K-inflator corrosion and Apeks BCD parts

[AquaticScientist]

Hello, all. I have a quick question.

I recently purchased an Apeks WSX sidemount harness on eBay for $400 which looks to be in excellent shape, however, I was servicing the K-inflator on the bladder and it appears that the plating has come off of the internals. there are no pits, cracks, or damage that i can see besides a small amount of copper corrosion, the parts now just appear to be raw brass. I soaked the parts in vinegar, gave them a scrubbing with a copper brush, replaced the O-rings with new, and reassembled. Now, I know everyone is going to tell me to replace the whole inflator, they're cheap etc etc. Lets assume I don't want to do that. My question is: Does the loss of plating present a functional problem i'm not thinking of, or is it just going to corrode faster in the future/require more service?

Secondary question: does anyone know where I can purchase parts for Apeks BCD's? I would like to have a spare OPV, or at least some springs and seals on hand for my save-a-dive.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Searcaigh]

I regularly service the K inflator mechanism on my Dive Rite wings, not had any major issues with non plated internals.

While I was scrapping a couple of old DSMBs last month I discovered that the OPV valves fit the dump valve on my wings, so they must have some standard make here, worth checking if that's the same for an Apeks BCD dump valve.

 

[AquaticScientist]

I regularly service the K inflator mechanism on my Dive Rite wings, not had any major issues with non plated internals.

While I was scrapping a couple of old DSMBs last month I discovered that the OPV valves fit the dump valve on my wings, so they must have some standard make here, worth checking if that's the same for an Apeks BCD dump valve.

Thanks, just making sure I wasn't missing anything obvious!

The only other dump valve I have to test with is Sherwood brand, but I'll give it a shot and see if they're compatible. thanks for the tip.

 

[thomschoon]

Apeks sells a Service kit for the inflator, I got mine off of eBay.de for $15. Shipping by mail isn’t much and takes a week.

 

[Boarderguy]

You're probably going to be fine using that for a long time. That said, they're $20 for a new one... sometimes having peace of mind that your inflator isn't going to get jammed or stuck is worth the pennies needed.

K-Style Power Inflator for 1-inch Corrugated Hose

A replacement drift-pin design K-style 45-Degree Oral and Power Inflator compatible with 1-inch diameter corrugated hoses and the slide-lock fitting on ordinary low pressure BC hoses.

www.divegearexpress.com

 

[AquaticScientist]

I've

You're probably going to be fine using that for a long time. That said, they're $20 for a new one... sometimes having peace of mind that your inflator isn't going to get jammed or stuck is worth the pennies needed.

K-Style Power Inflator for 1-inch Corrugated Hose

A replacement drift-pin design K-style 45-Degree Oral and Power Inflator compatible with 1-inch diameter corrugated hoses and the slide-lock fitting on ordinary low pressure BC hoses.

www.divegearexpress.com

View attachment 809292

thanks for the reply. I've actually got a couple of those exact inflators as backups in my save-a-dive kite. I just like the beefier build of the Apeks inflator with the heavy SS buttons. It's a small thing, but I feel like I can find the buttons easier and the extra weight keeps the inflator hanging in the right spot. I may even be able to simply move the buttons over to the DGX inflator, I just haven't gotten around to trying it. next year when I service again, I'll give it a shot.

 

[Sevenrider860]

Apeks sells a Service kit for the inflator, I got mine off of eBay.de for $15. Shipping by mail isn’t much and takes a week.

I am not aware of an Apeks WTX Inflator Service kit which is what the OP will have with a WSX Sidemount harness. There is a service kit for the Powerline inflator since that is the same as the Aqualung and it does have more parts that can corrode. But no service kit for the Apeks WTX inflator.

Not much to Service...

Gasket - BC911376
Clamp (AKA Zip Tie) - BC911350
2 O-Rings (BC911237, RG911465)

If you have the WTX-D PSD & BC-1, then throw in a Dump Valve Poppet - BC911359


As most people have zip ties...it is a total of 3 parts to service the inflator on a WSX Sidemount Harness.

If the Brass Valve Module is highly corroded, you can replace it (BC911184). It will come with the 2 O-rings.

 

[Sevenrider860]

Secondary question: does anyone know where I can purchase parts for Apeks BCD's? I would like to have a spare OPV, or at least some springs and seals on hand for my save-a-dive.

eBay is your best bet or get friendly with an Aqualung dealer. I thought Dive Gear Express was going to start providing Apeks service kits and parts when they started carrying the Apeks line, but that does not seem to be the case.

Your WSX wing has two dump valves. The back middle is a proprietary flat valve (BC911570) used by Apeks and Aqualung on some BCDs and Wings. The side dump valve is more traditional in design (Apeks calls it "Universal") and you may have luck finding non-Apeks or Aqualung parts that will work. The part number for the Universal Dump Valve kit is (BC911124).

 

[AquaticScientist]

I am not aware of an Apeks WTX Inflator Service kit which is what the OP will have with a WSX Sidemount harness. There is a service kit for the Powerline inflator since that is the same as the Aqualung and it does have more parts that can corrode. But no service kit for the Apeks WTX inflator.

Not much to Service...

Gasket - BC911376
Clamp (AKA Zip Tie) - BC911350
2 O-Rings (BC911237, RG911465)

If you have the WTX-D PSD & BC-1, then throw in a Dump Valve Poppet - BC911359


As most people have zip ties...it is a total of 3 parts to service the inflator on a WSX Sidemount Harness.

If the Brass Valve Module is highly corroded, you can replace it (BC911184). It will come with the 2 O-rings.

Thank you, that's great info. I purchased a DGX k-inflator service kit a while ago and it worked (minus one o-ring that I was able to reuse) to service the Apeks K-inflator. still no idea where I might be able to find some springs for the OPV's, though. I'd hate to have one of those go. might make the surface swim a bit of an endurance event.