Problems with HOG regs

[cerich]

When you are looking upward depending on position during the exhale the exhaust diaphram lifts and water will enter. This is something all regs will do. it can get really annoying if you are vertical with your head down.

The hose you would have gotten from DGE is not a HOG or EDGE product.

I, too, am experiencing problems with my HOG reg set I purchased from Dive Gear Express a couple of months ago and will be contacting them today or tomorrow. The first problem I noticed immediately on the first dive was that the reg breathes wet when I look upward. But I was planning to ignore that until the first service interval. However, the second problem cropped up just this past weekend: the high pressure hose started emitting bubbles all along its length, making an impressive curtain or Christmas tree of bubbles for my buddies to rib me about. I was told this can happen when the tiny perforations along the length of the hose that are left by a manufacturing machine that grips the hose are too deep. This was on the 10th dive after purchase.

---------- Post added July 9th, 2013 at 05:51 PM ----------

How can a purge button stick open? You must be talking about the exhaust diaphragm. The exhaust diaphragm could get debris in it causing it to leak, be not seated properly again causing a leak or possibly get folded ad leak.

I interpreted to mean that the purge valve was stuck open allowing him to breath water. If the button was stuck in the freeflow position, that shouldn't cause aspiration of water and shouldn't be hard to fix.

---------- Post added July 9th, 2013 at 05:14 PM ----------



A vacuum test should be done before each use, it takes 3 seconds... I try to remember to do it. Usually check when done rinsing my gear too and before putting away.

---------- Post added July 9th, 2013 at 06:05 PM ----------

Actually we choose a harder LP seat material when we first made the HOG reg than other people were using, because the one in use by other brands was REALLY soft. What happened was is that our supplier changed vendors for the LP seat and the new batch while not as soft as the one other brands used was still softer than the first one we used, instead of just having it made again the same design we decided to make it better all around. We haven't been hiding any of this and from day one have told our dealers and techs to press the purge button while adjusting the orifice to prevent it cutting the LP seat. Sorry you don't like that but the procedure is NOT changing with the new LP seat either. I have seen people do that for almost 20 years now on almost every brand regulator. I feel that because of our way of selling HOG regs (First and second separate) combined with our open attitude to DIY (with training and mentoring) we get more discussed issues than a brand that is a closed eco system. Kinda like a Mac versus Linux thing, a proponent of Mac would be unlikely to enjoy Linux being a more "hands on " operating system, a Linux user will quickly chafe at the Macs OS as being inflexible and other aspects... (or Naui/PADI teaching systems) We cant be every thing to every person. It has always been our position that we position HOG for the advanced diver who is more savvy to their individual needs and the intricacies of regulators, for others we offer EDGE, all the performance packaged and presented in a more "conventional" dive industry fashion.

Most brands would NOT be as up front about stuff like this, we are. That is a good thing and a bad thing. Some people take every mention of an improvement to decide they have the "wrong" or "problem" reg when in fact they are just small improvements because we want to make the regs as good as possible.

No, it's a piss-poor design error that (while admirably corrected) should never have been a potential tripping hazard for users in the first place. Build it right the first time, or admit you made a mistake by just adopting the generic LP seat/orifice design used in a bunch of other poorly designed regs -- don't blame your customer, who was just trying to correct a totally unrelated assembly error you also made.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Not even gonna bother.

 

[chrpai]

I'm not sure what I'd have to do to cut the LP seats on my M1s, but it's sure as Hell more than cranking the out of the adjustment knob due to a freeflow.

AFAIK...

They weren't talking about turning the external adjustment knob, they are talking about taking the 2nd stage off the hose and adjusting the cracking pressure by turning the adjustment valve located in the orifice. You are supposed to depress the purge button while doing this to take pressure off the seat.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

AFAIK...

They weren't talking about turning the external adjustment knob, they are talking about taking the 2nd stage off the hose and adjusting the cracking pressure by turning the adjustment valve located in the orifice. You are supposed to depress the purge button while doing this to take pressure off the seat.

Sorry, I should have been clearer: cranking the **** out of the external adjustment or the oriface/seat itself. Regardless, it's not going to have a seat cutting issue.

 

[billt4sf]

from day one have told our dealers and techs to press the purge button while adjusting the orifice to prevent it cutting the LP seat. ....... I feel that because of our way of selling HOG regs (First and second separate) combined with our open attitude to DIY (with training and mentoring) we get more discussed issues than a brand that is a closed eco system. Kinda like a Mac versus Linux thing, ...........It has always been our position that we position HOG for the advanced diver who is more savvy to their individual needs and the intricacies of regulators, for others we offer EDGE, all the performance packaged and presented in a more "conventional" dive industry fashion.

Most brands would NOT be as up front about stuff like this, we are. .

I mis-stated something. When I first got the reg it freeflowed uncontrollably -- tuning it didn't help at all -- and we could not detune it enough and we had gone to some effort to get to a pool to work on drysuit skills blah blah blah and we needed to adjust the reg so it didn't freeflow. I adjusted the cracking pressure but I forgot to depress the purge valve so there you go. Maybe I ruined the reg by doing that and that's why it had to be repaired ?

I still don't understand why the diaphragm would ever stick open (this happened after it was repaired).

I like your open attitude to DIR and that's a big reason why I bought HOG.

- Bill

 

[PeterNBiddle]

HI Peter, it looks like your regs were bought a little over a year ago. When did we get this email? I looked in our system, and can't find this email from you anywhere. Since you quoted it, I'm assuming you have access to it. Can you please email it to me so I can see who wrote it? This is NOT a typical response from DRIS, nor should an email have gone out that said anything even close to that, and I want to get to the bottom of it ASAP. You can email me at mike@diverightinscuba.com

Hey Mike - just sent you the mail.

---------- Post added July 9th, 2013 at 09:50 PM ----------

I interpreted to mean that the purge valve was stuck open allowing him to breath water. If the button was stuck in the freeflow position, that shouldn't cause aspiration of water and shouldn't be hard to fix.

IIRC this is what happened. Not a free flow. I switched to the Hog, blew out air and breathed in water. Hit the button, tried again, got more water but also some air. Coughed, pounded on the button, blew hard, got mostly air...

Swapped out the Hog after that trip.

 

[billt4sf]

Not even gonna bother.

Easy does it. He's trying to a) run a company, and b) help us.

- Bill

 

[Lorenzoid]

When you are looking upward depending on position during the exhale the exhaust diaphram lifts and water will enter. This is something all regs will do. it can get really annoying if you are vertical with your head down. . . .

You are far more knowledgeable than I am, but I just don't recall my previous reg (Mares) giving me a mouthful of water in any orientation, including looking up. I little bit of water, maybe. I was descending down the anchor line and whenever I would look upward at my buddy I would get a mouthful of water. You're sure this is not an adjustment issue? If you say so, I will most certainly take your word for it.

 

[cerich]

correct.

AFAIK...

They weren't talking about turning the external adjustment knob, they are talking about taking the 2nd stage off the hose and adjusting the cracking pressure by turning the adjustment valve located in the orifice. You are supposed to depress the purge button while doing this to take pressure off the seat.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

The exhaust diaphragm on any reg I am aware of is not adjustable. It is a silicone, or on older regs rubber, disc that fits to the case. Depending on case design, conditions, breathing pattern, etc. it may or may not allow water in.

On my old Brut it seemed not to be an issue until I got into a situation where I was inverted, unintentionally, in high current in a river and getting bounced around pretty good. At that point when I exhaled the bubbles were not the only thing that opened the diaphragm. The current traveling through the exhaust tee held it open as well and allowed a good bit of water in on each breath until I got righted.
Fortunately my OW training taught me how to deal with this and use my tongue as a dam to keep the water from going down my throat. And to sip the air. It is something I pass on to all my scuba and snorkeling students.
I've owned five different brands of regs and all of them did this to one degree or another.
Rapid breathing in a decent current will also sometimes not allow the diaphragm to settle back into position. Think of it as a way of reminding you to slow down and get your breathing under control and perhaps adjust your trim.

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