Soak your regulator!

[buddhasummer]

Pleased you finally got it apart and working, not a waste after all. Sorry about that, had no idea it would turn into something so difficult. All's well that ends well.

I rinse my regs and then leave them soaking, usually over night, I'm religious about it and have never had any corrosion issues with any of "my" regs.

 

[tstormdiver]

As a repair tech, I see it all the time. Some people do soak it,.... in the dunk tanks,... which frequently has more salt in it than the ocean itself, if they aren't the first ones to the dunk tank.

 

[redacted]

As a repair tech, I see it all the time. Some people do soak it,.... in the dunk tanks,... which frequently has more salt in it than the ocean itself, if they aren't the first ones to the dunk tank.

A bit of an over statement but one should be cautious with dunk tanks, especially with those that get wetsuits in them.

 

[Stoo]

As a camera guy, I soak my gear in my tub for at least a couple of days when I get back from the Great Briney. I also frequently work the controls while it's soaking. Anything that can be disassembled and soaked, is. (arms etc).

Back to regs... I find that places with "valet service" are the worst since the tank jockeys literally "dunk" stuff and hang it. As mentioned, the dunk tank is often horrible anyway. If you happen to use a DIN reg, make sure you have a cap that seals the first stage. I failed to cap mine one year, assuming the dudes would know how to seal it with their thumb when dunking... won't make that mistake again! :-(

 

[Lorenzoid]

So, how long a soak is long enough for a typical regulator set? Assume it has been 24-48 hours since the last dive in saltwater. I have been soaking mine for around 4 hours in a big tub of fresh water. Is that long enough?

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I soak the regs for at least an hour each time and then usually hook up to tank and purge the second stage. If coming back from a 3-4 day trip with no rinses on the boat, then I do it overnight. I agree that soaking is much better than a rinse..

 

[TulsaTime]

Are there any considerations/cautions when soaking regs? For example, I've read that you should always keep the first stage elevated when soaking/dunking the second stage(s) to prevent water travel up to the first stage. Keep in mind that in my case, at least, I don't have access to a tank from home so I can't keep it pressurized during the procedure or pressurize it afterwards.

 

[redacted]

I usually soak over-night. Easier to set them out to dry in the morning. They (3 sets +) get piled inj a sink full of warm water. I am careful to load themk in without depressing any purge buttons. My wife's S600 gets the user adfjustment screwed all the way in.

 

[halocline]

Are there any considerations/cautions when soaking regs? For example, I've read that you should always keep the first stage elevated when soaking/dunking the second stage(s) to prevent water travel up to the first stage. Keep in mind that in my case, at least, I don't have access to a tank from home so I can't keep it pressurized during the procedure or pressurize it afterwards.

Just don't press the purge and you'll be fine, unless your regulator has a seat saver function that automatically separates the 2nd stage seat from the orifice when not pressurized.

As a repair tech, I see it all the time. Some people do soak it,.... in the dunk tanks,... which frequently has more salt in it than the ocean itself, if they aren't the first ones to the dunk tank.

As a repair tech, you should know better than making statements like this. Lets say that a dunk tank has 100 gallons of water...most have way more, but for arguments' sake... Then assume that several people toss their gear in the tank, and out of all that gear comes as much as 1 gallon of salt water, which I would be very skeptical of. You now have a tank that is approximately 99% fresh water and 1% salt water. Still very effective at leaching salt out of exposed threads. If you think there's more than one gallon (which is a lot of water) dripping off the gear going into the tank, lets try 10 gallons, or even 20 gallons. You will still have 80 to 90% less salinity in the tank and with osmotic pressure, this water will draw salt out from the surfaces on the reg.

We've all seen some fairly nasty looking rinse tanks, but saying something like tanks "frequently have more salt than the ocean" is kind of silly. Maybe you were making a joke, in which case please excuse me!

 

[TulsaTime]

Just don't press the purge and you'll be fine, unless your regulator has a seat saver function that automatically separates the 2nd stage seat from the orifice when not pressurized.

They're Atomics (B2 primary, Z2 octo) so I'm fairly certain they do. I've been following the "always keep the 1st stage elevated when dunking the 2nd stage" rule out of an abundance of caution but it sounds like that's actually a requirement in my case.