On rinsing regulators - split from Hey SCUBA gear heads - best regulator for under $1,000 = ?

[oldschoolto]

Just soaking does very little to get the salt and crap out of the 2nd stages or the 1st stage.. Well pressurized I take the 2nd stages and submerge them and shake the hell out of them well hitting the purge button... I do this for a good 10 to 15 seconds then pull the 1st stage off and cap it.. Put the hose to it or dip it in a wash tank... When I get home from a dive trip the regulators go in the tub with a tank to soak for 24+ hours... My stuff looks like new.. Inside and out..

Jim...

 

[george_austin]

I just hose off my regulators in the kitchen sink with the cap nice and tight. A lot of you folks crack me up.

 

[halocline]

Last year, after 2 successive weeks on an LOB, I noticed a discoloration on the DIN threads of our first stages, which were attached to tank valves the entire time.
The engaged part of the thread discolored.

Ever since I wonder how to not have worse happen in the future.

Any thoughts?

Those threads are not protected from salt water as the o-ring is on the end of the DIN connector. You should definitely NOT leave a DIN reg connected to the tank to dry after diving in salt water. You don't want salt drying on those threads. But of course on a LOB you would have to remove the reg from the tank after each dive to get the tank filled. That would be enough to keep the threads from having salt water trapped in the connection dry and cause them to possibly seize.

Probably the best thing to do would be to remove the reg after a dive, use a damp cloth to wipe off the threads, and let the reg hang there for a while during your surface interval; don't have the tank filler re-connect the reg immediately after he fills the tank.

 

[halocline]

Soaking? What's soaking? I now omit the soak and just rinse, but I only dive freshwater at this time.

There's no reason to soak after fresh water dives unless it's really dirty water. The problem is salt water remaining in the exposed threads and drying slowly over a period of several hours or even days. That's what really damages regs. The solution is to soak in fresh water long enough to draw the salt out of the exposed threads.

 

[Houston Tornado]

Hello everyone! I have been on a break from diving over the past couple of years and I know how things change. I am getting back into it and am planning on some technical dives later in the year, but need some new regulators now. I am interested in hearing what those who my dive on the deep side with maybe mixed gases are using these days.

 

[oldschoolto]

The same regulator that I've been using since 1978. The Conshelf xiv's!! Bullet proof and can be used as a hammer underwater if needed.. The "NEW" stuff is just more money and made of crap plastic...

Jim..

 

[ZzzKing]

The same regulator that I've been using since 1978. The Conshelf xiv's!! Bullet proof and can be used as a hammer underwater if needed.. The "NEW" stuff is just more money and made of crap plastic...

Jim..

I would NEVER use my Conshelfs as a hammer. But its nice to know I could.