Mini pressure guages ?

[broncobowsher]

I've been diving for a long, long time, so perhaps I've lost touch with what people are doing these days, but the idea of using a small safety cylinder, what we called a bail-out bottle, for decompression fills me with horror. The gas needed for decompression should, I strongly believe, be factored into the dive plan from the primary cylinder(s). These little 15 or 20cf bottles are for emergencies, redundant sources of air. I've always thought that the rule of thirds was more than just a good idea: it was obligatory. Squeezing every minute possible from a dive by nearly depleting the main air source and relying on a small secondary source to complete any required decomp while doing ordinary sport diving is the hallmark of a fool.

I think they only people doing anything with "These little 15 or 20cf bottles" that would involve any type of deco would be rebreather divers. And that would be primary bottles, not bailout.

My exception to that is the 6cf bottle for the drysuit.

 

[flymolo]

deco/stage regulator configuration: F K D

 

[Bigbella]

How accurate and reliable are the miniature pressure guages available from a lot of shops - the ones that screw directly into the first stage without a hose ?
Obviously a small dial cannot give a detailed reading, but close enough ? Once fitted, does the guage turn or does the face orientation depend on how the threads match ?
Finally.....any to avoid or any recommendations?

Many thanks in advance.

I've used them for years on bail-out bottles; and have never experienced an issue with any of them; though I have heard that they can vary a good deal, in terms of quality, as most everything else. Those that I have, are simply threaded, rated to 360 bar / 5000+ psi, without any rotating gauge face; and are easily readable in any position.

I have had some in use for over twenty years, without any damage, under quite heavy use -- just be careful with your crap . . .

 

[crzyfish]

I have one on my pony and I hate it. It's so damn small and my eyesight underwater (and above) isn't the greatest. I'm not looking at it for an accurate reading of 3000psi, just that it's still full. It's better to find a sale on a SPG and a short HP hose and use that instead.

 

[broncobowsher]

If you are trying to read the mini gauges underwater, you are doing it wrong. The wrong gauge for the job.
The mini gauges are great for checking stuff on the surface, not in the water.

 

[gamon]

If you are trying to read the mini gauges underwater, you are doing it wrong. The wrong gauge for the job.
The mini gauges are great for checking stuff on the surface, not in the water.

I tried that setup once, had the mini gauge on a thin miflex hose running along side my BCD inflator hose to streamline my rig and it acted as a backup to my AI computer. I needed to use once or twice and realized I couldn't read it underwater rendering it essentially useless for everything but the pre-dive pressure check.