Rinse & soak

[ppatin]

I have a question about soaking a regular in fresh water after a trip. When I first took my OW class the instructor taught us to take off our entire rig and submerge it (still pressurized) in fresh water in order to keep water from getting into the reg. Since then I have not seen anyone else do that. The manual for Edge regulators also says that you should soak regulators while they are attached to a cylinder and pressurized but obviously that's not an option for most of us. Is it safe to leave my first stage soaking with the dust cap screwed on tightly? I'm trying to be good about maintaining it as well as possible but I'd hate to damage the thing while trying to clean it.

 

[gcarter]

So long as the cap is securely in place AND you make sure that the purge is not pressed on either of your seconds while soaking, you should be good to go.

 

[Scared Silly]

The issue is that the seat in the second stage may not be seated. Atomic's is built that way. As such if the first stage is below the second stage water will flow into the first stage. If pressurized the seat is seated (i.e. sealed) and water can not flow into the first stage.

 

[Herb-alaska]

The issue is that the seat in the second stage may not be seated. Atomic's is built that way. As such if the first stage is below the second stage water will flow into the first stage. If pressurized the seat is seated (i.e. sealed) and water can not flow into the first stage.

Although I do have several tanks my favorite way to soak the regs is just pull the main tank and connect a pony bottle and toss it in the tub. So if you di not have a tank of your own you can buy a small pony bottle and just use it only for soaking the regs

 

[ams511]

The cap needs to be watertight before you soak an non-pressurized first stage. Some dust caps require an o-ring to seal properly while others do not. Also make sure the surface of the dust cap is clean and undamaged. One possible solution is if you can bring with you some fresh water you can rinse the first stage while it is still attached to the tank and then soak the seconds when you get home.

 

[jac11819]

If you take care of your regulator it will take care you.

 

[Karl_H]

Keeping the reg pressurized is one of the best things you can do, soaking the reg with the dust cap on is one of the worst things you can do....

I normally use just my thumb to cover the reg opening (this forms a better waterproof seal than the dust cap does) and rinse it under running water. Pressing the purge button on the second stage is fine if you are using running water on the front of the reg and the mouthpiece is facing down to prevent water getting sucked up into the valve assembly.

Make sure you rotate any turrets or balancing adjustment knobs on the second stage while cleaning the reg. Leaving it to soak doesn't normally do much other than allow water to leak into the reg assembly, also leaving a reg in warm water (i.e. if the sun is hitting the rinse tanks) is not a good idea, the lubrication grease on the o-rings won't last long in hot water. If the reg has some build-up of salts on it then soaking may be required, but it's best to keep it on the tank and pressurized if you are doing this.

Most importantly don't leave the reg stored with the dust cap on after cleaning, it's probably going to have some moisture in it from the water or condensation from the expansion of air from the tank during use. Leave the cap off for a day or two so it can breath and dry out inside.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I would never advise anyone to soak an unpressurized reg with just the dust cap on. It's called a dust cap. Not a water proof cap. In a tank with other gear you also run the risk of that other gear pressing the purge button on the second stages. If you can' t pressurize the reg don't soak the first stage. Take it in the shower with you and rinse it there. It only takes a few minutes to rinse a reg unless you've allowed salt water or crappy water to dry on it and not bothered to rinse it as soon as you can. I've seen regs that look like the person took it off the tank, put the dust cap on, and stuck it in the bag for several days. Not pretty. And all because they were in too much of a hurry. Gear rinsing after your dives should be part of the dive plan.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[CT Sean]

I still don't leave my 1st stages soaking but I use one of these (well 2 of them - one for me , one for wifey)

As far as I can tell the o-ring inside makes it pretty watertight.

 

[spectrum]

Some of those dust caps can be considered watertight but nothing trumps positive pressure.

As Jim mentioned a pressed purge button can admit rinse water. A failing HP spool o-ring can admit water and so forth.

If someone has a Sherwood with a dry bleed that check valve is hardly watertight in a static condition and the chamber can get water.

We keep 1/2 liter water bottles with us and as soon as the rig is off the 1st stage gets a quick rinse and is allowed to dry somewhat before breaking from the valve. This gets the salt water away from the connection and rises away most of the surface water while the salt is still in solution.

At home I usually set-up on a cylinder, pressurize and put the whole thing down in a barrel of rinse water for a spell.