Reg setup

[Zoomer]

I am switching out my air integrated inflator and going to an octopus. Question, there are two LP ports off the first stage on the right side (right as in first stage on tank as it would be while it's on your back so your primary second stage is on the right) there is a front LP port and a rear LP port. On a standard configuration does the octopus come off the front port or the rear port? Currently my primary second stage is connected to the rear port.

Thanks

 

[Garrobo]

Connect it to whichever port is most comfortable and convenient to you.

 

[Rick Inman]

What kind of reg is it? Does the first stage swivel?

You can use any of the LP ports, but the best configurations is one that is the most direct route to the reg destination with the least twists and turns.

 

[Zoomer]

I have an oceanic FDX10 with a Delta 4 second stage and I am adding a Alpha 8 octo.

I was thinking for regulator recovery (over the shoulder technique) you would want the primary in the forward most LP on the right side.... yes?

 

[all4scuba05]

Never thought of it that way. But I do have the "octo" on the rear port.

 

[eponym]

I was thinking for regulator recovery (over the shoulder technique) you would want the primary in the forward most LP on the right side . . . yes?

Yes, exactly. It's convenient on a reach recovery for the first hose your hand finds to be the one to your primary second-stage. This usually means using the forward-most port on the right.
-Bryan

 

[Zoomer]

Well I put the octo on the rear LP port and the primary on the front LP port, I'll get in the pool this weekend and test it make sure it "feels" right when I do the reg recovery...

Thanks All

 

[I Dive]

This is the SCUBA version of the "Toilet paper roll to the front or back?" question! As others in here have said, configure this however it is comfortable for you. And, if it turns out you end up not liking where you first place it, you can always move it! It's your reg. But, if you are switching from alt air inflator to Octo, be sure to point that out to your regualar dive buddies so they are aware of the change. When people dive together often, they tend of skip this part of the predive...

 

[Zoomer]

I Dive, This is exactly why I am changing it out. My wife and son are going through class next month, they will be learning with the traditional set-up (octo secondary) and when I dive with them I want them to do as comfortable with my rig as they are with theirs until they get more diving experience.

 

[ClayJar]

When I reconfigure regs, I generally have two primary considerations. First, short-hosed primary second-stage regulators need to be comfortable. Second, the octo hose needs to be attached to the first stage in such a manner that it can route alongside the diver (as opposed to "hula-hooping" out to the side). Usually, these two things are related.

For example, if you connect the first stage to the valve and (from behind) the first stage has hoses at 9:00 (SPG), 10:30 (inflator), 1:30 (primary), and 3:00 (octo), both the SPG and octo hoses will tend to hula-hoop out, and the primary will not be optimally comfortable (you'll have to bite harder to keep it in your mouth, and turning your head will pull more).

If you redo the hoses such that they're coming out more like 7:30 (SPG), 9:00 (inflator), 3:00 (primary), and 4:30 (octo), the SPG and octo hoses will settle right alongside your body. Additionally, the primary regulator's hose will be in a more natural position with no twisting force applied to the axis of the mouthpiece, making it far more comfortable. (The inflator hose may rest better, as well.)

I offer this example, by the way, because it's actually what one of my buddies encountered. They bought a used rental reg from a local dive shop. It had been used for years, but the hoses looked more like a Centauri hairdo than Batman's cape. After they complained to me about jaw fatigue and the annoying octo hose (that was always catching on things in the quarry), I took one look at it, shook my head, and spent about two minutes swapping hoses around. Amazingly, the hula-hoop effect had miraculously vanished and they were immensely pleased by the increase in comfort. What amazed me most was that the reg had been a rental for years, and apparently never had anyone given a thought to how it ought to have been configured.

Different first stages have vastly different port configurations, but usually you can find a particular arrangement that is significantly better than the myriad other options. Don't assume that anything is necessarily the "right" way. :biggrin: