Port plug

[nwflyboy]

I recently ordered and received two Atomic Z2x regs from one of the large internet shops. Before flying halfway round the world on a dive trip to a remote location, I figured we should get the gear wet and make sure it was all working well. Glad I did.

Rented tanks and found a pool we could use locally. Assembled my wife's gear and all seemed good. Put together mine and as soon as I turned on the air - the air came blowing out of an unplugged port on the reg. Seems that the "certified scuba instructors" at the internet retaierl who put together our gear neglected to plug all the ports. Since I did not have any tools (or a spare port plug) at the pool, I had to just watch as the wife enjoyed trying out her new gear. Mine is yet untested.

I came home and found several unused port plugs in the new reg box (her reg box had two extra port plugs, mine had three - the extra one being what I needed to use the reg).

I've never done anything with a regulator other than breathing out of a rental. That said, it appears that all one needs to do is screw in the plug in the port and tighten it, with what appears to be a 4 mm or 5/32" allen wrench.

If that's all there is to it, I don't see any need to send the reg back to the online retailer to have them do it. Is there any trick I should know about? Any specific torque value I need to use - or just "as tight as it feels right"? There's a little O-ring on the plug, so I assume one does not need to really wail on it to get it tight-as-a-lugnut - right? - just very-snug-but-no-grunting-required tight.

It seems like a fairly trivial fix so I'd rather not send it back. Should I worry about this, or just screw the damn thing in, tighten it, and go diving?

Thanks for the advice.

 

[spectrum]

That's the long and short of it. Run it in and snug it lightly. If you hold the Allen wrench with thumb and forefinger you can apply all the needed torque.

Pete

 

[nwflyboy]

Thanks, just did it. Seems pretty straightforward. It's tight, but no grunting was involved, so I figure it's unlikely the O-ring got too mashed.

I wonder...are these port plug O-rings commonly available for a save-a-dive kit? I'm thinking it might be good to have a few on hand.

 

[nwflyboy]

(double-post...sorry)

 

[Marek K]

I wonder...are these port plug O-rings commonly available for a save-a-dive kit? I'm thinking it might be good to have a few on hand.

They're good have in your save-a-dive kit, not so much for the plugs but for the hoses that screw into those ports -- they use the same size o-rings: generally -11 for the LP fittings, and -012 for the HP.

Some kits have them, or you can order a bunch for cheap.

 

[TSandM]

Just one warning -- if you are going to tighten a port plug (or a hose, for that matter) always do it with the regulator purged and unpressurized. Otherwise, you can slice the o-ring.

A lot of things, like swapping out hoses and plugs, aren't rocket science at all.

 

[knotical]

The target for Atomic port plugs is 30 in-lbs (at least for their older regs). I've seen some manufacturer's specs as low as 15 in-lbs and as high as 45.

Or as spectrum said above, "snug".

Another reason to have plugs in your save-a-dive kit is if you switch between dry- and wet-suit diving - you can swap out the dry-suit hose with a LP plug.

 

[tbone1004]

I like "snug" I can't say I've ever used a torque wrench when servicing my personal regs... Woops. Anywho, one of the things that is good to get into habit is
Gear check
Gear check
Gear check

My boss likes to list these as when you should do them.
When you find out you're going diving
Before you leave the house *or shop if you're renting*
Before you set up
After you set up
After you pressurize
Before you get in the water
After you get in the water
Before you descend
After you descent
Continuously during the dive

Seems a little ridiculous, and time consuming, but most of these are quick checks. Once it's pressurized all you can really do is bubble check it, but that's always important. Simple things like port plugs are always good to keep around. I usually carry a couple of those and a couple of LP inflater hoses just in case.
If you don't have your own tank for whatever reason, I highly recommend going out and purchasing an el cheapo AL80 or some other tank that you can get for cheap with a yoke valve. If anything just to pressure check your regs before you leave, as well as to make sure your inflater is working. I keep the inflater o-rings in my save a dive kit as well because there have been quite a few times when the inflater is leaking and would have had to call a dive because of it. Not a big deal when under since you can orally inflate, but I make a habit to never get in with something leaking....

 

[scubafanatic]

Thanks, just did it. Seems pretty straightforward. It's tight, but no grunting was involved, so I figure it's unlikely the O-ring got too mashed.

I wonder...are these port plug O-rings commonly available for a save-a-dive kit? I'm thinking it might be good to have a few on hand.

Look at this link and in 5 minutes you will understand/know EXACTLY which type/size O-rings you need to have in your save-a-dive kit:

Oxygen Compatible O-Rings, Lubricant and Tools - Dive Gear Express