possible for reg to blow up underwater?

[Spoon]

i may just be paranoind of equipment failure now but is it possible for our regs to blow up underwater? does anyone actually know someone that has experienced this? o ring failure? what is the worst case scenario in regards to equipment failure underwater?.

 

[SeanQ]

I doubt a regulator could actually explode during normal use. Sounds like a case for the Mythbusters!

As for equipment failures, the worst o-ring failure would probably be a tank valve o-ring failure. I've heard that it extraordinarily rare; you are more likely to be hit by a meteorite.

I really don't know enough about first stage internals to make an accurate guess regarding a mechanical failure.

 

[mongoose]

From what I gathered during the course of my instruction, a second stage will generally fail *open* resulting in a free-flow or constant stream of air.

My intuition (which may or may not be accurate) leads me to think that manufacturers would exhaust every effort to prevent anything like an *explosion* from happening with their products, especially something you wear in your mouth up against your face.

I would think that worst-case equipment failure would be the failure of the safety device that is positioned between the diver's ears, which is the most important safety device we have. When bad judgement creeps in & makes *that* piece of equipment fail, not much of the other stuff matters.

Just my 2psi

--'Goose

 

[mxracer19]

Oh man that reminds me. Yesterday I was sitting in the computer room reading something on here, my cuz was in here playing MLB2005 and the cat was on the floor. He had just gotten 6 CO2 paintball tanks filled. I guess one of them warmed up to a sufficient temp and blew its burst disk. LET ME TELL YOU BROTHA...it scared the heck out of me and the cat took off like a rocket lol. I didn't even see her leave. There was a huge pshhhhh sound and I thought the tank was exploding lol...and I turned and looked and there was a plume of CO2 6 feet high into the room less then 2 feet from my cousins face. The sound was deafening and it went on for a good minute. I could not imagine a HP Tank blowing its burst disk as the pressures in a co2 tank are probably lower than 3500 psi...

haha but after it was all over, as the tank warmed up it turned into one giant icecube. It was pretty cool.( )


-Matt

 

[JeffG]

i may just be paranoind of equipment failure now but is it possible for our regs to blow up underwater? does anyone actually know someone that has experienced this? o ring failure? what is the worst case scenario in regards to equipment failure underwater?.

I'm not sure about regs blowing up, but when you start tech diving you better make sure you O2 clean your mask. When you are deco'n out on 100% you are exhaling ~80% O2 and if you accidentally exhale out of your nose (ie into your mask). When it hits that snot and goo that you spit into your mask.....BOOOOOOOM. Nothing more disturbing than watching your buddies head explode into a pile of goo and watch him sink into oblivion without a head.

 

[Spoon]

accidentally exhale out of your nose (ie into your mask). When it hits that snot and goo that you spit into your mask.....BOOOOOOOM. Nothing more disturbing than watching your buddies head explode into a pile of goo and watch him sink into oblivion without a head.

you serious???

 

[JeffG]

you serious???

Is a Mask O2 clean?

 

[Rick Inman]

When it hits that snot and goo that you spit into your mask.....BOOOOOOOM. Nothing more disturbing than watching your buddies head explode into a pile of goo and watch him sink into oblivion without a head.

Actually, without the head your buddy becomes more buoyant and will actually drift up.

you serious???

It's why tech divers don't use snorkels. The snorkels aren't O2 clean, and if you try to clear a snorkel with deco gas, it will shoot out fire like a flame thrower and could easily burn your buddy or start a fire on the boat.

Very dangerous.

 

[drbill]

A few years ago while diving in Thailand off Chumphon Pinnacle I had a first stage "blow" on me. I heard a loud pop and air started free-flowing out of the first stage. I checked my gauge and watched the pressure drop rapidly but slow enough to easily get to the surface. We just swapped out reg/tank/BCD on the boat and jumped back in. It was a rental reg and I never found out what the cause was but it was an "interesting" experience.

 

[dlegros]

Actually, without the head your buddy becomes more buoyant and will actually drift up.

It's why tech divers don't use snorkels. The snorkels aren't O2 clean, and if you try to clear a snorkel with deco gas, it will shoot out fire like a flame thrower and could easily burn your buddy or start a fire on the boat.

Very dangerous.

You owe me a new keyboard!

Dom