Scubapro freeflow?

[AlaskaDiver]

I wish we had more accessible events locally offered. You are doing the right thing by checking out the various brands with the vendor. You already knew that (sarcasm right back at you). I have never tried fresh water diving. We've got many accessible and clear lakes locally. I will have to check out the Fresh Water Freaks of Ontario to see what they have to say about cold fresh water diving.

 

[Wijbrandus]

Alaska, I hope you didn't think I was being sarcastic at you, I was just joking around. I really was mostly poking fun at myself because you had brought up things that I hadn't thought about.

If you hear anything from the fresh-water guys around there, let me know? Our lakes don't get as cold as yours, I think, but they are snow-melt, so they do get really cold. I haven't done any diving in them yet, I'm waiting on my drysuit purchase, or for later summer when they get into the 50's, whichever comes first.

 

[AlaskaDiver]

A little sarcasm is always good humor.

The lakes here are predominently glacier fed. The runoff water temp from the glaciers unfortunately doesn't change much in the summer. I've found that the runoff is usually colder than the ocean. I live very close to some huge lakes and had never given much thought to diving them.

 

[cavedragon]

Are you finding that the freezeup's primarly 1 st stage or is the second stage causing this also.
I dive with the 650X & MK25 & I dove all winter with it every other week. I dive quaries & temp I dive is routinley 41 deg. I have had a lot of friends with the 600's freeze up but I have not experienced it yet. I also keep mine detuned just for this reason. I dive doubles with air pressure usualy around 3200PSI

Milage varies on the freeflow issue with the Mk 25. I dove a Mk 25 D400 with low pressure tanks for about 130 dives last season in high mountain lakes with bottom temps in the mid 30's to mid 40's without any freeflows at all. During this same period however a frequent dive buddy tried a Mk 25 S600 with 3000 psi tanks and froze up on 4 of 5 dives with me.

But in my experience, installing the full AF kit (standard on new regs) lowering the IP to 120 psi and detuning the second stage slightly seems to pretty much eliminate the concerns as long as you are using a low pressure tank and use good cold water procedures. I also think the G250 is better suited to cold water than the S600.

 

[Snowbear]

I live very close to some huge lakes and had never given much thought to diving them.

Besides being cold, those glacier-fed lakes (and rivers) tend to have the visibility of concrete

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Are you finding that the freezeup's primarly 1 st stage or is the second stage causing this also.
I dive with the 650X & MK25 & I dove all winter with it every other week. I dive quaries & temp I dive is routinley 41 deg. I have had a lot of friends with the 600's freeze up but I have not experienced it yet. I also keep mine detuned just for this reason. I dive doubles with air pressure usualy around 3200PSI

The S600 seems to be prone to a very low rate freeflow all on it's own in cold water that then aggravates the cooling load on the first stage causing it to freeze.

I have not had problems with G250's or D400's in the same conditions on the a mk 25 first stage where an S600 has freeflowed.