Remove xtx50 faceplate?

[Super Noob 1258]

Hey everyone,

I did a search for this and it led me to one thread in the DIR board where it was claimed that all of Apeks' regs have faceplates that enable them to be removed and cleared mid dive if they become clogged. Does anybody know how to do this with an xtx50? The faceplate appears that it can screw off, but I have never attempted it and I don't see where you could get a grip. I was worried to try too hard or risk breaking something. There was nothing in the manual either.

Any other Apeks divers want to chime in?

 

[Dr. Lecter]

I've found my Apeks second stage faceplates among the hardest to remove on land, much less underwater. These are TX50s or ATX50s, though, so maybe the newer ones are better? I still don't see them working as well for underwater cleanout as my cave-ringed M1s.

 

[jwelburn]

They make a special tool for removing it. It is basically a negative mold of the faceplate. This is my one Apeks complaint, but there's not much you can do other than just buy it from scubatools. I have even tried a strap wrench, which worked on my secondary, but not my primary. When you put it back on you can put it back a bit loose, but it leaves the purge button crooked.

 

[buddhasummer]

Out of water I have no trouble removing my XTX face plates, my ATX is a little harder due to the relatively smooth cover as compared to the XTX. A rubber glove certainly makes life much easier if its a little stuck. I've never tried to remove either of them underwater but suspect Dr. Lecter is correct. I will give it a go this weekend although I imagine with gloves unless I back it off a little before the dive it will be neigh on impossible to remove. I have both the XTX and ATX face plate tool but have never need either in the removal process.

 

[Agility]

the faceplate of all XTX second stages can be removed by screwing them off without any tools.
Just make sure it is not scewed on with brute force.
I have unscrewed my regulator under water for training purposes. It had to take my gloves off to put the inhalation membrane back in properly though. Probably I need more practice.

 

[Tortuga68]

Just push the palm of your hand aginst it and twist. Do it out of water first and then refit it not too tight

Don't drop/lose the diaphragm when you unscrew it underwater!

 

[jwelburn]

I don't know what has changed, but the XTX50s I've owned or dealt with (admittedly, a total of three sets, and all have been purchased in 2012 or 2013) have all been too tight to open by hand. So if you can't get it open (as I believe you Should) without a tool, it might not just be a lack of technique on your part. I actually just finished sanding the edges of both the regulator body and the faceplate down so they can now be taken apart with just my hands, as they should be. My assumption is that the tooling is just a little bit off at the factory which resulted in tolerances being too tight, which results in a faceplate that is next to impossible to remove.

 

[inka]

The cover of my new XTX 40 ( 2013 ) is really hard to unscreew and if you don ´t tight it again the same way, the purge ( with the APEKS logo) stay askew.