undrwater
Contributor
I don't think we know if it had one. One of the theories is that it wasn't on the valve.
Near reg failure - all ok
- Thread starter Kimela
- Start date
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@Kimela,
I don't travel with a pony. (I don't dive with one. Don't own one.) What difficulty did it cause you? Required too much of your allowable luggage weight? Too large (length, width)? Removing/replacing valve? Customs? Something else?
What size (capacity) is yours?
Are you reconsidering this decision now, after this incident?
rx7diver
We bought 1.7cf ponies and took them to Key Largo once. You have to take them empty and then fill them from your tank. Once there we never even filled it. Also, while there we went to Diver's Direct and bought a bunch of stuff and had to ship home the extraneous stuff - which included the pony with all the pieces that hooked it to the tank. Somewhere along the line the postal service tore a hole in one of the boxes, poking a hole in one of R's wetsuits and losing one of those pieces. And that was the end of the pony story. We still have one somewhere in the basement. It might be more of us being lazy than it being too much work. And no, this hasn't made me rethink using a pony. It HAS made me rethink staying closer to R though - which is a pain in the butt because we like to take pictures.
And I tell myself "it took 500 dives for this to happen ... what are the odds it will happen again?". That's rhetorical. No need to answer.
SlugLife
Contributor
General advice is to replace hoses every 5-years.
I don't know of anyone who actually cleans the inside of their air-hoses, although there are people who know FAR more about servicing equipment than me on these boards. Personally, I would not do such a thing unless some of the veterans who hang out in the DIY regulator service section recommend that.
Assuming you use your regulators normally, almost nothing should be getting INSIDE your hoses, and by the time it does, it probably already blew through the hose, into your BCD or 2nd stage. For the HP hose, you might get moisture inside a SPG, which is annoying, may affect accuracy, or may cause the SPG to fog up. I have an older SPG with moisture behind the faceplate, which I use on my loaner pony bottle. It still works, it's still readable, just a little annoying.
If you want to do some basic DIY regulator servicing, but not the complete disassembly, there are other things you can do. For example, it's not that hard (or dangerous) on most regulators to partially open up the 2nd stage, rinse it out, and put it back together. You can also clean threads and o-rings, using a very light amount of silicon grease. Again, before you start getting creative with your regulator maintenance, ask the "pros" here:
Repairing your own Gear
You don't trust others to service your gear? Come join our little club!
Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
Maybe in corroded off and was rolling around inside the tank too!
I can’t imagine someone assembling a tank and not including a dip tube.
Thanks, @SlugMug, but I have self-serviced almost all of my own gear since 1987 or so (though, as mentioned, I have never cleaned my hoses internally).
Haven't self-serviced my Scubapro D400, though. Nor my AIR 2. Nor my Poseidon Odins (even though I have the tools for this and have been taken through a service course a long time ago).
rx7diver
SlugLife
Contributor
For context: I actually own all of the following sizes: 1.7, 3, 6, and 19cu. I consider 1.7 and 3cu to be more far dangerous, than no pony bottle at all. They give a false sense of security, while providing almost zero security or redundancy.We bought 1.7cf ponies and took them to Key Largo once. You have to take them empty and then fill them from your tank. Once there we never even filled it. Also, while there we went to Diver's Direct and bought a bunch of stuff and had to ship home the extraneous stuff - which included the pony with all the pieces that hooked it to the tank. Somewhere along the line the postal service tore a hole in one of the boxes, poking a hole in one of R's wetsuits and losing one of those pieces. And that was the end of the pony story. We still have one somewhere in the basement. It might be more of us being lazy than it being too much work. And no, this hasn't made me rethink using a pony. It HAS made me rethink staying closer to R though - which is a pain in the butt because we like to take pictures.
While diving, try using one of those pony bottles. You'll be surprised; you might get a few breaths before suddenly it's impossible to breathe and near empty in a shockingly short amount of time.
The bare minimum size I can possibly recommend is 6cu. At 6cu, you're still looking at needing to surface IMMEDIATELY. When I tested my 6cu in a pool, each breath at about 7.5ft deep, used about 100psi. At 30ft, you're looking at maybe 15 breaths? The 6cu could save your life, but you need to not delay.
My actual ideal size is 19cu for recreational diving. Aside from extreme emergencies, entanglement, or panic, you should be able to safely surface from any no-deco dive, including taking a safety stop. If you travel a lot, perhaps go 13cu, but be prepared for am abbreviated safety stop.
30 or 40cu is more air, but they're big enough I've noticed a lot of people who have this size just leave it at home. A 13 or 19cu on your person, is 10000x more useful than the 40cu you left at home. The 40s are good for technical diving though, so if you plan to do that you could future proof with a 40cu.
Bob DBF
Contributor
That is advice that was started for miflex type hoses, because of constuction issues, I guess it was expanded to all hoses by lack of understanding, or the need to sell hoses. I'm using standard rubber hoses that are from 8 to 30 years old, with no issues.
In her case there may be residue in the LP hoses, I'd inspect, and possibly remove the second stage and inflator and blow them down. The HP hose to the SPG is basically static pressure, no airflow, so if I didn't see anything I'd leave well enough alone.
If you get moisture in the HP hose it may get in the bourdon tube, and if salt will corrode the tube, it will not get in the case unless the bourbon tube is broken, at which point the SPG is useless. Where the bourbon tube connector goes through the case are gaskets that seal the case, as well as the blowout plug, over time the gaskets or plug leaks and the moisture in the air that intrudes causes the fog.
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