Regulators and hard water

[Pudsky]

Most of the time when a water softner is installed, there is a line of untreated hard water run to the fridge, or a tap for drinking by the kitchen faucet. I don't know this for fact, but I have been told by plumbers I work with on the jobsite, that soft water is not good for drinking. So if you were to install a water softner, you should still be drinking the untreated hard water from your well.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I personally do not like to soak regs. Especially in water that other gear is rinsed in. And even alone soaking is doing nothing but dissolving any deposits and then the gear ends up soaking in that. So soaking and then shaking does not really remove the crud. Running water does that. But if you are on a well and your shower heads are that bad a softener or filter that traps dissolved solids is what I would use. And it does not have to be whole house. You can buy them that just install in line and put it on the faucet you use for rinsing. Water with the presence of so many minerals is not something I'd want to be using on my regs. It's not much better than soaking em in salt water and could be worse.
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[koozemani]

Great thread as we have hard water out here as well. I hadn't thought about hard water affecting my regs, but it makes sense. I think I'll try rinsing and blowing them dry.

 

[Couv]

. . . We're on a well, and have the most delicious water, and I've been very reluctant to mess with it....snip....

... the comment, looked at me and said, "I never get corrosion like that in my regs, and I don't rinse them OR soak them. I just dive a lot . . . " So maybe the answer is just more diving

Both good points. If you like the taste of your well water, certainly an untreated line to a fountain can be run. the comment from your repair guy makes sense as deposits only form when the water evaporates-not while gear is soaking in a tub or diving. I vote for diving more, but JamesK's suggestion is a good alternative to a whole house system.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Causes of Corrosion

 

[redacted]

Where are these deposits accumulating? Some of the answer may be better drying. But when I have seen such problems, it often involves threaded connections that are not protected from water incursion by o-rings. These surfaces requires soaking to remove salts and minerals. If you are doing this in hard water you are exchanging salts & minerals for other minerals. One thing that may reduce the problem is a good coating of lubricant on these threaded surfaces that will keep deposits from adhering.

 

[tracydr]

We added a water softener. I was having problems with the dishwasher getting clogged up and thought I was going to need to replace it.
i never thought about the regs, though. I usually rinse with the outside hose. Now you've got me thinking.

 

[Selchie in LB]

Always thinking Lynne! I sometimes use McNett BC wash to rinse my regs. What about getting the "suitcase" 2½ gallon of water from Fred Meyers. They are pretty inexpensive and will reduce the mineral content. I used to use canned air to blow out the second stages. Now I use the tank air which blows out everything.

Thanks Dumpsterdivet for the link.

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[Ste Wart]

I recently took apart a leaking second stage, and the person who was mentoring me through the process remarked on the amount of corrosion present, given that we had worked on the same regulator less than six months ago. This is not the first time I have had a reg tech make a comment about excessive corrosion in my regs -- different brands of regulators involved, too.

To be honest that's not a good sign. Why did the Reg leak in the first place? Bad service or excessive use?

A picture of the corrosion might give a better idea. I'm fairly slack with my 2nd stages; although I service my first stages annually (I don't think I've ever changed the o-rings in the 2nd stages in 5 years). I took them apart last year before a trip and apart from Salt build up and a little crud, they were fine.

So really what is the definition of excessive corrosion? Are HOG 2nd stages metal? They don't really sell much in the UK so I've only ever seen them on websites, but they look rather similar to APEKS regs.

 

[Cave Diver]

I sense a poll in the making...

And it's done: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/regulators/426978-how-do-you-clean-regs-after-saltwater-dive.html