How should I orient LP hoses?

[MarkSteffen]

Hey guys,

I'm a newly certified OW Diver. We went over a lot of things in my class but never addressed things like which way your LP hoses should point when they come out of the 1st stage. There seems to be a lot of variation in setup and regulator in the pictures on the web. So Google has not been a great help.

So, I've got a regulator (Mares 15x), an octo/inflator (Zeagle), and an air integrated computer transmitter (Oceanic VT 4.1) attaching to a Mares 1st stage. I know what everything attaches to, just not sure how I should orient them. Is there a guide or some best practices to draw from? Currently, I have everything pointed straight "up" from the cylinder. Is this the best orientation for this? Facts and Opinions requested please. See pics for more clarity.

 

[decompression]

Well, the first stage will work in any orientation, so that lets you route whatever way makes sense for you. Commonly, you want your hoses run so they are streamlined, protected and functional. So, I suggest you run your hoses down as well as the transmitter. You may find it better/safer to use a 6" HP hose to the transmitter as that way it's out of the way for a solid contact to rip it off the first stage. So, common routing is LP (reg hoses) run low and to the right shoulder, BCD inflator and drysuit hoses to the left.
I like to suggest people have a look at the "doing it right" DIR way of running hoses and see if that way makes sense to you.
https://www.globalunderwaterexplorers.org/equipment/config
I hope that helps.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NorCalDM]

I try to route my hoses with the least amount of strain or bend on them also if I use my transmitter I protect it best I can with yours pointing straight up it's the highest point and most vulnerable. Also your tank should be rotated 90 deg so the burst disc is pointing out your left hand side and the valve knob out the right hand side. Try rotating your first stage as well and put the hoses in the straightest line possible.

 

[Frosty]

Mark--something really looks wrong with your setup Im sorry.
You know you have the bc rotated 90 degrees out Im guessing.
But both hoses and your transmitter look like they would be relatively easily damaged.
I'd have the hoses rotated 90 degrees forwards towards the BCD and as a minimum the transmitter rotated 90 degrees .

 

[MarkSteffen]

Sorry. Pay no attention to the orientation of the BC on the tank. It's just hanging there for storage.

---------- Post added June 8th, 2015 at 07:31 AM ----------

Great link and great idea with the HP hose for the transmitter! Thanks Deco!

-Mark

 

[tbone1004]

yeah, rotate 90* so everything is coming out flat. Putting the transmitter on a short 6" hose is my recommendation and you can actually zip tie it to another hose so it doesn't flop around but is still far enough away from the first stage so it doesn't get ripped off.
Most of the time there aren't enough ports for regs to be routed straight up, but since you have an octo/inflator you have enough. Run it whatever way you want, but with the tank valve where it should be *where you can reach it easily in the water*, going up will look interesting. Running them straight down is far more common, but in this case it would be best to angle them. I'd rotate the first stage towards the valve knob just past 90*, then put the octo/inflator hose on the other side. Most streamlined option with that style first stage.