@#$*leaky octo!

[slyder]

my octo has a very slow leak. its not alot i put it in the sink and turned the air on to check it. it has a little bubble that comes out of the mouth piece every couple seconds. i just wanted to know from more experienced divers if this is a problem.

 

[scubatoys]

my octo has a very slow leak. its not alot i put it in the sink and turned the air on to check it. it has a little bubble that comes out of the mouth piece every couple seconds. i just wanted to know from more experienced divers if this is a problem.

Well something is wrong... might be the octo... might be the first stage. Will it still do that if you are breathing on the second stage?? If yes, then the seat in the octo needs replacing, or just adjusting. If no, then the 1st stage is creeping and needs a seat.

Should be looking at somewhere between $15 and $45 if you have it done...

 

[redacted]

No reason to abort a dive but should be fixed soon. They rarely get better on there own. Probably a simple 5 minute adjustment is all it needs.

 

[sharpenu]

Probably either a bad high pressure seat in the first stage or your intermediate pressure is set too high. Take it in for service. Not just an adjustment. What happens is frequently a piece of debris (sand, salt crystal, whatever) nicks the high pressure seat and causes leak-by. This results in higher intermediate pressure, which forces the second stage to open and leak out the excess pressure.

 

[slyder]

its brand new only has 22 dives on it so im thinking that it is what scubatoys says it probably needs adjusted. thanks all :>)

 

[fdog]

What brand is it? If it's a Mares MR12, read this .

Otherwise, I'd agree that an adjustment is needed, although 22 dives seems awfully soon.

All the best, James

 

[Charlie99]

Probably either a bad high pressure seat in the first stage or your intermediate pressure is set too high.

This is my guess also. I've had "IP Creep" a few times with my Atomics B1 before updating to the B2 jet piston that is less prone to creep.


Slyder, think of a faucet that has a slow leak. That's probably what is going on in your FIRST stage. The slow leak increases the intermediate pressure until one of your 2nd stages opens up a bit to let the pressure bubble out. Most often, the octo will burp first.

You can check out this theory by simply breathing or purging, then seeing if it takes a while before the octo bubbles again. You LDS should have an IP gauge that just plugs into your LPI/BCD hose. That will tell you for sure in a few seconds what is going on.

Unfortunately, adjusting the IP doesn't fix anything if it really is IP creep. Just like with a leaky faucet, the HP seat needs to be replaced to fix that problem.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

There are three potential problems.

The first is that the second stage seat has developed a seating groove in the soft seat. This is entirely normal and something that needs to be anticipated when the tech adjusts the second stage. This would be a 5 minute adjustment to correct.

The second possibility is that the first stage seat is leaking and causing the intermediate pressure to increase until the excess pressure vents through one of the second stages. If the primary second stage is balanced and the octo is not, this is a likely scenario. If both are unbalanced, then it is more likely that the octo needs adjustment.

If the leak occurs immediately, the odds are it is just a second stage adjustment issue. If the leak does not start until several seconds to a couple of minutes after the reg is pressurized it is most likely the high pressure seat in the first stage. Either way, it's easy to diagonse definitively with an intermediate pressure gauge and would onyl take a tech a minute or two to determine.

The third possibility is that there is just some sand, silt or salt crystals interfering with the poppets movement and/or some buildup on the seat itself. A nice soak in warm water and a thorough rinse might resolve the problem.