LP Hose
- Thread starter ttriton
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yes and no. Most inflator hoses are universal, almost all of the standard inflators for drysuits, lift bags, BC's, etc are all the same.
Due to having an Air2, you have a special hose for that inflator and they are generally not compatible with standard inflators and some other Air2 style inflators. This is primarily due to the lack of flow through a standard QD fitting, can't flow enough air to breathe off of at depth. The bigger concern is if you go to a BC without an Air2 style inflator, you would no longer have a secondary second stage in case of emergency. Inflator hoses are cheap if you have a traditional second stage as your secondary and it is easy to swap them out with an adjustable wrench, but the fitting on the QD is not the only thing to consider in this situation.
Cave Adventurers - Inflator Hoses (Kevlar) - Marianna, Florida USA - Never Undersold!
https://www.divegearexpress.com/adapter-lp-reg-hose-bc-integrated-2nd-stage-scubapro-style
You can see here the three different common QD fittings for the Air2 style inflators. Scubapro, Seaquest, and Oceanic each have their own version and unfortunately with them not being standardized it makes it very difficult to travel with only your regulator or your BC and have to rent the other
Due to having an Air2, you have a special hose for that inflator and they are generally not compatible with standard inflators and some other Air2 style inflators. This is primarily due to the lack of flow through a standard QD fitting, can't flow enough air to breathe off of at depth. The bigger concern is if you go to a BC without an Air2 style inflator, you would no longer have a secondary second stage in case of emergency. Inflator hoses are cheap if you have a traditional second stage as your secondary and it is easy to swap them out with an adjustable wrench, but the fitting on the QD is not the only thing to consider in this situation.
Cave Adventurers - Inflator Hoses (Kevlar) - Marianna, Florida USA - Never Undersold!
https://www.divegearexpress.com/adapter-lp-reg-hose-bc-integrated-2nd-stage-scubapro-style
You can see here the three different common QD fittings for the Air2 style inflators. Scubapro, Seaquest, and Oceanic each have their own version and unfortunately with them not being standardized it makes it very difficult to travel with only your regulator or your BC and have to rent the other
Scared Silly
Contributor
That is correct, the standard bcd inflator uses a schrader fitting that is low flow. Where as the inflator/regulators require a high flow fitting.
What you can do is get a standard regulator hose and use the following fitting:
https://www.divegearexpress.com/adapter-turns-lp-reg-hose-into-bc-inflator-hose
for a standard inflator. Then when using a a bcd with the Air2 swap it out and use this fitting:
https://www.divegearexpress.com/adapter-lp-reg-hose-bc-integrated-2nd-stage-scubapro-style
Of course a std bcd hose is pretty cheap so you could as easily swap hoses.
And if you have cylinder around having one of these:
https://www.divegearexpress.com/adapter-tire-inflator-bc-inflator-qd-post
to fill tires is worth while and would require a std bcd hose.
What you can do is get a standard regulator hose and use the following fitting:
https://www.divegearexpress.com/adapter-turns-lp-reg-hose-into-bc-inflator-hose
for a standard inflator. Then when using a a bcd with the Air2 swap it out and use this fitting:
https://www.divegearexpress.com/adapter-lp-reg-hose-bc-integrated-2nd-stage-scubapro-style
Of course a std bcd hose is pretty cheap so you could as easily swap hoses.
And if you have cylinder around having one of these:
https://www.divegearexpress.com/adapter-tire-inflator-bc-inflator-qd-post
to fill tires is worth while and would require a std bcd hose.
point of caution: There are some ScubaPro hoses that have the "Air2 fitting" permanently attached as opposed to the styles shown above that use a normal LP hose (though this may be ancient history items I own). There is also a QD adapter that changes a ScubaPro Air-2 fitting into a conventional QD fitting (essentially "stacks" the QD fittings) that is nice in a pinch, but as TB said, you are then without an alternate regulator....
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no. Most of them are permanently attached, the DGX ones attach to standard regulator hoses. If you don't have a secondary second stage for travel, then just plan on bringing your BC with you everywhere you go. It is one of the downsides of this style inflator.
If you have a standard regulator setup and you have to rent a BC with an Air2, you can always orally inflate, if you don't have an octo and have to rent a bc without an Air2, you're pretty much SoL
Ok, Thanks for all the info. I bring all my gear when I travel. I was just wanting more knowledge of LP hoses. Daughter's getting certified now so I'm looking for her a BC and I already have a regulator for her.
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word from the wise.
look into a BP/W for her. It is the only bc that will be able to grow with her.... Doesn't have to be a hard plate, can be a soft plate.
Scuba Diving Gear for Children, Teens and Kids by Dive Rite
Dive Rite has this program for the Travelpac/VoyagerPac which is a great opportunity depending on how old she is, and I believe they do that for the Transpac/Transplates as well. If you like the concept of Air2's instead of traditional secondaries, those can be put on any rig, so don't limit your choices to ones that come with them.
look into a BP/W for her. It is the only bc that will be able to grow with her.... Doesn't have to be a hard plate, can be a soft plate.
Scuba Diving Gear for Children, Teens and Kids by Dive Rite
Dive Rite has this program for the Travelpac/VoyagerPac which is a great opportunity depending on how old she is, and I believe they do that for the Transpac/Transplates as well. If you like the concept of Air2's instead of traditional secondaries, those can be put on any rig, so don't limit your choices to ones that come with them.
kwinter
Contributor
It's not just the flow through the fitting that makes a standard BCD hose insufficient. I think the hose may also have a larger bore. That's why the best option is to use a standard LP regulator hose with the correct adapter. It gives you the correct attachment, provides plenty of flow, and makes hose replacement very simple anywhere in the world. The links from Sacred Silly at DGX are fine, but any dive shop that carries Trident gear (and they all do) can get you the correct adapter.
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