Tire Inner Tube for a BC bladder?

[SangP]

Hiya,

Being so new to this I figured that it's time I asked a really newbie question:

Would it be possible to use a truck's tire inner tube as a sort of a bc bladder? I figured that it's real easy to repair, cheap to replace and also easy to fabricate with additional ports etc.

Only problem is how safe this tube would be?

I feel by creating this thread I'm going to get some of you rolling your eyes or even rolling on the floor!!!

SangP

 

[mike_s]

Is this a "Troll" post?

you're kidding right?


You want to trust your bouyancy to an truck inner-tube?
If you can't stay positively bouyant at the surface, it could result in your drowning. Since scuba gear is considered life support equipment, they do test this stuff.

I think that if you're gonna use an inner-tube for a BC bladder, then a garden-hose should work fine for your regulator hose.

also see if the tire shop you got the inner tube from has an extra tire-gauge. You can use it as your submersible pressure gauge.

 

[Kim]

I remember we used to use them as kids as safety rings - that seemed to work alright.

I'm not really sure I'd want to trust them at depth though, although I honestly don't know how they would differ from real bladders in materials and strength.

I should imagine the biggest problem would be their shape. Personally I'm not sure I would like to risk it - real ones last for years when looked after........it seems a small price!

 

[Sideband]

IMO, life support is not something you want to hack together. I have 60 sq feet of nylon. Want to go skydiving?

Joe

 

[SangP]

LOL!!!!

I know what you guys mean. But honestly, I would not wanna to trust this rig. I'm no engineer so I have absolutely no idea of how materials are affected by underwater pressure or durability.

I don't mind trying to make this rig but only for testing in a pool but really, would it fail at depts considering that the darn things are used for tires with pressures from 30 PSI and I know that most bcs don't even use 1/2 that pressure. Furthermore it is made outta rubber and you know just how durable rubber is.

Shape wise, an outer shell like the eclipse would force the inner tube to more or less conform to the shape required.

Anyway, this is just a real curiousity thread more than anything else!

If you guys see a feller with a inner tube straped to his back, a garden hose reg, swim goggles with a nose clip, car tire fins and tank on his back you'll know its ME LOL!!!!!

Cheers,

SangP

 

[Sideband]

LOL!!!!

I know what you guys mean. But honestly, I would not wanna to trust this rig. I'm no engineer so I have absolutely no idea of how materials are affected by underwater pressure or durability.

I don't mind trying to make this rig but only for testing in a pool but really, would it fail at depts considering that the darn things are used for tires with pressures from 30 PSI and I know that most bcs don't even use 1/2 that pressure. Furthermore it is made outta rubber and you know just how durable rubber is.

Shape wise, an outer shell like the eclipse would force the inner tube to more or less conform to the shape required.

Anyway, this is just a real curiousity thread more than anything else!

If you guys see a feller with a inner tube straped to his back, a garden hose reg, swim goggles with a nose clip, car tire fins and tank on his back you'll know its ME LOL!!!!!

Cheers,

SangP

:dazzler1: Now, the "car tire fins" thing could be cool! :dazzler1:

As for, "would the inner tube idea work?", probably. Would it be worth even possibly adding one more element of potential failure? No. Not to me anyway.

{begin sermon}
As divers, we are responsible for our own safety. That should include using quality gear of the appropriate performance level for the task.
{end sermon}

The possible results of a failure could be:
A leak that causes you to constantly add air and eat up your bottom time
or totally end the dive
or leaves you unable to get buoyant on the surface

A pocket of trapped air (caused by bending the tube )which causes you to be overly bouyant at the end of a dive, so
you miss your safety stop
and\or causes you to be unable to control your ascent rate


I'm sure someone somewhere has done it and has over 5000 dives on it with no problems. My enjoyment of diving is predicated by trusting my life support equipment and I've seen some of the cr@p that I have made in various hobbies. Believe me when I say that I wouldn't trust my life on its quality craftmanship. :11:
Stay safe

Joe

 

[kidspot]

There was a discussion on building your own reg a while back http://www.scubaboard.com/t66407-.html so why not look at the pros and cons of a DIY BC?

At least half the fun in a DIY project for me is the time spent in design and thinking about it... even when it's not going to be a practical design in the end, the process of design sparks the imagination.

So to start the ball rolling (btw I also considered making my own wing, but after pricing the parts realized it was going to be close to buying one new - so I bought it instead) Isn't an innertube about the same shape as a horshoe style wing? and it's a lot thicker than most bladder pvc material. This could be a benefit, on the bad side is that if you store it in a hot area the rubber will probably degrade more rapidly than the pvc will.

Aloha, Tim

 

[Hoosier]

LoL!

It is a brillant and creative idea whether that idea does work or not. I never consider putting the dumb bells in the weight pockets.

 

[miketsp]

Hiya,

Being so new to this I figured that it's time I asked a really newbie question:

Would it be possible to use a truck's tire inner tube as a sort of a bc bladder? I figured that it's real easy to repair, cheap to replace and also easy to fabricate with additional ports etc.

Only problem is how safe this tube would be?

I feel by creating this thread I'm going to get some of you rolling your eyes or even rolling on the floor!!!

SangP

Given modern materials, rubber & adhesives technology there is no limit to what a DIY enthusiast can do these days. In spite of what another poster commented, many people do make their own chutes. I know people that have constructed carbon fibre race-car chassis in their garage - and they've pass the required resistance testing.

BUT
Obviously it would only be as safe as the competence of the person building it.

It just seems to me you'd have a lot of work to make something streamlined & reliable.
You would also need an outer layer material to avoid over expansion.
I don't think the economics would work unless you also have access to a lathe & other workshop tools. By the time you've paid for some decent dump valves, d-rings, velcros, clips and an inflater hose & power etc you'd be near the cost of a reliable BC. Certainly above the cost of a good used BC.
It's like a car, the sum of the parts costs is much higher than buying a car.

The only advantage would be the satisfaction of knowing that you built it yourself.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Well..the idea does have some precedent. I am probably showing my age here but it was not unheard of in the earlier days of BP/wings for divers to use a truck innertube to create an additional bladder between the regular wing bladder and the outer nylon shell of the wing. It added puncture resistance and reduced the potential for a catastophic wing puncture or tear. I suspect there may be a wreck diver or two around who still does that.

The bladder was not sealed at the bottom however, it was just essentially a U shape over the bladder that protected the bladder and would potentially help trap some air on ascent if the bladder had a serious leak.

If you DIY it, it would make more sense to use a car inner tube left intact with a overpressure/dump valve and inlfator assembly added. It eliminates the seams and potential failure points and the shape could/would be governed by the nylon shell. It would also naturally be basically a donut shaped aircell which has some advantages.

From a safety standpoint though, I'd sandwich it with a regular wing in the event you discover it does not eally work.