Regulator failure: possibly Nitrox?

[Genesis]

Sheesh. That's "in" the reg? I guess by that standard so is the space between the top of the "A" and the inlet filter on a yoke setup!

This particular person is talking about water in the AIR PASSAGES - salt water at that - which apparently crystallized and did some damage (corrosion perhaps) and locked up their breathing supply.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Genesis once bubbled...
Sheesh. That's "in" the reg? I guess by that standard so is the space between the top of the "A" and the inlet filter on a yoke setup!

My only point was that it needs to be cleaned out well after diving. That's all...simple. I don't see much to disagree with there.

This particular person is talking about water in the AIR PASSAGES - salt water at that - which apparently crystallized and did some damage (corrosion perhaps) and locked up their breathing supply.

I'm not sure where she is saying the water was but we see some piston regs that are a real mess inside.

 

[Genesis]

the water was inside the AIR portions of the reg, and that it was saltwater (what was actually found were salt deposits)

The only way that's getting in there is down the inlet unless the thing is leaking badly enough that you'd be blowing bubbles off your 1st stage when in the water, and the most likely way that
happened was from contamination in the tank valve which got in there during the time on the boat (or shore) and then was blown into the first stage when it was attached and turned on. (Its also possible to do this by "blowing out" the dust cap before replacing it if you're not careful, and/or with a dust cap that doesn't seal.)

Thus, my recommendation to crack the valve to blow free any contamination BEFORE attaching the 1st to the tank in the future.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

Not saying she did it but I have seen it done.

Pressing the purge button while rinsing and swishing the reg around good. If it is a well used rinse tank it could have enough salt in the water to build up inside the reg. Wouldn't that introduce water inside the reg where it isn't supposed to go?

TwoBit

 

[Genesis]

Possible ENOUGH that its warned against by the reg folks in their manuals.

But likely to get salt deposits? Not really. Water? Yes. Water where it doesn't belong? Yes. Potential problems? Yes. But crystalline salt (as opposed to evidence of corrosion likely caused by salt), far enough back up the hoses to get either BOTH second stages or (more likely) something in the seat mechanism of the first stage that would account for the "lock-up"?

Possible, but not terribly likely.

 

[MikeFerrara]

TwoBitTxn once bubbled...
Not saying she did it but I have seen it done.

Pressing the purge button while rinsing and swishing the reg around good. If it is a well used rinse tank it could have enough salt in the water to build up inside the reg. Wouldn't that introduce water inside the reg where it isn't supposed to go?

TwoBit

Yes, that would let water in. I would like to have seen the reg though. Was the reg still not delivering air when the tech looked at it? Was the problem even the reg?

 

[undah20]

That first stage is a blanced piston-assisted diaphram reg (higher performance and flow rates than reg balanced diaphrams). And environmentally sealed. One major failure point on ALL diaphrams is that if the connecting rod between the spring pad and the knife edge of the HP poppet isn't straight, it could cause a stop in the flow of air. This could happen on any diaphram regulator unlike piston styles. Any good tech will do a roll test to see if the rod is disfigured. (Scubapro replaces out the seating edge and the small piston on each annual service for better seating.) Teh tech is required to do a roll test on all diaphram regs. This may or may not be the cause for you.

Something in the tank could have caused a problem in the tank valve or the tank valve itself could be full of crud limiting the flow. Did you try switching to your secondary to breath off it while underwater or too anxious to think about it at the time?

You say the regs breathed later, I tend to think the tank/tankvalve may be more of the problem.

 

[Albion]

I would think that the indonesia trip was where you got the problem. I recently went on a trip in the region and both my girlfriend and i had newly serviced regs, after a weeks diving where the only time we touched the regs was to fit them on day one and finally pack them at the end of the trip, my girlfriends inlet filter was very green.

I've had other trips where i tried to ensure i was the only one who removed the first stage, but no matter what some enthusiastic boatboy will eventually get their first and blow dry the cap right next to the 1st stage inlet, damage done. I have on ocasions gone to refit the 1st stage only to find actual water droplets inside the dust cover.

what to do, you mention the problem they smile back

 

[annie]

Thanks for all the comments.

>>Did you try switching to your secondary to breath off it while underwater or too anxious to think about it at the time? <<

Yes I did - I was pretty calm which probably averted a major problem seeing as my buddy wasn't exactly close by. However as I've said somewhere else on this board, next time (god forbid) I'll go straight for my buddy.

The tech guy did say the first stage was definitely totally encrusted, he has to clean it all and put the parts in a special machine etc., I'll ask him about a roll test. The regs were breathing ok later while on the safety stop which made me think it was pressure related but the tech guy didn't seems to know how that could have contributed. Maybe it didn't, maybe something just got stuck and then righted itself.

Thanks for the tip about cracking the valve before attaching it, I'll do that.

 

[Albion]

not quite on same subject, but i was told that when opening the tank valve to slightly purge one of your regs this avoids a shock load onto the first stage seats and can extend the life between services