is this reg good

[Scuba Diver 03]

I have a U.S. Divers conshelf 22. do they do well in cold water and are they balanced? I'de also like to know if I can use nitrox with the reg.:scuba:

 

[Diver0001]

Scuba Diver 03 once bubbled...
I have a U.S. Divers conshelf 22. do they do well in cold water and are they balanced? I'de also like to know if I can use nitrox with the reg.:scuba:

how cold?

The old conshelf was a diaphragm design if memory serves. The first stage is unlikely to contain any titanium which is good news for nitrox use or even pure O2 as long as you get it O2 cleaned. I don't know if it's balanced but if I had to bet I'd say it was.

The second stages are simple downstream designs, probably with a single adjustment, no heat sinks or special cold kits. I'd say you can use them in cold water to about 10C (about 50F) but anything colder than that and you'll want something more like a Titan Glacia. Aqualung also has a nice looking (for an old timer) classic USD design 2nd called a "Conshelf XIV Supreme" that they claim is cold water ready. If you're looking for that up-to-date retro look it might work, expecially if you combine it with a ball cap or T-shirt that says "To Boldly Go" on it.....

As far as reliability goes it's a good reg. Not a top of the line performer but it will keep you diving.

R..

 

[Scuba Diver 03]

I dive in 40-45 degree water in the pujet sound. I already bought the reg;-0 Now what do I do???

 

[ERP]

The sound is >50 degrees almost year round, I don't think I've ever seen <48 degrees in the first 60 or so feet.

I wouldn't worry about it, assuming the reg was recently serviced, it shouldn't be a problem.

As an aside - If I were you, I'd stop worrying about all these minor things and just go out and dive.

 

[Diver0001]

Scuba Diver 03 once bubbled...
I dive in 40-45 degree water in the pujet sound. I already bought the reg;-0 Now what do I do???

You might never have a problem with it and if you do you'll probably be able to count the number of times it happens on one hand.

I wouldn't go ice diving with it. That's all.

To keep freeze ups to a minimum I would suggest not breathing from it on land (except to test of course) until you descend. As you descend breathe out slowly over the first few metres and then just breathe normally. In fact the water, even though it feels cold, is usually a lot warmer than the innards of your reg and if you just breathe slow and normal like you're taught then the water and the breath you exhale will keep it from freezing. Where you get in problems is if you need to purge under water or if you're breathing too fast (like buddy breathing).

If you do freeze up under water you can use your buddy's octo and turn off your tank for a minute and then turn it back on again. 9 times out of 10 that solves the problem.

And of course if you stay within your limits you'll have access to the surface so in the worst case you'll jsut have to abort the dive.

In the winter where I live we dive in water that can literally get a couple of degrees below the freezeing point. Even with that we don't see freezes every day. What I've done to limit the problem on my own kit is to put a Y valve (or an H valve) on my tank and I"ve doubled up my regs so even if one starts to free flow I can just turn off that reg. And if your buddy has to use your octo it's good if it's not attached to the same 1st stage.

And if you're going to be blowing up balloons or whatever under water you should get an attachment for it. It's just an extra LP hose with the thingamabob on it for this purpose. That way when you use a balloon you don't need to purge your reg and you'll limit the risk of a freeflow because of this.

And don't worry about it. The 10C thing I mentioned is a grey area not a sharp line. I dove for many years off the coast of BC (Canada) with a reg that wasn't especially made for cold water and had zero problems with it under water. And anyway you've been trained to breathe from a free flowing reg. They didn't train you for this for nothing. If you're diving in cold watre it's an essential skill.

Just be alert and make sure you work out some sort of protcol with your buddy before hand. If you want him to turn off your tank, for example, then make sure he knows that before hand so you don't have to try making him understand it when it's happening. You have to do this anyway, regardless of what kind of reg you have.

R..

 

[Amber]

Scuba Diver 03 once bubbled...
I dive in 40-45 degree water in the pujet sound. I already bought the reg;-0 Now what do I do???

Just a question...why didn't you check about this BEFORE you bought it? I ask before I make every equipment purchase and I havn't made a mistake once.

 

[Scuba Diver 03]

uuuummmm well I thought it was a good deal the sales guy seid it will last for years without trouble so I seid hey why not. so I bought it. I like the Reg it fits in my mouth it looks cool and it had a sturdy feel to it. Can I like take it to a shop and have them do somthing to it to make it good for cold water? I learned how to breath threw a freeflow reg but I realy don't want that happening. Here are my options. 1. Sell it for half the price I got it for.2. Just use it and be happy 3. get it tuned and cheked and use it4. save up and later in life buy a new reg but for now be happy and use it. thanks for your help

 

[Diver0001]

Scuba Diver 03 once bubbled...
uuuummmm well I thought it was a good deal the sales guy seid it will last for years without trouble so I seid hey why not. so I bought it. I like the Reg it fits in my mouth it looks cool and it had a sturdy feel to it. Can I like take it to a shop and have them do somthing to it to make it good for cold water? I learned how to breath threw a freeflow reg but I realy don't want that happening. Here are my options. 1. Sell it for half the price I got it for.2. Just use it and be happy 3. get it tuned and cheked and use it4. save up and later in life buy a new reg but for now be happy and use it. thanks for your help

option 4. One of the other posters also had a good point. I've rarely seen temps much below 8C/45F in the sound.

And don't get all worried about freezing. It's unlikely to happen if you do the things I said in my last post and if it does it's easily dealt with, even under water.

R..

 

[My-way]

Conshelf regulators are very robust and reliable. I use a conshelf 21 in the top end of Port Phillip in Melbourne Australia where the water temp can be (though not often) about 6'c. I have never had the first stage freeze.

I'd say that the Conshelf 22, which is not much different at the first stage will not be a problem at all. Perhaps if you were ice diving you may wish to reconsider.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I am working from memeory here, but the conshelf first stage should have an externally adjustable Intermediate pressure. On many regulators US Divers/Aqualung recommends a lower IP for cold water use - around 110 instead of 140 or so. The lower IP reduces flow and performance somewhat but you most likely won't notice it unless you are going pretty deep. The lower flow rate though does make it a bit less suceptible to freezing up.

Take it in to an Aqualung dealer and ask them about it. An IP adjustment on a Conshelf takes about 2 minutes with only an IP pressure guage and a screw driver required and they should be able to check and adjust it for you for little or no cost