Problems w Auto-Inflating

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pamelad

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Hi all,
I'm having a frustrating time with my new Oceanic equipment. I bought a Hera BCD, regs, and computer from a dealer in December. By late-January, I was having problems w the computer (wouldn't turn on in the water, only when dry) and have sent it back for repairs. This weekend, I tried to inflate on the surface and it wouldn't stop - not a little extra air leaking in, but an over-inflated bladder in about 3 seconds. I've only used it for about 20 dives so far, and clean it after every use, so I can't see that it would have been damaged by salt already.
Anyway, I'm now in a bit of a dilemma - spend the next few months orally inflating until I can bring it back to the dealer (can't get it fixed where I live) or ship it internationally and rent equipment for a month or two while they are fixing it.
Ok ... now that I've gotten the venting out of the way - two questions. (1) Am I having a string of bad luck, or is it pretty common for dive gear to need repairs frequently? Any tips on prevention for these types of problems? (2) Is there any straightforward way to diagnose and fix a problem like this without having to send back to the dealer?
Thanks everyone!
 
It does sound like it is not being cleaned properly after diving.
Scuba gear is normaly very durable if it is cleaned well after diving, not so good if left salty or not cleaned well.

Take it to your local shop or to a good diver/mentor and have them show you how to rinse soak and re-rinse all your gear. Including inside the BCD bladder.
 
It does sound like it is not being cleaned properly after diving.
Scuba gear is normaly very durable if it is cleaned well after diving, not so good if left salty or not cleaned well.

Take it to your local shop or to a good diver/mentor and have them show you how to rinse soak and re-rinse all your gear. Including inside the BCD bladder.

Agreed.
 
Just re-rinse the whole BC with lots of clean water through the autoinflator. I haven't dove with my TransPac in about three months and the last time I took it out, the autoinflate button stuck a bit and my BC was slightly inflating on its own. I soaked the unit with some freshwater and slapped it a bit with the palm of my hand and whatever caused the button to stick got unstuck.
 
It sounds like just a string of bad luck. Scuba gear is generally pretty reliable and durable.

As far as dealing with the autoinflator issue. In the old days, we didn't have autoinflators. We did everything orally. In fact, my kid says that he rarely uses the autoinflator. He says he does not want to waste the air (not that it uses that much) and that he gets more precise control when he orally inflates his bcd.

If you are used to using an autoinflator, practice orally inflating it before doing anything challenging.
 
If you bought the BC new in December, and it stuck wide open causing an uncontrolled inflation a few months later, something's wrong. Oceanic is really good about customer service, so I suggest you contact them directly. They'll probably send you a new inflator which is easy to install on your BC, and you can send them the old one for service. You could try the same approach with the dealer you bought it from and then you'll find out how they are with customer service.

It's not that difficult rebuilding a LP inflator, but it's much easier to just remove it and put a new one in. You don't have an octo/inflator, do you? That might complicate things, not on the replacement difficulty, but they're a lot more expensive and you might find some resistance to sending you a replacement.
 
I agree that something is not quite right, if your gear is that new. However, be sure to rinse and soak your gear with CLEAN FRESH WATER after each and every dive. There could be sand particles that are causing this to happen. Maybe it just needs to be lubricated? Check with Oceanic and see what they have to say. Everyone should learn to orally inflate their BC and should be comfortable performing this fundamental skill.
 
Thanks for the help, everyone. I've found someone locally who has a spare inflator, so I'll just work with them to fix it for now. A couple of the local divers have had this issue in the past, so know how to replace it. I'll also check with the dealer - who's been extremely helpful with the computer and I'm sure will be equally so with this. Will also pay more attn to my cleaning in the future...
 
most of the LP inflators aren't really meant to be rebuilt anymore, the manuals basically just say replace them. they are cheap, and if its that new should still be under warrantee unless you modified or badly abused it in some way. I always keep a spare inflator in my dive bag, so long as the hose is appropriate diameter it will work on just about any BC.
 
most of the LP inflators aren't really meant to be rebuilt anymore, the manuals basically just say replace them. they are cheap, and if its that new should still be under warrantee unless you modified or badly abused it in some way. I always keep a spare inflator in my dive bag, so long as the hose is appropriate diameter it will work on just about any BC.

Get one of these. Servicing the inflator is easy.
https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?product=1302
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