Isolator Valve Loosy-Goosy?

[Rick Inman]

In "Dress for Success" it says that the center isolator should be barrel type o-rings seals to allow free movement of the center isolator valve when pressurized. The author states that the isolator portion of the valve is the weakest link in the system and should be allowed to move freely to prevent breaking if bumped while diving.

Do you non-cave/overhead DIR-ers keep your isolator loose? If you do, have you ever reached back during a valve drill to find the knob moved from it's standard position, and therefore have to go searching for it? Mine has always been tight, but I thing I try it loose for a while.

 

[VooDooGasMan]

I have thought to try, yet only came up that it could only hit hard out of water to cause damage.


Happy Diving

 

[JeffG]

Do you non-cave/overhead DIR-ers keep your isolator loose?

If you do, have you ever reached back during a valve drill to find the knob moved from it's standard position, and therefore have to go searching for it?

Yes, Once. Because I was too strokey to see it before I went into the water. (It moved because my tanks bumped something in my car during transport)

 

[TSandM]

When I was in Mexico the last two times, I searched through the sets of doubles for ones where the isolator was freely mobile, because I needed to rotate it so it wouldn't hit the back of my head. None of the isolators were so easy to move that it would be likely they would end up out of place during a dive. If I hit the ceiling hard, they could end up pointed more toward my head, I suppose. If I hit the ceiling hard, I deserve the sore spot on the back of my head that comes from that, I think

 

[nadwidny]

Do you non-cave/overhead DIR-ers keep your isolator loose?

Yes.

If you do, have you ever reached back during a valve drill to find the knob moved from it's standard position, and therefore have to go searching for it?

No.

 

[ucfdiver]

At extreme exposure (JJ's shop) none of the doubles have mobile isolator valves that I saw, I thought this is part of DIR that has been updated?

 

[MonkSeal]

It's imposible that pressurized valve is so movable that it rotates without hitting something. Rotating means changing distance between tanks which is by definition prevented with tank bands. So "movable" means being able to rotate maybe quarter or half of circle.

 

[coldsmoke]

I have always wondered that myself. My locknuts aren't tight against the posts but the iso dosen't move much anyway. I can rotate it a bit but it's tight and I can only move it a quarter of a turn or so. Is it possible for it to be more loose? If so how do you do that?

Hunter

 

[Rick Inman]

I have always wondered that myself. My locknuts aren't tight against the posts but the iso dosen't move much anyway. I can rotate it a bit but it's tight and I can only move it a quarter of a turn or so. Is it possible for it to be more loose? If so how do you do that?

Hunter

I just went out and loosened the nuts on mine (dive rite) and the valve will easily go around a full 360 degrees. LP 95's currently at 2000psi.

 

[SparticleBrane]

Also note that by doing so, you either forced the tanks further apart or forced them closer together. And, rotating the bar at 2000 psi is much easier than rotating at 3600psi.