Thermo Dual Manifold with Isolation Valve

[wedivebc]

That assumes that you're inclined to make a field replacement of a burst disk (or that you don't trust your LDS to have the appropriate tool).

I guess you want to bring a portable compressor for after you change the burst disk

 

[Rick Murchison]

why doubt him now.

Well... because DR manifolds are just fine?
Rick

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I guess you want to bring a portable compressor for after you change the burst disk

Well, no ... but I have been out on boats with on-board compressors. Most live-aboards have them, for example ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[mstudley]

So wait, are DR manifolds in fact made by Thermo?

 

[wedivebc]

Well, no ... but I have been out on boats with on-board compressors. Most live-aboards have them, for example ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Of course, didn't think of that. I have never seen a burst disk changed other than routine maintenance.

 

[Randy43068]

but.... why?

made from Brass and has dual "O" rings. good stuff, those DR manifolds are..

 

[nova]

some people don't like them because of the hard plastic handles. They say that if the manifold slams into something and breaks the handle ,the diver can't do a shutdown with the broken handle. That's why some divers don't tighten the locking nuts on the isolater. should the isolater hit something it can spin and not break

 

[Randy43068]

the recessed disks made so one doesn't knock them off. That's one of the reasons the DRs are a better choice. No doubt you know of or have seen one of those things knocked off. There goes all of your gass in a hurry if you don't shut the isolator off.

There is only one reason I know of not to get a Dive Rite manifold ... and it's an easily addressable situation.

That has to do with the accessibility of the burst disks. With other manifolds, the burst disks can be accessed/changed with a standard box wrench. With DR manifolds, they are recessed inside a housing that requires the use of a nut driver or socket ... and many standard ones are too thick to fit inside the housing, so you have to go "shopping" for the right tool and keep it in your Save-a-Dive kit.

That assumes that you're inclined to make a field replacement of a burst disk (or that you don't trust your LDS to have the appropriate tool).

Otherwise, the DR manifold seems like a pretty good piece of gear to me ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Randy43068]

So wait, are DR manifolds in fact made by Thermo?

I dont' know, actually.

 

[SDAnderson]

So wait, are DR manifolds in fact made by Thermo?

I don't know. There are some distinct similarities bewteen DiveRite and Thermo valves (double barrel o-rings on the isolation bar) but also some significant differences (handles) between them. Who makes them is, perhaps, less important than they aren't identical.

The fact is, manifolds aren't highly complex or sophisticated devices and there are strong simliarities between every manufacturers offerings. There are distinctions - some important, some not - from one brand to another but when the argument devolves to the "how many angels dance on the head of a pin" level it's probably a good idea to put the waders on and try and figure out the difference between what counts and what the bullet points are that the marketing folks are touting. The whole Sea Elite/Halcyon thing from a few years ago might be a good case in point.

I don't scooter often, so I don't need to worry about slamming into the ceiling at a high enough speed to tear a valve off. I do dive in cold water, so having a larger grip makes it easier to turn my valves on and off with heavy gloves. I also dive with pure O2 which makes me concerned with the adibiatic slam that might come from yanking opening a valve. Sometimes, I crawl through some pretty tight quarters inside wrecks, so I worry about snagging exposed burst discs on sharp whatevers. In the balance, and considering issues like availability and price (both of the valves and the parts) I've ended up with Thermo valves. But there is still nothing drastically wrong with DiveRite stuff and I'd dive it. We all need to make our own decision about what fits our situational and team requirements.