Regs for deco gas (40-100% O2)

[stevewirl]

i use scubapro for all my regs . and i also use the same first stage asif i am required to do a change of regs from main to stage or deco it can come off any set .

I use 2nd stage regs of different colour and size and shape to diferenciate even in reduced or no vis .

 

[amascuba]

My thinking is that unbalanced piston regs would be the best choice for deco regs for 50% and 100%. The reasoning behind this is that they are simple. They usually only have two moving parts inside the regulator (a spring and a piston). So you clean them, put some viton o-rings in them, and lube them with christo lube and they should be good to go. The only concern would be the high pressure seat. You're going to have this same concern with any reg and as pointed out with the diaphragm in diaphragm regs. I haven't experienced any issues with my aeries regulator and I've seen several unbalanced piston regs in use as deco regs.

I have no idea why somebody would say that unbalanced regs shouldn't be used for deco regs.

 

[lowridersvt]

i was always told balanced regs due to three reasons one is that you are on deco you want a reg that breaths nice due to the fact that you are resting on deco
And the second is due to the fact that you might have to swap it out on a deeper mix if needed to end the dive due to a deco or stage reg failure

And the 3rd reason is we do allot of ice dives and the oms/mk2 scubapros tend to freeze solid and i hate to turn my valve on and off to finish a deco stop . Before you say this is remote i have decoed in 30 deg water in a current good sealed regs are a must

 

[stevewirl]

i have never had a prob with any of my scuba pro regs .

I always use balanced regs as its less demanding when breathing is meant to be slow and relaxed

 

[lowridersvt]

i have never had a prob with any of my scuba pro regs .

I always use balanced regs as its less demanding when breathing is meant to be slow and relaxed

What temp are you diving in. On most dive here even in the summer months dont make it above 2 dec c for bottom temps and some dive are below 0 in the winter in moving water or under the ice scubapro just do not cut it

 

[DA Aquamaster]

i was always told balanced regs due to three reasons one is that you are on deco you want a reg that breaths nice due to the fact that you are resting on deco

I agree with this to a point, especially when you consider you spend more time on deco. But a balanced second stage on an unbalanced first stage still breathes great, so you get the best of both worlds - a simple, reliable first stage with an easy breathing second stage.

And the second is due to the fact that you might have to swap it out on a deeper mix if needed to end the dive due to a deco or stage reg failure

That is an excellent argument for using a piston first stage. Diaphragm first stages are potentially less tolerant of flooding. Both balanced and unbalanced first stages are better options in this regard than a balanced diaphragm first stage.

Swapping on a deeper mix is not really an issue. If you are shallower than 130 feet the performnance of a flow by piston reg will be fine. If you are deeper it will still be fine as you are most likely using a mix with helium and helium mixes slip through them very nicely.

There is some validity in having a reg that may do double duty on a stage bottle with bottom mix on one dive an on a deep deco or travel gas bottle on the next. In that case a balanced piston first stage with a balanced second stage makes the most sense.

 

[RangerRich]

I use Sherwood Bruts as well, O2 cleaned at my LDS. They are simple, reliable and breath fine at the depths they are used.

 

[texdiveguy]

I have no idea why somebody would say that unbalanced regs shouldn't be used for deco regs.

Probably because they are clueless to what they are saying...and or 'someone' told them that and so they think its got to be fact.

 

[fppf]

I don't see how a diaghram is any less flood resistant than a piston reg? Maybe you could sketch a drawing of why you think the stresses are different.

If your going to have an O2 fire it will most likely be started at the high pressure seat. This is where gas velocity is the greatest. Your not going to have an adiabatic fire because the gas is going to be cooling as the pressure is reducing. Adiabatic fires are more of a worry when boosting O2 to high pressure.

Aerospace regulators for very high pressure O2 and for Lox are diaghram based. Diaphram regs have better sealing because they use compressed face seals that are static rather than radial seals that are dynamic.

But those are my thoughts.

 

[Nathyne]

Personally i would use the same regs you have on your doubles. And as for the piston vs diapham argument i believe that is only relevant if you do not take care of your gear it is extremely hard to take such bad care of your gear that it would fail underwater (should of tested and pressurized it on the surface anyway) requiring you to swap regs causing them to flood. I personally use nothing but Apex i have a set of tek3s and 2 ds4s all paired with xtx 50s they are extremely easy to service and all apex regs use the same parts kit simplifieng it even more. If you plan on doing any really cold water diving i would stay away from scubapro all the freezups ive seen are normally scubapro. I would also used balanced regs for everything becuase the gain in saftey is very minimal and sacraficing the performance is more pain than its worth. I assume you are comfortable with your current regs so why deviate from what you currently enjoy and trust?