DIR- GUE power inflator failure T1

[rjack321]

The thing I'm unconvinced about with dumping from the butt dump while shutting down the right post is the gas has to go through the wing before it can come out again and that surely has more potential for affecting your buoyancy than lifting the LPI dump where the gas can be directly vented without going into the wing.

There is also the question of what to do with the light/light cord. It isn't going to reach round stages, as AJ noted, and it's going to get hella in the way in the right hand while simultaneously trying to shut down the right post, so you have to clip it off first which is going to take a few extra seconds all while managing that gas flowing through the wing. (And kicking down?) It's better to clip off the light head first either way but I'd prefer to lift the LPI while doing that personally.

(From personal experience, the first time it happened for real I dropped the light head while failing to disconnect the LPI hose, and then through pure muscle memory switched to my necklace reg after turning off the right post even though i was breathing a stage. When it was under control, it was like "huh, that was intense... OK status check - light head lying on the bottom. Hmmm. And I'm breathing my backup? Weird, I must have switched..." The second time was marginally more calm and collected... )

Most successful students toss the light aside in a hurry or shut down the right post with the goodman in their right hand
Tipping down means you can kick and compensate for the gas that entered the wing before you realized the problem.
Going head up you have nothing to help keep you down.
The power inflator dump is actually smaller than the butt dump so you can overdump from the rear and get rid of more gas. The power inflator only dumps roughly the same amount as a BC whip in full flow pushes in - so you are still positive until you finally get it disconnected.
Lastly - a BC nipple in full free flow often freezes onto the power inflator and even if its not frozen it takes a lot of force to disconnect.

 

[EireDiver606]

Once your right post is off, switch to your backup reg, manually inflate to neutral buoyancy, disconnect your LPI, then re-open your right post.

Why do you re open your right post? Will it not still keep inflating?
I’ve had this happen on a continuous low inflate, did what you described but ended dive instead of reopening, wasn’t sure what the problem was so I thought it would just continuously inflate no matter what.

 

[barth]

Why would you close your right post and not disconnect you lp hose of your inflator?

During my tech 1 my buddy his dump valve was removed.

 

[grantctobin]

Why would you close your right post and not disconnect you lp hose of your inflator?

During my tech 1 my buddy his dump valve was removed.

Near impossible quickly enough in dry gloves, even more impossible if the collar freezes like @rjack321 alluded to.

 

[kensuf]

I listed a note in my post - I checked locally i.e. asked people who teach for those agencies here.
Well I guess that stresses another point - having required skills listed on standards but instructors don't practice them in classes.

Matan.

Then the students should report it to the agency because that's a standards violation. It is likely an oversight on the part of the instructor, but one that should be corrected. Reporting the violation will help get the instructor up to speed.

 

[kensuf]

Why do you re open your right post? Will it not still keep inflating?
I’ve had this happen on a continuous low inflate, did what you described but ended dive instead of reopening, wasn’t sure what the problem was so I thought it would just continuously inflate no matter what.

Not trying to be a jerk but re-read what I wrote. "Disconnect your LPI" is clearly in there.

On the comments about trying to disconnect first, I've seen way too many LPI's stick while pressurized, that's why you shut down first. As rjack said, if you're dumping from the wing you won't budge an inch while shutting the valve down. Goodman light heads can easily be dropped, this is another reason I'm not a fan of the light socks.

BTW, I think it was 3 years ago that someone died on a deep wreck because of a stuck inflator causing them to blow all of their deco stops. This is truly an important skill, but one that's incredibly easy.

 

[CptTightPants21]

BTW, I think it was 3 years ago that someone died on a deep wreck because of a stuck inflator causing them to blow all of their deco stops. This is truly an important skill, but one that's incredibly easy.

Steven Slater-English wreck diver. Steve was diving CCR and near the end of his first dive on the Andria Doria when his inflator stuck open and he shot to the surface from 240'. His buddy witnessed it and was unable to assist.

 

[Hartattack]

For the recreational instructors talking about how it is part of open water, when did any of you mash on the inflator button on a student? What was the conversation like with your agency, and which agency are you teaching for now?

I talk about it in class (dry land) and demonstrate it on myself in shallow water, e.g., show what a full wing of air will do and also how to unhook and re -attache an inflator hose. At no point do I hammer an inflator button on any of my students at any time. However, I do have them unhook and re-attache the hose many times at depth while they are neutrally buoyant as a skill familiarization.

I hope that clears up the rec portion of the discussion.

 

[rjack321]

Why would you close your right post and not disconnect you lp hose of your inflator?

During my tech 1 my buddy his dump valve was removed.

The missing dump valve is supposed to be caught on the surface during GUEEDGE or similar.

You shut down the right post because when the power inflator is in full blast free flow you wont get it disconnected in time being head up and trying to vent it. In cold water you may not be able to disconnect it at all as it will freeze onto the nipple.

Lastly if the dump valve somehow disappears later on a dive the leaking power inflator skill just got easier not harder.

 

[barth]

Near impossible quickly enough in dry gloves, even more impossible if the collar freezes like @rjack321 alluded to.

My buddy did disconnect his inflator when he was doing a bottle rotation with dry gloves and diving his JJ when his inflator was auto inflation.

I do connect and dis connect my drysuit inflator with dry gloves almost every dive.

I did had a lot of inflator failures but it was never frozen.

When my JJ mav is leaking oxygen to my JJ I also learnt to just disconnect the lp hose.

With a JJ in gue configuration you can’t use the dilluent adv, longhose and inflator when the right post is closed. When the inflator is disconnected, only the inflator cannot be used