Scubapro

[hogluvr]

Thanks for the info. I saw the finned cap that you're referring to. Sort of resembles a heat sink. I'll do a search on cold water technique, as I'm still new. My thought is, if it's too cold to wear shorts out of the water, then I don't think I want to be in the water. This reg may fit the bill.
Larry

 

[Greg Barlow]

You will have no problems with a MK 25 S600 in water down to 50 degrees, and you should be fine in water in as cold as the mid-40's if low pressure tanks are used. I have been fine in water in the upper thirties but I use low pressure tanks and was very careful to use good cold water technique with the reg.[/QUOTE]


DA,

I believe that this is the most sage advice that any cold water diver can heed. I've been using my MR12 regs in water as cold as 34 degrees for nearly 6 years without a single problem. I don't use the cold water kits due to the mess of the silicone oil (and belief that it isn't necessary). The key to cold water diving is prevention. I've been following your line of thought on using lower pressure tanks due to the adiabatic cooling effect, and believe that this has far more impact than that of reducing the IP in hopes of a lower volume of gas lessening the chance of ice formation.

There aren't too many of your posts that I don't take the time to read. Your expertise of ScubaPro regs has been extremely intersting to me. Thanks for all of your efforts.

Greg

 

[hogluvr]

So greg. Are you saying that the MK25/S600 combo should be ok in water temps in the mid to high 40s? I saw the low pressure reference, but need to research how that affects things.
Larry

 

[cloned_person]

I have just come back from a weekend ice diving in Germany and Austria, I was using Apeks ATX regs, the locals who we were diving with were all using Scubapro MK25 S600 combination with no problems, I asked them about this and they said that they have had no problems. They told me that this could be because we were at about 1000m altitude, and the air we were using was very dry.

Damp air which has not been properly (triple) filtered is very often the root cause rather than the regulators, causing the piston to slowly ice up.

 

[Greg Barlow]

So greg. Are you saying that the MK25/S600 combo should be ok in water temps in the mid to high 40s? I saw the low pressure reference, but need to research how that affects things.
Larry

From a mechanical/physics point of view this could be implied, but the bottom line comes down to following strict cold water diving protocols. I personally dive diaphragm regs in cold water due to the isolation of water and sediments from the internal workings. The MK25 offers a lot of technology to combat the build up of ice in the first stage, but the bottom line is that it is still a piston reg. If you are very concerned then you may want to consider having a tech install the cold water kit.

I suggest that you read and study as much as you can regarding diving in cold water. When strict protocol is followed, problems are generally greatly reduced in number.

Geg