Legend Lx: Venturi Cleaning

[FrankPro1]

I went on my first dive today with my new regulator And Oh boy! Switching from the unbalanced Mk2 R190 to the Legend is like going from KFC fried chicken to a tender cut of Fillet Mignon. Completely night and day. When making my exit, I got caught in a heavy surge and was pulled along a rocky/sandy bottom. When getting home I noticed that my regulator's venturi assist knob was stuck in place. I put it in a bucket of warm water for soaking and went to work. I returned a few hours later and the knob is now moving freely, but I can still feel some resistance. I then rinsed it thoroughly with warm water and then left it again to soak for another hour. This time the resistance is almost completely gone, but I still feel grains of sand that are stuck. I am wondering if there is an easy "and safe" way for a novice to remove the venturi knob for cleaning? I looked over the 2nd stage repair manual and it seems a little to complicated for me. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[beanojones]

Unfortunately an easy to use venturi 'knob' (like the Apeks, and the Legend is the same, if not actually based on the Apeks) will get sand in it.

I would say take it to your LDS and tell them. It takes less than a minute to clean out that specific O-Ring and reassemble it for someone used to doing it. They should not charge you for it, especially in December.

(And yes the Apeks, and the Aqualung regs based on it are amazing. But probably the difference you felt was more due to the second stage than the first. My work reg was a Apeks TX-100 second stage on a Mk2 first stage. Unfortunately ScubaPro only pairs their low end second stages (like the r190) with the Mk2, so the Mk2 gets a bad rep.)

 

[Nemrod]

Or learn to clean it yourself because sand will get in there. My wife likes to drag hers in the sand, disassembly is a post dive ritual. These modern plastic regulators are just so maintenence intensive. Shame they did not design it for acutal use in the real world.
N

 

[FrankPro1]

I would say take it to your LDS and tell them. It takes less than a minute to clean out that specific O-Ring and reassemble it for someone used to doing it.

I will def. have to do this, for an immediate remedy. But I really don't want to have to return to my LDS every time this happens. If it takes less than a minute, do you think it would be practical for me to attempt it?

Or learn to clean it yourself because sand will get in there.

I absolutely would like to learn to clean it myself. I think I'll talk to my OW instructor and see if he can show me the steps.

Thnx guy's

 

[beanojones]

I will def. have to do this, for an immediate remedy. But I really don't want to have to return to my LDS every time this happens. If it takes less than a minute, do you think it would be practical for me to attempt it?

I absolutely would like to learn to clean it myself. I think I'll talk to my OW instructor and see if he can show me the steps.

Watch the tech do it. (Its not hard to clean that, but there are a couple of gotchas).

I just live with the grindy in the venturi flipper. As you noticed, once it is underwater it is a lot easier to do free it up. But...

Get in the habit of keeping your regulator in your mouth during the exit (If you are not already doing so. If you did have it in your mouth when you got pounded, how's your head?)

The only reason to ever turn the venturi off is if you are teaching and having to demo stupid reg tricks, or if a student is using it, doing those same stupid reg tricks. The venturi is there to make the reg breathe right, and that's the porpoise of a reg anyway.

Personal thought: if the tank is on, the reg should be in your mouth. And the venturi should be on. Obviously 1 mile surface swims are a different matter. But if I was doing a 1 mile surface swim, I'd have the gear off and and the air off, and swim on top of it. Short surface swims I'd have the gear on, the valve on, and the reg in from when I was doing the figure 4s til when I was doing the figure 4s.

 

[FrankPro1]

I just live with the grindy in the venturi flipper. As you noticed, once it is underwater it is a lot easier to do free it up. But...

Any damage or ill effects from just letting it stay in there?

Personal thought: if the tank is on, the reg should be in your mouth. And the venturi should be on. Obviously 1 mile surface swims are a different matter. But if I was doing a 1 mile surface swim, I'd have the gear off and and the air off, and swim on top of it. Short surface swims I'd have the gear on, the valve on, and the reg in from when I was doing the figure 4s til when I was doing the figure 4s.

All of the my diving since certification has been from the shore, which usually requires about a 1/2 mile walk and a hundred yard or more surface swim. I usually have everything open and ready to go before I even start the walk. So the venturi switch has been pretty crucial in stopping free-flows. Good advice on just keeping everything closed until reaching my descent point. I could just orally inflate my bc before entering the water and just open the valve b4 descending.

Thanks

 

[beanojones]

Any damage or ill effects from just letting it stay in there?

For me, there has been none. When teaching, I turn it off so's not to scare the kids during stupid reg tricks (reg recovery etc.), but other than that I leave it on.

A note on hiking with your air on: If you have DIN, it almost never matters, but hiking with Yoke and the air on can spoil things, if you jar the reg and blow the tank O-ring. Trying to rip your gear off to get at the valve can be not so fun.