Question New XL4 with heat exchanger using non-Apeks hose

[abrmy]

Hello all, I just received my XL4 second stage in the mail and to my surprise, it’s the newer model with a heat exchanger/sink. I am not sure if my regular LP hoses can fit anymore and I don’t want to damage it by trying to screw it in. See photo below for reference:

After a little bit of research I realized that the factory Apeks hoses have a rounded off hex tip on the second stage side. This allows the tip of the connector to sit inside the heat sink without the hex edges from touching the inside of the heat sink.

My LP hose connector is the standard one that is hex all the way to the tip.

I tried googling and searching on the forum but to no avail. Fully intend to pop into my LDS to get it sorted out soon but was hoping somebody here can shed the light on whether I can use my current LP hose with the standard hex connector without damaging it.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Endler's]

Thread it on your hose and turn on air and listen.
Use large adjustable (Crescent) wrench to back nut on regulator side. (If you have open end wrench that will span nut, use it of course.)
If the O-ring in hose end goes far enough to seal, no worries.
If it doesn't, get the branded Apeks hose, that also swivels at the first stage.

 

[Nemrod]

Pretty sure the Piranha and DGX braided hoses will work. They have a relief though not as long as the one in your picture.

 

[buddhasummer]

If that requires anything but a standard hose I'm gonna lose my sh!t

 

[abrmy]

Thread it on your hose and turn on air and listen.
Use large adjustable (Crescent) wrench to back nut on regulator side. (If you have open end wrench that will span nut, use it of course.)
If the O-ring in hose end goes far enough to seal, no worries.
If it doesn't, get the branded Apeks hose, that also swivels at the first stage.

Pretty sure the Piranha and DGX braided hoses will work. They have a relief though not as long as the one in your picture.

Thank you for the replies.
@Endler's sadly I do not have easy access to a tank but it seems like I don’t need to for now. I gently screwed a Miflex regulator hose on the reg and it cannot go past the heat sink more than 1mm before getting stuck.
@Nemrod looks like the DGX one might work!

If that requires anything but a standard hose I'm gonna lose my sh!t

Don’t lose your sht! It is still a 9/16. It’s not the same situation as the Apeks flight proprietary connector lol.

The problem is with hoses with the common sharp-edged hex connectors. However, I managed to fit a DGX swivel adapter with a rounded-hex connector with no problems, which means the thread specs are the same, just the hex nut needs to be the rounded off type.

This wouldn’t really affect anybody who’s bought a stage 3 or 4 set because they come completely set up with hoses. I got this XL4 as my secondary on a necklace, on a primary-donate set up with the XTX50 and DST.

For posterity and for anybody needing references - I dug out my sketchy aliexpress caliper gauge from the dungeon and took some measurements (as best as I currently have the means to).


XL4 2nd stage with heat sink allowance ~19.3mm


Miflex LP reg hose
~19.4mm


DGX 70° swivel adaptor


New XL4 with heat sink for reference

 

[buddhasummer]

Sorry, having comprehension problems, so not all hoses sans adapter will fit?

 

[abrmy]

Sorry, having comprehension problems, so not all hoses sans adapter will fit?

Roger that. Not all hoses will fit.
This Miflex branded will not fit:


These ones might work:


TL;DR if the connector has a diameter bigger than 19.3mm, it will not fit the Apeks XL4 second stages with heat exchanger.

 

[buddhasummer]

sh!t lost. Nice one Apeks

 

[Nemrod]

sh!t lost. Nice one Apeks

Next thing Scubapro will come up with a fitting that requires a special tool that even then will not fit over the outer fitting to reach the inner fitting. Or Atomics, that Scubapro wanna be, will have some sort of strange flexi-fitting that does not take a standard hose .

What are these companies thinking of?

Does that cute little Apeks heat sink possibly come off leaving only the barrel nut?

 

[Gone for diving]

Does that cute little Apeks heat sink possibly come off leaving only the barrel nut?

I can machine it off for you....


Looks like a standard hose machined in a lathe would work....

But very dumb that a standard hose will not work.