Teach me about free flow

[fisherdvm]

So, the Gilboa thread has alot of good stuff, mixed in with alot of condolences.

So, if I were in the same situation. Free flowing reg, 40 degree 100 ft deep water, my buddy next to me, what should I do.

Relax, and think:

So it is caused by increased flow through the first stage, from my huffing and puffing, and inflating my drysuit at the same time. The first stage iced up.

So the high pressure air is forced into the LP hose, and caused free flow in my primary second stage.

So if I breath off the free flow and shoot for the surface, I might get the bends.

So if I breathed off my buddy's reg, I might cause his first stage to freeze, and caused his regs to free flow.

So I would be stupid to breath off his reg, as now we are breathing off one or even two free flowing reg off the same tank, while my tank has gone dried!

So I would have been better off with a pony? But someone said you wouldn't know how to handle a pony with all the bubbles going around.

So I would've died if I had a spare air, as they are not made to work in this environment?

So what is the answer here???

 

[jbd]

My solution to the situation would be to breathe from the free flowing reg and start a controlled ascent to the surface(under the presumption that I'm diving a single tank etc, etc). At whatever depth the air supply runs out, I would switch to CESA unless my buddy was there to share a bit of air closer to the surface. My ascent rate would most likely be double what I teach as the preferred rate but within what used to be the standard ascent rate.

 

[HybridDiver]

You know what I have learned from my mistakes is you should not even be diving to 100 feet off a single tank, Reason being not enough air. If you gas plan right, you will not have enough Air for your buddie and you to return home safe. That being said, I was there I made that mistake. I learned from couple people off this board who help me along and if you gas plan right no way you can do a 100 foot dive. Its tough to even do a 60 foot true dive with a sac rate of .75, Please for your own saftey plan little better. I was there once, Free flowing reg which happend to me but Instead of having a buddie I lost mine we went our own ways some how. Anyways, My free flowing reg happend because it was set to sensiteve which caused it to free flow. That should of happend to you, Freezing up with high preformance is rare, I dive mostly in 30-37 when our water gets to 47 its like mexico, Get your reg checked out by a good techie and plan dives safe.
Dive Safe
Chris

 

[String]

Breathe off freeflowing reg while ascending and when it runs out switch to buddy octopus is the traditional view.

When it happened to me i just switched to my pony reg and ascended on that though.

 

[fire_diver]

Since I can't tell you what to do, I 'll tell you what MY response would be.

Scenario A: Solo diving

I begin an immediate ascent, breathing from the free-flowing reg. Rate would probably be 60fpm (possibly more). While going up, I would be grabbing the reg on my pony and getting ready to switch when my back gas went dry. I would stop at 20ft fore an extended safey stop, then make a slow ascent to the surface.

Scenario B: with buddy

I make visual contact with my buddy to verify he is aware of my problem and make the completely un necessary "thumbs up" signal. While ascending at somewhere around 60fpm I would again be making my pony ready to use. Once my tank depletes I would still go onto my pony, so as to not double or triple the flow rate on my buddies reg. If both our regs freeze and free-flow, my pony is enough to get us to the surface by buddy breathing, but that's a last resort.

I think that jumping onto your buddies reg is the worst possible option. You're deep, and the water is very cold. Cold enough that YOUR reg froze with just you on it. Putting an excited diver onto a backup reg will very likely cuase a second free-flow.

Head for the surface and move to a competely redundant backup.

Comrade Stroke

 

[kamfan]

Forgive me in my newbie ignorance, but could you switch to buddies reg, shut down your tank and let the freeze up thaw a bit, while doing a controlled ascent? Then after a period of time, when the first stage has had a chance to thaw out, turn your tank back on?

 

[Rainer]

Shut down the right post.

 

[HybridDiver]

Forgive me in my newbie ignorance, but could you switch to buddies reg, shut down your tank and let the freeze up thaw a bit, while doing a controlled ascent? Then after a period of time, when the first stage has had a chance to thaw out, turn your tank back on?

You have a good point, Why dont you do this. I would, seems like a perfect answer. Shut it down and let it thaw and crack the pressure should break the freeze, Thats what i did to my buddie rio 3 months ago. Gave him my prim i switch to my backup around the neck and he shut down his tank and started a nice little ascent up and then cracked it open about around 30 feet and it worked like a charm.
Chris

 

[Rainer]

Forgive me in my newbie ignorance, but could you switch to buddies reg, shut down your tank and let the freeze up thaw a bit, while doing a controlled ascent? Then after a period of time, when the first stage has had a chance to thaw out, turn your tank back on?

Good chance you'd cause his reg to free-flow as well. Also, how many divers in single tanks and a DS (probably with heavy undergarments and thick gloves) can shut down their own valve? I can shut down the valve on a single in my 3mm with no gloves. In my cold water gear here in MA, I simply can't do it (I've tried many, many times). Having my buddy do it still doesn't solve the issue of what happens if his reg starts to free-flow if we're both breathing off of it. Back to where you started.

Edit: It also helps to have high performance, enviro-sealed regs. Neither my buddy nor I had any free-flows this entire winter (all dives in <40F, including five ice dives) on our Zeagles. They are slightly detuned.

 

[String]

Forgive me in my newbie ignorance, but could you switch to buddies reg, shut down your tank and let the freeze up thaw a bit, while doing a controlled ascent? Then after a period of time, when the first stage has had a chance to thaw out, turn your tank back on?

You could but its not always easy to reach valves in singles and freeflow rates can be huge - the tank could be empty before you manage to shut it off. Youre aborting as soon as it happens anyway so not a lot of point in messing around like that - the dive is already over.