Regulator is trying to kill me?!?!

[Lemming]

Hi all,

I was on a dive recently when my regs went a bit haywire. I noticed that on every breath I took the pressure gauge would drop by about 50 bar before gradually returning to an accurate reading. Not ideal

Obviously I'm going to get them serviced but was wondering if anyone knows the likely cause of the problem, or has come across this before? I'm stumped!!!

All help appreciated

 

[fisheater]

Sounds like your tank valve wasn't open all the way.




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[elan]

Tank valve either not open or malfunctioning, check with another tank

 

[Lemming]

Thanks guys, now I think about it that would make sense. Will check that out.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

As the others have mentioned, I'd first rule out that the tank valve was not fully opened.
There could also be some sort of gunk plugging up the diptube on the tank or a mechanical obstruction between the first stage and tank valve.
Your analog SPG could be malfunctioning as well.
That being said, it's certainly possible that there is a reg-specific issue.

It sounds like i.p. recovery was delayed. Did you detect any change in subjective breathing?
Did you observe the same sort of SPG behavior when breathing from your alternate air source?
During the last servicing, what was the i.p. set to be...and what is the current i.p. being delivered by the first stage?
It will be interesting to learn whether the issue can be reproduced during testing on dry land.

Out of curiosity, what is the servicing/maintenance history of the reg?
How long have you owned it?
Did you purchase it new or used?

 

[Ste Wart]

Any discolouration on the filter? I had a similar problem where moisture in the tank caused a build-up on my filter. The Reg would function fine when the tank was full, but after about halfway 100 bar, the same issue you described would occur; as there was not enough pressure to force through the blockage.

 

[herman]

Odds are it was an almost closed valve but just on the odd chance that the tank had a "J" valve on it, that is how they act when in the "dive" position. If that was the case, nothing was wrong.