I didn't wash my first stage after diving .. not sure how to..

[BoltSnap]

Get a sealed FS and titanium SS regulator and you don't have to worry about the salt.

 

[uniqueloginname]

So my local tech agrees with Halocine, that the whole reg assembly should be soaked after use, and he recommended for 24 hours after each use. Also, by way of clarification, the purge should not be pressed any time the regs aren't pressurized.

I did the vacuum test and I can now see that the dust cap works to prevent air getting in under the pressure of me taking a hard breath, so it stands to reason that it will stop water getting in under effectively no pressure.

Well, I certainly learnt a few things - thanks all!

 

[drbill]

Wow... folks actually rinse their regs after a dive in salt water? I just don't let mine get dry!

 

[Tjack]

Sherwood first stages, do not soak. The first stage bleed valve will take in water and can become fouled if not under pressure. I just found this out the hard way, had to have the bleed valve replaced due to soaking. My reg tech told be to just give it a rinse, preferably while still under pressure.

There is at least one other brand out there that is not to be soaked as well, I don't remember which one.

 

[pasley]

...I may be about to die any moment now, but I lost count of how many times many of my regs have been soaked without being attached to a tank or having a cap. I switched to DIN very long time ago and most of the times they are without a cap; in the bag, soaking or laying flat on a shelf.

This is not a good practice and I would suspect the mfg instruction book recommends against it.

It is my practice to be with the tech when he services my equipment. I have seen what can happen when a student rinses the 1st stage with the dust cap off allowing water to flood the 1st stage. I have also read(see national dive magazine that reports Accidents and Incidents or Lessons For Life) deaths due to water in the 1st stage and the resulting damage causing a catastropic failure at depth. Bottom line, the insides of the 1st stage is designed for air only and not water. Water in the 1st stage is not a good thing. Soak attached to a tank under pressure, or rinse with dust cap or other device (thumb) to prevent water from entering the 1st stage. Do not press the purge valve without pressurized air as water may enter the hose and when you elevate the 2nd stage above the level of the 1st stage the water will flow into the 1st stage.

You may do something the mfg recommends you don't with no problem many times, but that does not mean it is a good idea. There is a reason the mfg recommneds you do things a certain way, or don't do things.

 

[halocline]

I have also read(see national dive magazine that reports Accidents and Incidents or Lessons For Life) deaths due to water in the 1st stage and the resulting damage causing a catastropic failure at depth.

I have a very hard time believing this, but maybe you can cite the specific magazine article. Regardless, it's total nonsense, and has ZERO to do with this thread, unless you're contending that someone who soaked their regulator after use with the dust cap in place somehow still got enough water in the first stage so that it magically worked on the next dive until the diver got to depth, then somehow suddenly failed closed, at the precise moment when this particular diver was diving without a buddy or back air source and was unable to simply swim to the surface. Jeez....

When are divers going to be smart enough to realize that their lives depend on their dive behavior and judgement, NOT on gear?

 

[Nemrod]

I have never had water entry into a regulator with a cap containing an O ring. I am not entirely sure I trust the rubber plug on the new AL regs but then many of them have ACD and do not even need the cap to seal, only to protect the sealing surface while in storage etc. Some regulators also once used a rubber ball as a storage cap, not sure I trusted those either--but--the plastic caps with the O-ring, yes, those seal just fine, soak away.

N

 

[g1138]

Since when did salt take 24 hours to dissolve in fresh tap water?
If you're worried that there's salt stuck in places where a simple 5 second dunk can't get rid of, you better take a good hard look at your reg. Something's wrong with it.

I prefer to soak my regs pressurised but if I can't and often I can't,
I dunk my reg in w/ the yolk pointed down so water doesn't enter, spin/activate every pivot that's supposed to spin (reg hoses, inflator hose schrader valve, bolt snaps), and take it out.
Undo the yolk dusk cap, wipe any water off the dusk cap, and cap it back on.

Turn the second stages so the mouthpiece is pointed down and shake any water out. Hook it up to a tank and purge any water droplets out (useful in a humid environment or if you can't hang the reg right).

 

[ams511]

Since when did salt take 24 hours to dissolve in fresh tap water?
If you're worried that there's salt stuck in places where a simple 5 second dunk can't get rid of, you better take a good hard look at your reg. Something's wrong with it.

If a person has a diaphragm regulator they are few places for salt to settle. For a piston regulator (except for Sherwoods) the salt water will enter the ambient chamber and can cause problems if not rinsed away. There is nothing wrong with piston regulators.

 

[g1138]

If a person has a diaphragm regulator they are few places for salt to settle. For a piston regulator (except for Sherwoods) the salt water will enter the ambient chamber and can cause problems if not rinsed away. There is nothing wrong with piston regulators.

Dunk, let the chambers fill up, empty, repeat.
Even with a small shoe box it shouldn't need 24 hours of soaking.

If there's sand clogging the chamber ports, then all the more reason to slosh the reg around. Letting it sit and soak isn't going to get the sand out.