Noob question on cleaning regs

[gmerick]

Stick around after a dive while the dive shop crew is cleaning up after a boat dive. Much of the time I see everything tossed into the dunk tank then hung up to dry with no apparent special care given. Those regs are used on up to 4 dives each day, 7 days a week. If rental gear can survive for years with that kind of abuse I'm fairly certain that simply taking a bit of care will suffice. Before putting things away for a month or so, probably a good idea to rinse well and ensure the first stage is dry. The second stage is designed for being wet, so simply hook it up and purge it after rinsing. The rest of the details I'll leave to the LDS during their annual inspection of my gear.

 

[Joneill]

Stick around after a dive while the dive shop crew is cleaning up after a boat dive. Much of the time I see everything tossed into the dunk tank then hung up to dry with no apparent special care given. Those regs are used on up to 4 dives each day, 7 days a week. If rental gear can survive for years with that kind of abuse I'm fairly certain that simply taking a bit of care will suffice. Before putting things away for a month or so, probably a good idea to rinse well and ensure the first stage is dry. The second stage is designed for being wet, so simply hook it up and purge it after rinsing. The rest of the details I'll leave to the LDS during their annual inspection of my gear.

Some of us intend to use our regs for life so how a dive shop handles cheap rental regs is not really the "standard of care" for regulators that I want to follow for mine.

 

[rx7diver]

My college student did her scuba cert training at my local university approx two years ago. She used my SP SSJ w/ AIR 2 and Mk10 + BA + analog gauges and her mother's SP Jet Fins for her open water checkout. Here she is, in our front yard, cleaning gear, the day after she returned from her four-day checkout downstate. My gear, my rules, right?

Oh, and that's my old-school 72 with which she is pressurizing the reg as she's about to wash it using the garden hose. (She didn't take it with; she used a rental Al80 during her checkout.)

ETA: The fins were purchased new in 1985. The reg and gauges were purchased new in 1987. The SSJ and AIR 2 were purchased new in 1993 and 1994.

rx7diver

 

[Pearlman]

Stick around after a dive while the dive shop crew is cleaning up after a boat dive. Much of the time I see everything tossed into the dunk tank then hung up to dry with no apparent special care given. Those regs are used on up to 4 dives each day, 7 days a week. If rental gear can survive for years with that kind of abuse I'm fairly certain that simply taking a bit of care will suffice. Before putting things away for a month or so, probably a good idea to rinse well and ensure the first stage is dry. The second stage is designed for being wet, so simply hook it up and purge it after rinsing. The rest of the details I'll leave to the LDS during their annual inspection of my gear.

Actually one of the reasons they don’t care that much is because the same gear is going to be hitting the water again the next morning, getting soaked over many dives repeatedly before it has had a chance to dry, and this happens day after day. And I also suspect, if the dive shop or island has a local workshop they leave it for the service technician to clean any build-up of residue every few months or 100 dives.

But for those of us with personal gear that needs to be stowed away for a few months the cleaning procedure has to be a level up.

 

[jellycatsdad]

My SOP for post-dive gear is I shower off at the beach shower with all my gear on to try to rinse the salt off my scuba unit(and myself), if it’s a shop dive, it goes into the rinse barrel. When I get home, I break out the Al80 garage tank, setup up my regs and BC as if I was going to dive. Then with the air on and regs pressurized, I use a garden hose through the mouthpiece and let ‘er rip. I’ll give my first stage a shower too, especially to try to get the yoke bolt clean. After my regs get a bath, my BC’s wing will also get a rinse as well. Then, with the deflate button on my BC pressed, I’ll pour a cup of warm water through the inflator and inflate it. It gets a good shake and then dumped. Haven’t had an issue.

 

[Belzelbub]

Stick around after a dive while the dive shop crew is cleaning up after a boat dive. Much of the time I see everything tossed into the dunk tank then hung up to dry with no apparent special care given. Those regs are used on up to 4 dives each day, 7 days a week.

I'll pass on adopting the gear care standards of a dive op for their rental fleet. I need to dive with my regs, and want them to last. I probably go overboard, but my gear is pretty much pristine. My oldest daughter's regulator is older than she is. Still functions flawlessly.

My post dive gear care ritual may vary a little if I'll be diving the next day, but for the most part it's as follows. I dive almost exclusively in salt water.

Prep a large bucket (more like a plastic tub) by filling it with water and a bit of Salt-Off/Salt-Away. Put a tank for each regulator that's been used around the bucket. Connect regulators and open tank valves. 2nd stages soak in the water and get purged a few times during the soak to agitate. While they are soaking, I thoroughly rinse tanks and 1st stages (sealed diaphragms). BCs (Zeagle with hose connector on inflator) are connected to a hose with a Salt-Off mixer. I run the mixture through until the entire BC is full, and over expansion valves open. I cycle each valve a bit, then switch the mixer to "water only" to rinse inside of bladder. Repeat for other BCs, then thoroughly rinse outside of BCs the same way.. When those are done, I take the regs out of the soak, rinse them thoroughly with fresh water and hang on BC hanger to dry. Other gear like knives, computers, booties, etc. is then soaked in the bucket and rinsed then hung up to dry.

My method appears to be working. The people that service my regs used to comment on how clean they are internally and externally. I say used to, because now they are used to me, so it's expected.

 

[jellycatsdad]

Prep a large bucket (more like a plastic tub) by filling it with water and a bit of Salt-Off/Salt-Away. Put a tank for each regulator that's been used around the bucket. Connect regulators and open tank valves. 2nd stages soak in the water and get purged a few times during the soak to agitate. While they are soaking, I thoroughly rinse tanks and 1st stages (sealed diaphragms). BCs (Zeagle with hose connector on inflator) are connected to a hose with a Salt-Off mixer. I run the mixture through until the entire BC is full, and over expansion valves open. I cycle each valve a bit, then switch the mixer to "water only" to rinse inside of bladder. Repeat for other BCs, then thoroughly rinse outside of BCs the same way.. When those are done, I take the regs out of the soak, rinse them thoroughly with fresh water and hang on BC hanger to dry. Other gear like knives, computers, booties, etc. is then soaked in the bucket and rinsed then hung up to dry.

Halcyon is a fan of that Salt-Off/Salt-Away stuff. I also know 303 makes a salt-neutralizing rinse as well. I was wondering about that since Salt-Off says it’s OK for scuba gear. What does it do exactly?

 

[Belzelbub]

Halcyon is a fan of that Salt-Off/Salt-Away stuff. I also know 303 makes a salt-neutralizing rinse as well. I was wondering about that since Salt-Off says it’s OK for scuba gear. What does it do exactly?

I honestly didn't buy it originally for scuba gear. I bought it for my boat. On a molecular level, I'm not entirely sure what it does. According to the manufacturer's information, it helps to dissolve any salt deposits and allow them to be flushed out. I originally bought it with a mixing nozzle that attaches to a hose. I fill the reservoir with Salt Off, and attach it to the hose. The mixer has a selector to send a mixture downstream or just water only. The manufacturer recommended start with mixture, then switch it to water only to rinse clean. It has some PTEF as well and is quite slippery. I guess the thought is to help prevent future salt deposits.

I've seen some pictures of some very large salt crystals removed from the bladder of the BC. Not from mine, though.

 

[jellycatsdad]

I honestly didn't buy it originally for scuba gear. I bought it for my boat. On a molecular level, I'm not entirely sure what it does. According to the manufacturer's information, it helps to dissolve any salt deposits and allow them to be flushed out. I originally bought it with a mixing nozzle that attaches to a hose. I fill the reservoir with Salt Off, and attach it to the hose. The mixer has a selector to send a mixture downstream or just water only. The manufacturer recommended start with mixture, then switch it to water only to rinse clean. It has some PTEF as well and is quite slippery. I guess the thought is to help prevent future salt deposits.

I've seen some pictures of some very large salt crystals removed from the bladder of the BC. Not from mine, though.

You have me intrigued. Time to visit the local West Marine.

I usually give my all gear a date with the hose when I get home after a dive but having that extra protection could be worth it especially on a weekend of shore dives here where I’ll forget about rinsing off my gear on the first day.

 

[Belzelbub]

You have me intrigued. Time to visit the local West Marine.

I usually give my all gear a date with the hose when I get home after a dive but having that extra protection could be worth it especially on a weekend of shore dives here where I’ll forget about rinsing off my gear on the first day.

Don’t forget the inside of the bladder. That can be a pain on some BCs. Zeagle and Atomics come with a screw off inflator. The thread matches your standard garden hose thread, so it makes it real easy. A few other companies make something similar as well.