra 4' of hose would not leave me with enough air pressure at my second stage. (Okay, he didn't say I would die, but he attempted to inform me of the potential drop in pressure that the use of a long hose would incur.)

Your LDS, like so many of them, is full of it. The long hose actually improves regulator performance, because the air in it is pressurized. It's basically a higher volume IP reservoir. So IP drop under an equivalent demand (a breath) is less than with a short hose, because you are taking the same volume of air from a larger supply of IP.