PADI OW Final Exam Questions that are either wrong or just bad

[Marie13]

Turning the valve back 1/4 turn.

 

[rddvet]

I agree with those who agree with me.

That seems to be how it works around here.

Surrounding yourself with yes men (and women) is definitely the right move to make in life. Nothing can ever be learned by those that disagree with you. I think that’s a direct quote from either Putin or Kim Jong Un. Maybe not

 

[gamon]

Surrounding yourself with yes men (and women) is definitely the right move to make in life. Nothing can ever be learned by those that disagree with you. I think that’s a direct quote from either Putin or Kim Jong Un. Maybe not

Point taken. I'm really not that black and white. I'll consider the opinions of others but if it makes no sense I'll disregard it, and probably anything else they have to offer, perhaps at my own peril but I'm too old to waste my time arguing and there's not much more I need to learn at this point, and not much that I ever will. At least I'm being realistic.

 

[gamon]

Turning the valve back 1/4 turn.

There's a good reason to do that but not the one typically given. If you turn it back the quarter when the boat crew checks your air (and they almost always will even if you tell them you're good and you don't want your gear messed with), they know instantly if it's on when they give it that twist and it turns that little bit more. If it's all the way on, well for all they know, it could be stuck in the off position, it happens often enough and they might just give it an extra hard turn to confirm it's all the way on and that doesn't do the valve any good especially when repeated countless times, and it makes their job just a bit more difficult.

At least thats what I read somewhere and it makes sense to me.

 

[Wibble]

There's a good reason to do that but not the one typically given. If you turn it back the quarter when the boat crew checks your air (and they almost always will even if you tell them you're good and you don't want your gear messed with), they know instantly if it's on when they give it that twist and it turns that little bit more. If it's all the way on, well for all they know, it could be stuck in the off position, it happens often enough and they might just give it an extra hard turn to confirm it's all the way on and that doesn't do the valve any good especially when repeated countless times, and it makes their job just a bit more difficult.

At least thats what I read somewhere and it makes sense to me.

Or simply that it can jam open, especially with changes in temperature as you jump in.

Slightly more advanced, if you’re using a twinset/doubles then you should be able to manipulate the valves by reaching back behind your head. The problem is that you’ve very little strength in that position so if he valve is tight against the end stop you’re unlikely to be able to do a shutdown even if it’s a practice drill. Had that happen to me a couple of times and needed to get another diver to free the valve. Drives a horse and cart through self sufficiency.

 

[TMHeimer]

I don't think it matters if you turn it back 1/4 turn or not. I turn mine back, but just a little. Someone advised me to. It doesn't matter if you're diving solo or just you and a buddy or two. On a boat no one should touch your equipment and you should be responsible to make sure your air is on. I know, I've read that some charter boat DMs insist on checking that it's on. Sit by your tank and say no. This is something we just like to discuss, like the mask on forehead thing when you're standing in one foot of water.

 

[60plus]

The turning back the valve a little comes from many years ago when valve seals were different. If you turned them fully open with a bit of force the seal leaked. This was still the case with some welding gas cylinders until at least 2012 and they are probably still in use now. This was because part of the fully opened moving part of the valve pushed the gland packing back and broker the seal. As far as I know diving cylinder valves use an O or circular sealing ring system where this does not occur.
Regarding the original posters exam wording questions. I was a university lecturer for several years and came across this "problem" several times on multiple choice questions. What I found was that the questions were very specific to the course text and if you gave the answer that the course text led you to it would be the right choice even though your first thoughts or other teaching may have lead you to believe otherwise.

 

[Wibble]

The turning back the valve a little comes from many years ago when valve seals were different. If you turned them fully open with a bit of force the seal leaked. This was still the case with some welding gas cylinders until at least 2012 and they are probably still in use now. This was because part of the fully opened moving part of the valve pushed the gland packing back and broker the seal. As far as I know diving cylinder valves use an O or circular sealing ring system where this does not occur.
Regarding the original posters exam wording questions. I was a university lecturer for several years and came across this "problem" several times on multiple choice questions. What I found was that the questions were very specific to the course text and if you gave the answer that the course text led you to it would be the right choice even though your first thoughts or other teaching may have lead you to believe otherwise.

It’s still applicable to some valves nowadays. Especially if you need to manipulate valves behind your head.

Have had valves jam and needed another diver to free them, especially in the cold. Once cracked, they work.

Thus I always open a valve and back it up a quarter turn.

 

[okeeg8tor]

I recently took the exam and I recall 2 questions that were a bit off. I’m going to look back and see. I actually was going to message PADI about 1 of them.