Question about rinsing the reg

[mislav]

Ok, I admit I'm not a huge expert on maintenance and servicing my own gear. I always leave this to pros, but - there is a question I would like to get an answer to:

Post-dive, when you rinse your gear, is it ok to sink the first stage in the fresh water (with dust cap in place of course) or should we leave the first stage out?

As it is, I normally sink my reg and even after years of use I haven't seen any damage done to it.

 

[stairman]

Im no expert either but I soak mine as well.Just dont push the purge button without the reg being pressurized or water can travel into the 1st stage.

 

[sphillips3]

It's OK to soak the 1st stage with the dust cap in place. With either a piston on diaphragm regulator the main seat is isolated from the ambient by at least one o-ring or diaphragm so it is highly unlikely that any of the rise water will get back into the dry parts of the reg. All regs benefit from a good rise but especially with with piston reg it is important to get the ambient chamber and other parts exposed to the ambient rinsed to prevent salt crystals and corrosion from forming which can destroy the exposed part of the piston chamber ID. As mentioned above, don't press the purge button on the second stage as this opens up the demand valve and can let a little water in back that way.

Just fill up the tub or sink with tap water and set the system in. If you don't have a sink or tub a clean waste basket can work o. Swish both the first and second stages (and the gauge package) around gently to get the trapped air, lake/ocean water, dirt and sand out and then let everything soak for at least 15 minutes. Then pick the system up and shake all the water out and let it dry. Your regulator technician will thank you. Note that if you have a combined power inflator/reg (e.g. A.I.R.2) it is very important that it get equal treatment. It's a regulator also and these units are notorious for getting insufficient rinses.

If also soak my computer and compass. I take the opportunity to push every button and turn the knobs while soaking them to make sure all the salt water gets out of the crevices. I've seen the salt crystals/sand cause the buttons on a computer to get very sticky.

As a side note I try to avoid rinsing my regs in community rinse tanks on the dock. There are lots of wet suits soaking in those tanks and you do remember what divers do in their wet suits???? I'd don't think I'd like to get any of that water on something I'm going to put in my mouth <grin>

 

[jaybombs25]

btw your first stage gets fully submerged during a dive when it is connected to the tank.. dust cap seals off this part so there isn't any reason to hesitate submerging it

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

You should rinse all parts of your equipment in fresh clean water after every dive. Always make sure that you have replaced your dustcover as soon as you disconnected it from the tank. Give it All a good rinse to remove salt, chlorine, lake water..... whatever you were dving in.
You should give the same treatment to your bcd. You should fill teh bladder with fresh water, purge it and repeat that process. Make sure you wash fresh water through the deflator hose also. Every bit of gear that went diving on or with you, should get washed thoroughly in fresh water. I have almost 1,000 dives and my gear still looks fantastic because I maintain it and wash it careful after every dive, along with servicing.

One note. I know a lot people just let a shop or dive outfit take care of the cleanup of gear, but you should definitely know how to take care of your gear. Good question, and I'm glad you want to learn more.

 

[spectrum]

Nothing trumps having the regulator under positive presure anytime it is wet. Whenever possible have it pressurized for clenaing.

 

[Nemrod]

Some dust caps have a cavity in them. If you reinstall the dust cap immediantly after removing the reg from the tank make sure there is no water held in the cap or droplets on the face, dry them off, a blast of air will do, it might also blow your o-ring away but you have a spare I am sure. N

 

[tfsails]

Good advice here from all posters. As a professional regulator service technician, I have a couple of additions:

1. If you have an Atomic reg, keep the first stage elevated above the second stage when soaking it. Atomics have a special second stage orifice that unseats from the poppet seat when unpressurized and water will seep into the second stage hose and get to the first stage if it can. Elevating the first stage would make the water have to flow uphill, which it doesn't like to do very well.

2. After rinsing out your BC, store it with the bladder inflated fairly fully. This will allow residual moisture in the bladder to evaporate and will keep the insides of the bladder from making contact with each other and possibly sticking together once they've dried out.

3. After a salt water dive, first chance you get, you should soak your regulator in fresh water for 24 hours to allow all traces of salt deposits to dissolve. A short rinse is good. A long rinse is MUCH better. Again, observe all precautions like having the dust cover installed and not pressing the purge button while soaking. Rinsing after a fresh-water dive is a matter of how nasty the water was and what your individual threshold is about putting your reg in your mouth after being in lake water. My local quarry is pretty clean so I'm kinda lax about rinsing my reg after diving in it. I am fastidious about rinsing it after salt-water diving, though.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Some dust caps seal very well and others do not.

If a dust cap of the solid rubber variety gets weather checked or takes a set that prevents a perfect seal it will leak. If a dust cap of the hard plastic variety with an o-ring loses the o-ring, it will leak. A leaking plug on the reg will result in water getting inside and will damage the reg.

So...as a general rule, install the dust cap and then test it for leaks by inhaling as hard as you can through one of the second stages. If you get any air you either have a leak in the second stage diaphragm, exhaust valve or one of the o-rings that seals the case - or you have a leak in the dust cap of the first stage. You'll be able to hear where the leak is at (first or second stage)so in addition to testing the dust cap it is a good test of second stage condition as well.

Obviously if you have a leak in the dust cap that you can't resolve, don't rinse the reg.

Ideally, if you have the option, leave your gear assembled and rinse it with a fresh water hose at the dock, then soak it when you get home. A short dunk in an increasingly salty rinse tank does not do much good. If you have a small pony, pressurize the reg at home and rinse it and soak it in the bathtub. When soaking warm water does a better job of removing salt deposits. If you do not have a pony soak it anyway, but ensure the dust cap is tightly sealed.

A few companies have from time to time used a system where the second stage releases pressure on the seat to prevent engraving of the seat during storage. The approach has significant downsides as it leaves the system open not only to water during rinsing, but also to any creepy crawlies that may find the reg during storage. They are generally not a great idea as they fix a non existant problem. Annual replacement of the seat prevents any leaks from storage induced seat engraving and the create more complexity in the second stage with additional parts and o-rings.

In my opinion, a fairly clean quarry IS a great big rinse tank. If the water is clear you can see the halocline form around you when you get in.

 

[ericpitar]

Can anyone see if there's anything missing on this dust cap on a sp MK25? I'm wondering now if it's one of those plastic caps with a "missing o-ring" that DA Aqua mentioned.....The rubber outer lip seals but i don't think it does as good a job as those in other regs that have a solid rubber flat surface at the bottom instead of the plastic surrounded by rubber as seen in the attached photos.