Older BC - worries?
- Thread starter dwcoffey
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My current BC just turned 10. And I'm NOT good about cleaning it. I've replaced the inflator once but only as an upgrade so I can flush the bladder. I'm expecting another decade out of it.
dumpsterDiver
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Nobody is mentioning this, but not too long ago I sold an older BC to my friend. It worked PERFECTLY, however it totally failed on a dive at 130 feet. The plastic threaded ring that is molded to the BC (which serves at the attachment of the inflator elbow/hose) totally failed. The plastic had degraded and the entire piece just cracked and disintegrated during the dive. It was not a good situation, the BC held zero air - I discarded the BC.
This type of breakdown would not be obvious unless you unscrewed the fitting and tried to loosen it from the BC by hand. I will be checking all my older BC's for this issue going forward.
This type of breakdown would not be obvious unless you unscrewed the fitting and tried to loosen it from the BC by hand. I will be checking all my older BC's for this issue going forward.
Water Boy76
Contributor
Yep - Old BC's are great until they fail. Had backplate rip off my Sherwood Avid first day on a five day dive trip. It was only four years old and non repairable. I change mine out every four to five years now, even if it's working perfectly. Your old one's make great backups or good for friends, wives etc....
My current BC is at least 11 years old, and has around 1000 dives or so on it. As mentioned, the things that fail are mostly fatigued and oxidized plastic, so checking the inflator hose and connection to the BC, and the dump valves, and any Fastex clips, is a good idea. Also be very careful if it's an older design that uses Velcro to retain the weights. Velcro ages and becomes far less "Velcro-y" with time.
iamrushman
Contributor
my last sherwood avid dive BC lasted 13 yrs (about 500 dives) before the plastic strap attachment in the back broke.... got my money worth out of that one..
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Water Boy76
Contributor
I'm glad somebody got thier money's worth. Because I sure didn't.
BTW - That's where mine broke also. Not the plastic peice, but the stitching that holds the straps on the BC.
There's plastic and then there's plastic. Compositions differ on visually identical items. I have ratty old Dacor and Parkway BCs that have seen hundreds of hours of use, submerged and then baked in the tropic sun. They are bleached and stained and have other minor issues, but the plastic sections and threads that are positioned between the jacket bladder and the air supply, while a bit grey, are still solid and strong. I would not hesitate to use them. Of course, while they were still in regular use I disassembled and cleaned them every winter, usually shortly before a trip to the tropics.
The BC I use most often is about 12 years old. I think of it as my 'new' BC.
I've seen all sorts of scuba related plastic parts come apart, things like regulator purge covers, especially on cheap little safety second stages. Most of this kind of trash is imported from sources that are content to allow disposable forks and discarded sandals into the plastic composite. The companies that sell the final product market shiny attractive items, and their sometimes low prices eventually drive most of the better quality stuff off the market. Buyers imagine that there must be some kind of quality control going on with various little plastic and rubber parts used in their equipment.
Some of the older stuff is made of very sturdy material. Some of the new stuff comes apart or cracks or wears through quickly, but can be replaced very cheaply, so who really cares?
The BC I use most often is about 12 years old. I think of it as my 'new' BC.
I've seen all sorts of scuba related plastic parts come apart, things like regulator purge covers, especially on cheap little safety second stages. Most of this kind of trash is imported from sources that are content to allow disposable forks and discarded sandals into the plastic composite. The companies that sell the final product market shiny attractive items, and their sometimes low prices eventually drive most of the better quality stuff off the market. Buyers imagine that there must be some kind of quality control going on with various little plastic and rubber parts used in their equipment.
Some of the older stuff is made of very sturdy material. Some of the new stuff comes apart or cracks or wears through quickly, but can be replaced very cheaply, so who really cares?
iamrushman
Contributor
i just saw a AVID diver sherwood BC this weekend with the same problem of the square plastic attachments broken...i'm still using an AVID BC but will go with the BP/W after the demise of this BC.
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