Shutdowns - breathing down vs. purging

[MonkSeal]

Why shutdown the R post if the SPG was leaking?

Probably he meant "the other right"

 

[alexxred]

yep the other right ...yes my SPG is on my left, and that is what I shutdown. I'm sure staring at computer screens causes narcosis!

 

[RTodd]

^^^^^

I have had 2 LP inflator hoses fail where they connect to the power inflator. Both times I just shutdown, went to my back up and called the dive. The third was a stream of bubbles coming out of my SPG on ascent; it was not a major leak but I shutdown my R post down anyway.

Uhm, you don't shut down posts for LP connector failures, which are not uncommon. You disconnect the LP inflator hose. The little o-rings in a HP hose are also a common failure point and in many situations are a terminate the dive event but not a shut down the post event.

 

[MonkSeal]

Uhm, you don't shut down posts for LP connector failures, which are not uncommon. You disconnect the LP inflator hose.

Well, it depends on reason. If freezing is the cause then it can cause free-flow and shutting down can be appropriate reaction.

 

[Blackwood]

It matters if you accidentally go to a dead reg.

By purging the backup, you HAVE to be breathing something before you shut it down. However, if you breath it down...well...where's your primary? Clipped off? In your hand? Did you REALLY open it back up? This stuff happens, and it used to happen during the old valve drill when people would breath it down.

Breathing down the primary is just fine because the untouched backup reg is under your chin.

None of us are perfect, and its in out best interest to minimize the potential of not having anything it breath. Breathing is real important!

To me, shutting down the left post while breathing the backup with primary clipped off (and potentially dead) seems like a good learning experience.

Worst case scenario (your primary is also shut down because your buddy thought it would be amusing to let you dig yourself in a hole), you are OOG for a couple of seconds until you either re-open your left post or run through an unplanned s-drill.

 

[rjack321]

To me, shutting down the left post while breathing the backup with primary clipped off (and potentially dead) seems like a good learning experience.

Exactly, remembering what you are breathing vs. what you can breath or will in short order need to breath (on yourself and with your buddies) is important in non-drills.

If people want to inadvertently turn off all their gas in valve drills I generally let them go OOA. Stopping them mid-way to tell them the botched the sequence just creates learning by rote.

 

[alexxred]

Uhm, you don't shut down posts for LP connector failures, which are not uncommon. You disconnect the LP inflator hose. The little o-rings in a HP hose are also a common failure point and in many situations are a terminate the dive event but not a shut down the post event.

The first time I tried to disconnect but could only get it off halfway (so I was losing a fair amount of gas), it was cammed on, I think due to a broken ball bearing inside the hose connection.

The second time the hose itself actually exploded off.

 

[BarryNL]

Thinking being by switching to your backup before shutting down the R post you are not risking switching with the possibility of both posts being shutdown at the same time. Is what I am suggesting not DIR, and if so why?

The very first step in the shutdown drill is to test your backup regulator - thus negating the possibility of shutting down the right post with the left already shut down. Actually, a pre-drill check that all valves are fully open wouldn't be a bad idea either though I don't think it's part of the current procedure.

Also, your buddy is there if you do manage to get yourself into a no-gas situation while doing the drill. I've actually had this once when my buddy managed to shutdown all his valves - a quick out-of-air signal and longhose donation was all it took to solve that issue (yes, I know I probably should have noticed it before it happened).

Really, you should be comfortable with being without gas for a few seconds during these drills.

 

[lamont]

The very first step in the shutdown drill is to test your backup regulator - thus negating the possibility of shutting down the right post with the left already shut down. Actually, a pre-drill check that all valves are fully open wouldn't be a bad idea either though I don't think it's part of the current procedure.

Also, your buddy is there if you do manage to get yourself into a no-gas situation while doing the drill. I've actually had this once when my buddy managed to shutdown all his valves - a quick out-of-air signal and longhose donation was all it took to solve that issue (yes, I know I probably should have noticed it before it happened).

Really, you should be comfortable with being without gas for a few seconds during these drills.

I shut down my right post one time and went to my backup only to find that it was breathing wet because it had been crushed by my set of doubles. Since I couldn't inhale fully, I started to drop, which made the wet breathing much worse. My buddy was helpfully holding a depth reference way the hell above me, so my primary got unclipped and back in my mouth and my right post got turned back on amazingly quickly due to a helpful bit of adrenalin...

Stick with your buddies on valve drills, even if they bounce around a bit....

 

[b1gcountry]

My buddy was helpfully holding a depth reference way the hell above me, so my primary got unclipped and back in my mouth and my right post got turned back on amazingly quickly due to a helpful bit of adrenalin...

Stick with your buddies on valve drills, even if they bounce around a bit....

I was always conflicted too about what to do during Fundies.

Tom