Regulator sucked H20 on my first dive

[LobsterOfJustice]

Hey all,

I recently went on my first dive after the certification dives. I was on a wreck off the coast of wilmington NC, water was 81 degrees. We had two tanks, so I guess technically it was two dives. The first dive went great, no problems, got to 50 feet. About 30 minutes in to the second dive, again at 50 feet, I took a breath and felt a little water, took another breath, felt some water, took another and it was all seawater. I quickly switched to my alternate air source, which was fine, and slowly made my ascent to 15 feet for a safety stop. Once comfortable at 15 feet, I got up the courage to switch back to my main second stage. It worked fine, and I finished out the safety stop and surfaced on the primary.

This regulator was purchased two months ago, it saw water for two days in a FW quarry for my checkout dives, and then this dive. Should I be worried? Could it be the depth that caused it to fail at 50ft, but work at 15? Is it possible my mouthpiece was not tightly secured to the regulator?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[nagel]

I'm no reg expert, but did have a similar situation - happened with a new reg. Really wasn't sucking water; but rather, wanted to free flow frequently. I took mine back to the shop I purchased, but they couldn't duplicate the issue. Possibly new parts needing to wear in. Never had problem again.

I would suggest taking back to shop and have them look at it, but they probably won't be able to correct unless they find something obvious.

What kind of reg set up is it? Might be able to search for any known issues based on manufacturer.

S. Nagel

 

[redacted]

This regulator was purchased two months ago, it saw water for two days in a FW quarry for my checkout dives, and then this dive. Should I be worried? Could it be the depth that caused it to fail at 50ft, but work at 15? Is it possible my mouthpiece was not tightly secured to the regulator?



Thanks,
Mike

If the mouthpiece is still fastened to the reg, that is probably not the problem. But look to see if you can find any tears. I'd suspect it was either an exhaust valve failure or a diaphram failure. With the 1st stage attatched to a tank (no air on) or with the dust cap firmly in place, try inhaling slightly on your primary. If you get any air, the problem still exists and needs to be repaired. If you don't get any air, it may well have been a folded exhaust valve that corrected itself. I still suggest you take it in for a checkup before you dive it again.

BTW, Good job handling the problem U/W.

 

[gary-ramey]

Mike,
How much water? Was it just a wet breath or was it like a mouthful?
Sand in a regulator diaphram, small tear in the mouthpiece can cause this however, the only people that can tell you for sure is the place you purchased it. Have them check it out before you dive again. If you just purchased it, this should be done free of charge.

 

[SNorman]

I know of someone this happened to on two different trips with rental equipment, it was a torn diaphragm in each case (isn't she lucky?).

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

The reg is a AquaLung Titan LX. I checked and did not see any tears on the mouthpiece. I just tried breathing through it with the dust cap in place and could not get any air, which would seem like there couldnt be any leak or problem.

So the consesus is to take it back to where I bought it and have it looked at... problem is, I have since moved 7 hours away for college. I have a local dealer here, but they dont know me and dont have my purchase on file.

 

[ronbeau]

The reg is a AquaLung Titan LX. I checked and did not see any tears on the mouthpiece. I just tried breathing through it with the dust cap in place and could not get any air, which would seem like there couldnt be any leak or problem.

So the consesus is to take it back to where I bought it and have it looked at... problem is, I have since moved 7 hours away for college. I have a local dealer here, but they dont know me and dont have my purchase on file.

Is it possbile the second stage could have been just a little off when it was sitting in your mouth?

I had that happen with my Atomic B2. We did all the same tests as you and got the same results. I came to the conclusion after diving with a few more times that the orientation of the second stage must have been of just enough to not get perfect seal within my mouth. I have made no changes to the regualtor and it has been fine ever since. These dives were in water that was 50^o F.

You might want to try it again. If you start to suck in water try slightly adjusting the orientation of the second stage within your mouth to see if that helps.

 

[Aelvin]

what brand is the regulator?

 

[scubafool]

what brand is the regulator?

Post #6

The reg is a AquaLung Titan LX.

 

[halocline]

It shouldn't matter that the new shop doesn't know you. If they're an aqualung dealer they'll look at it and fix it, and there should be no charge. That's what "lifetime warranty" is supposed to mean. It's probably something really simple, my guess is exhaust valve. Just walk in and tell them your story, if they're even a halfway decent shop they'll be glad to meet another new customer.