Negligent LDS

[SnakeRiverPirate]

I finished my OW cert yesterday. While getting rental gear for the dive, I was appalled that none of the other dives were pressurizing their regs before they left the shop.

The LDS stows these regs in a huge rubber maid tote and it is a free-for-all at each class to get a reg. I always showed up early and picked mine, hooked it up and at least tried to breath through it. Maybe this isn't the most technically adept inspection, but it would beat driving to the dive site and finding that your reg is inoperative.

I may be a new diver but have been a volunteer fireman for years. Not testing your breathing apparatus in either situation would be stupid, IMHO.

That said the shop screwed up in this case and should make good. They should also be grateful that dude wasn't on the bottom when his reg went south.

I am curious how he would know that the valves had not been put in the take all the way. With the tanks pressure, these would be dang near impossible to to move.

 

[Dadvocate]

Wow, this is a timely thread for me!

I’ve just taken in my ScubaPro to get it serviced. They say one year or 50 dives. I had 55 dives on her when my summer holiday was over. I took her in and am meant to pick her up tomorrow from the shop.

My problem is where to test it. The dive shop servicing her is a good one but they don’t have a pool. There is one that I can use, but it is off site.

So many suggestions are getting tossed around, I am not quite sure how I should take this sage advice. I can quick check it in the shop. I can take her to the pool, then I suppose I could do some shallow tester dives the next time I go out. I wish there where a quicker way to make sure I can trust my equipment again.

I’m nervous now.

Cheers!

 

[Web Monkey]

Nonsense. Returning a non functioning reg is not something you can explain away. This kind of carelessness can kill people. In fact, if they had been a bit less negligent, the problem might not have shown up until 90 ft. Then what?

Same thing that divers are taught for every OOA problem: Share with your buddy.

Terry

 

[Tigerman]

Its about time for me to get my regs serviced too come to think of it.. Especially considering the airport staff have been handling my bags.. What is it with those guys? Do they have a golden rule to always THROW the bags with the softest side down? I mean, theres a reason why bags tend to have support on the BOTTOMN side.. You know, like.. so that it could be used as.. THE BOTTOMN?

 

[Web Monkey]

Also turned out both tank valves had only been hand tightened into the tanks. Needless to say he's not going to use the LDS anymore.

Tank valves are only supposed to be hand-tight. Only the tank pressure keeps them from unscrewing.

Generally a whack from your palm will get it turning.

Terry

 

[Web Monkey]

1x per year you need to have your reserve and harness inspected by a FAA licensed rigger.

Now, I pay for my inspection, get the rig.. I'm trusting my life that this person had performed the job correctly. or do you suggest I should "test" my reserve?

I would suggest that if the only requirement for being a rigger was that a guy was "Good rolling things up", that yes, you should verify that your reserve was properly assembled.

Not being a sky-diver, I'm assuming that this isn't practical for the same reason people don't test matches, and that this is why the FAA licenses riggers.

However there are no legal requirements to be a SCUBA tech, and testing is non-destructive, so it's only prudent that divers verify that their stuff is working properly after service and before every dive.

That said, a really good shop will put your reg on a flow-bench after service, and give you a chart showing exactly how the reg performs while in use. This also means that the tech pressurized it after service and that any big (and hopefully any small) leaks will have already been detected and fixed before you ever see the reg.

Terry

 

[Zeeman]

if you seriously believe it constitutes negligence on a customer's part not to check if a professional did his/her job right we have truly come to a very sad state of affairs and you have bought into it by blaming the customer. I have a hard time believing that a court or a jury of your peers would be this generous with the dive shop had they to contemplate a diver's death or serious injury under the circumstances described.
the average diver has absolutely no training that would enable him to ascertain if the service has been carried out correctly. furthermore, hooking a reg up to a tank at the LDS does not tell you much no to mention that more than a few dive shops do not exactly encourage this and act rather annoyed.
therefore, while it may be wise to double check if you know what you ought to be looking for it seems a bit far fetched to call the customer negligent if he places his trust in a professional (as we all do numerous times every day).

I ride motorbikes, and there is a saying "If you have an accident with a semi trailer, and it isn't your fault - you are still dead"

Same applies for diving. A jury of your peers wont bring you back to life.

Z...

 

[Tigerman]

I ride motorbikes, and there is a saying "If you have an accident with a semi trailer, and it isn't your fault - you are still dead"

Same applies for diving. A jury of your peers wont bring you back to life.

Z...

No, if I die because I made a mistake, that be skydiving, driving, scuba diving, skiing, defusing a bomb or whatever, of course finding out what caused it and why wont bring me back to life, but thats also NOT the point of investigating accidents.
When a plane crashes and millions are spent to re-build the wreck, find and analyze the flight recorders and investigate everything that happened, thats not for the purpose of resurrecting the people who died obviously. Its for the purpose of minimizing the risk of it happening again, if possible..

So if youre on a dive boat and you find out your reg is not working properly or your o-ring are leaking as youre about to hit the water, what can you learn from it? How about to test it before you get to the point where youre about to hit the water?

 

[deepstops]

Went out on a boat dive yesterday. One of the divers attached his regulator to his tank, opened the tank valve...huge hiss. Several o-rings later it becomes obvious that there is something wrong internally with his 1st stage. Two of the hoses from the 1st stage are also loose. Turns out he just picked-up the reg from his LDS after they serviced it. He was joking that it certainly worked before he gave it to them. Also turned out both tank valves had only been hand tightened into the tanks. Needless to say he's not going to use the LDS anymore. There are plenty to pick and choose from here in south Florida.

Do the S FL members a favor and name the shop.

 

[Johnoly]

Tank valves are only supposed to be hand-tight.

Yep!

I think you just enlighten alot of new divers who may have drained a tank and found the valve hand loose.