How to 'check' hoses?

[spectrum]

Kinky hose picture: It's had to say from the 2D photo but that looks more like a buckle in the sheathe caused by the bend radius. I'd be inclined to dive it too. if under pressure it had a more spherical appearance as rubber stretched by pressure would have then I'd not use it again.

Hose protectors vary in fit and function and the whole thing is a catch 22. Some hose protectors go on like a second skin needing a hot water soak to help them go on. These are often very closely fitting and will need good soaking and rinsing to avoid corrosion. Others are fluted and install and rinse freely.

We worry about detecting a failure at the crimp to the ferrule and that is precisely the thing a hose protector helps avoid. Port placement frequently mandates hose routings that are less than desirable from fitting stress and bend radius perspectives. Of course adding a hose protector saves the hose some stress but transfers it all to the fitting. Still, we don't hear about fittings snapping off so the safety margin there must be hearty.

As for the hoses with the perforated sheathe remember that they may bubble and ooze when pressurized. You can have ambient water or air trapped in between which will get expelled when the hose becomes pressurized. it's not a leak, just hose expansion and displacement between the layers.

If you are a Sherwood owner and decide against hose protectors you should know that those red and yellow ringlets are your free repair part tokens, don't discard!

Pete

 

[timakempton]

I would definitely NOT dive it. Look it's this simply your life relies on your gear, if you dive it, it will almost certainly be fine but lets say it fails at 30 feet halfway through your dive. Your breathing gas is going to take the path of least resistance, this means your LP hoses, ALL of them will lose pressure that means no gas to breathe no gas to inflate your BC. So now you are left with only two options, hoping like hell you can get to your buddy quick enough or an uncontrolled ascent assuming you have enough lift when you drop your weights and the disastrous consequences of that action. Voluntarily lining up for either of those possibilities is at the very least irresponsible.

As divers we all need to take responsibility for our own gear and our own safety and we have a responsibility not only to ourselves but also our fellow divers and our friends and families to ensure we participate in our sport in a safe and responsible manner. Diving with gear that is questionable not only poses a risk to yourself but also your fellow divers and the consequences of your actions will also effect your friends and family for the rest of their lives.

The fact that you are asking if it's ok means you know it's not, bite the bullet and spend $20 on a new hose.

 

[buddhasummer]

I would definitely NOT dive it. Look it's this simply your life relies on your gear, if you dive it, it will almost certainly be fine but lets say it fails at 30 feet halfway through your dive. Your breathing gas is going to take the path of least resistance, this means your LP hoses, ALL of them will lose pressure that means no gas to breathe no gas to inflate your BC. So now you are left with only two options, hoping like hell you can get to your buddy quick enough or an uncontrolled ascent assuming you have enough lift when you drop your weights and the disastrous consequences of that action. Voluntarily lining up for either of those possibilities is at the very least irresponsible.

As divers we all need to take responsibility for our own gear and our own safety and we have a responsibility not only to ourselves but also our fellow divers and our friends and families to ensure we participate in our sport in a safe and responsible manner. Diving with gear that is questionable not only poses a risk to yourself but also your fellow divers and the consequences of your actions will also effect your friends and family for the rest of their lives.

The fact that you are asking if it's ok means you know it's not, bite the bullet and spend $20 on a new hose.

He already did.

 

[halocline]

I would definitely NOT dive it. Look it's this simply your life relies on your gear, if you dive it, it will almost certainly be fine but lets say it fails at 30 feet halfway through your dive. Your breathing gas is going to take the path of least resistance, this means your LP hoses, ALL of them will lose pressure that means no gas to breathe no gas to inflate your BC. So now you are left with only two options, hoping like hell you can get to your buddy quick enough or an uncontrolled ascent assuming you have enough lift when you drop your weights and the disastrous consequences of that action. Voluntarily lining up for either of those possibilities is at the very least irresponsible.

Oh brother......

If your life is endangered by the possibility of a LP hose failure at 30 ft, you have WAY more issues to deal with than simply maintaining you gear. Learn to dive safely and stop spreading this "life support" garbage. And dropping weights at moderate depth because your BC won't inflate? (which it still would by the way) Where do you learn to dive?

Oh yeah, one other thing, your alternate 2nd stage would still work as long as there's gas in the tank. IP doesn't drop to zero because there's a leak.

 

[oldschoolto]

I look at things in a different light maybe.... Inspection is the key to gear working as designed.... There is a big window most times to find a problem before a failure starts, And a total failure that becomes a life and death deal.... The question is where's the line to fix or replace before using it again after finding the trouble with the part being inspected.....

When I see a tank blow out it's o-ring, It means that a inspection was not done or the inspector didn't know what they were look at/for.... When a student is trained to dive they should also be taught how and why to do gear inspections.... Then the diver has a good idea of what's high risk and what's low risk.... A small bubble on a hose is a warning sign, It needs to be replaced.... I'd use it on a light recreational dive, but would not take it cave/wreck diving.... If you are going to dive, You should have a save-a-dive kit to handle the gear you dive....

Jim....

 

[timakempton]

Oh brother......

If your life is endangered by the possibility of a LP hose failure at 30 ft, you have WAY more issues to deal with than simply maintaining you gear. Learn to dive safely and stop spreading this "life support" garbage. And dropping weights at moderate depth because your BC won't inflate? (which it still would by the way) Where do you learn to dive?

Oh yeah, one other thing, your alternate 2nd stage would still work as long as there's gas in the tank. IP doesn't drop to zero because there's a leak.

The point is is that not every diver is as experienced and as skillful as you. And if you understood anything about the way your gear works you would know that the intermediate pressure in your regs is maintained by the fact that the gas leaving the LP system is replaced by more gas delivered from your first stage, if you make a big enough hole in the LP system the first stage cannot deliver enough gas to maintain the intermediate pressure. If you are right try diving to 30 feet and then putting a knife through the hose on your alternate. Then when you come back you can tell us all how well you could breath.

 

[chrpai]

The point is is that not every diver is as experienced and as skillful as you. And if you understood anything about the way your gear works you would know that the intermediate pressure in your regs is maintained by the fact that the gas leaving the LP system is replaced by more gas delivered from your first stage, if you make a big enough hole in the LP system the first stage cannot deliver enough gas to maintain the intermediate pressure. If you are right try diving to 30 feet and then putting a knife through the hose on your alternate. Then when you come back you can tell us all how well you could breath.

I tried to ignore your comments, but not everyone is as inexperienced as you asserted. Did you even look at my profile pic? It should be obvious how I would breath. I'm not going to be dropping my weights and bolting for the surface out of panic. Not just because I have a 40CF AAS, but because I don't even have a weight belt. I dive a balanced rig...

 

[timakempton]

I understand what you're saying but you need to remember that not everybody reading these threads is veteran with hundreds of dives and new divers are bound to be reading this thread because how to check your gear is something that any new diver should be wanting to learn about. My point is that if you have a piece of gear that is suspect then you don't dive it, you fix it or replace it. In my 20+ years of diving I have heard of too many people being hurt by diving faulty gear or gear they did not understand. When a new diver has a problem particularly with regs the first thing they do is panic and the panic injures or kills. When we post in public forums we have a responsibility to encourage safe practices.

 

[buddhasummer]

I understand what you're saying but you need to remember that not everybody reading these threads is veteran with hundreds of dives and new divers are bound to be reading this thread because how to check your gear is something that any new diver should be wanting to learn about. My point is that if you have a piece of gear that is suspect then you don't dive it, you fix it or replace it. In my 20+ years of diving I have heard of too many people being hurt by diving faulty gear or gear they did not understand. When a new diver has a problem particularly with regs the first thing they do is panic and the panic injures or kills. When we post in public forums we have a responsibility to encourage safe practices.

I don't disagree with the point you are trying to make but I do think you are over reacting. No equipment failure occurring within recreational diving limits should result in injury, and if it does the malfunction is not to blame but the divers reaction to that malfunction. This is not the Basic or New to Diving forum.

 

[ams511]

I don't disagree with the point you are trying to make but I do think you are over reacting. No equipment failure occurring within recreational diving limits should result in injury, and if it does the malfunction is not to blame but the divers reaction to that malfunction. This is not the Basic or New to Diving forum.

In theory it shouldn't but in practice it could. We had an accident in Miami a few months back when a woman diver was found without any gear on EXCEPT for a weight belt. God only knows what was going through her mind.