Regs breathing wet

[InTheDrink]

My new-ish (40 dives) Aqua Lung Legend LX ACD Supreme (rolls right off the tongue doesn't it ) started breathing wet on my last few dives. Not hugely wet but enough to be annoying.

Can I fix this myself and if so, how?

TIA,
J

 

[Fishpie]

To find a water leak....
With reg unattached to tank and dust cover in place try and breath in through the offending reg and listen and feel for leaks.
Most likely causes....
Mouthpiece split on the side, you'll have to pull on it to find it.
Exhaust diaphragm folded over on itself.
Inhalation diaphragm not seating properly.
Cracked case.
....and specific for the AquaLung/Apeks 2nd stage... there are a couple of o rings that are easy to forget about when servicing. One under the heat sink (or plastic spacer) and another two at the other end of the air barrel that allow the venturi to move.

 

[scubafanatic]

...well, I'm not a reg tech, and I don't play one on TV......but the most common causes are:
torn mouthpiece
cracked 2nd stage body
folded/torn/leaky 2nd-stage exhaust valve
folded/torn/leaky 2nd-stage diaphragm
...also, there are some 2nd-stages that are just second rate designs...per lots of scuba magazine reviews and/or user reports, some regs are just naturally wet under some/all conditions, and the only cure for those regs is do your research and not buy them in the first place..
...are you diving 'differently' than you normally do ? ...have you recently started being in an upside down attitude during your dives or made any changes along those lines ? ....have you really cleaned the 2nd-stage to make sure there's no crud/sand trapped/lodged under the exhaust valve/diaphragm ? ...have to vaccuum tested the 2nd-stage ? (seal off the 1st-stage, and suck hard on the 2nd-stage and see if any air is leaking in....but don't get too carried away, otherwise you'll actually cause a leak by overstressing the exhaust valve/diaphragm and sucking them into the 2nd-stage).
....so before fixing, do your diagnosing.

 

[scubafanatic]

.....although this is a little harder for a non-tech to spot.....you could have leaky/defective O-rings from where the 2nd-stage joins the 2nd-stage hose...or from where the 2nd-stage adjustment knob 'penetrates' the 2nd-stage body....but you can likely rule those out if you can hook the reg up to a tank, pressurize the reg with 3000 psi, submerge in water, and look for bubbles in those areas...if you don't see any bubbles under that much pressure, then it's unlikely you're getting any water entry from those areas. Also, make sure you're not diving a tank with water trapped in it....sounds obvious, but this can happen.

 

[walke121]

The only time my regs have ever breathed wet there was an issue with the diaphram... But as the previous posters have suggested there are many other possible causes. I would go over what you can and if there is still an issue take it to a pro. Good luck.

 

[InTheDrink]

Thanks for the posts.

I duly checked out sucking my second stage with no bottle attached and lo and behold there was clearly air getting in. It *seemed* to be from the connection to my hose to the second stage. I jiggled it a bit (to be technical) and the leak flow seemed to change. Wrench tightened the connection. Still the same. Detached second staged from hose and rubbed around the male hose connection in case any dirt or obstruction, re-screwed, re-wrenched gently and bingo, no more air coming in. Acid test will be in the water but it definitely seems like this'll have done the trick.

Gracias amigos,
J

 

[walke121]

Thanks for the posts.

I duly checked out sucking my second stage with no bottle attached and lo and behold there was clearly air getting in. It *seemed* to be from the connection to my hose to the second stage. I jiggled it a bit (to be technical) and the leak flow seemed to change. Wrench tightened the connection. Still the same. Detached second staged from hose and rubbed around the male hose connection in case any dirt or obstruction, re-screwed, re-wrenched gently and bingo, no more air coming in. Acid test will be in the water but it definitely seems like this'll have done the trick.

Gracias amigos,
J

Glad you got that fixed.

 

[InTheDrink]

are you diving 'differently' than you normally do ? ...have you recently started being in an upside down attitude during your dives or made any changes along those lines ?

As an after thought, yes funnily enough I have recently been diving inverted for the hell of it more than I would usually. I know that can make a reg breath wet but didn't think same would apply when diving normally (not inverted). Wonder whether some crap descended into second stage area. Definitely not saying it did, just a possibility. It was around then (diving inverted) it started happening.

J

 

[redacted]

Thanks for the posts.

I duly checked out sucking my second stage with no bottle attached and lo and behold there was clearly air getting in. It *seemed* to be from the connection to my hose to the second stage. I jiggled it a bit (to be technical) and the leak flow seemed to change. Wrench tightened the connection. Still the same. Detached second staged from hose and rubbed around the male hose connection in case any dirt or obstruction, re-screwed, re-wrenched gently and bingo, no more air coming in. Acid test will be in the water but it definitely seems like this'll have done the trick.

Gracias amigos,
J

Keep looking. The failure you ndescribe would only allow water in when there is no pressure in the hose. Under pressure, that connection will leak air out, not water in.

 

[Couv]

Yes, keep checking. If you cannot find the leak using one of the methods previously described, you may want to simplify your search by removing the lp hose from the second stage body.(Be sure to use two wrenches, one on the hose and one on the inlet. ) After you have the hose off, put your thumb over the inlet fitting and dunk the housing in water. Now with your thumb still in place, empty the water out of the second stage and draw a moderate breath in and listen for a tiny slurping sound.

Have a look at this diagram. The most probable causes have already been mentioned, but here are a few others where the discrepancy may lie.

Items 21, 23, 29 are o-rings where the leak could be. From your description in post #6 I would suspect item 21 the inlet fitting o-ring.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Couv