The last few dives I have done, I've noticed it's really hard to breathe through my reg with my head turned to the side. I can understand if I'm upside down or something, but is it normal to have trouble with it, when all you're doing is just turning your head to the side to look around? It's really very annoying, I don't like the feeling of trying to suck air through a straw to breathe. I never really noticed this before, but I've also got more dives in now, and it may be that I'm just not as stiff, and motionless as I used to be. (42 dives) Or, could it be a sign that it needs serviced? It HAS been a year since I bought it. Or, did I just get a crappy reg? It's a Tusa, can't remember what style off the top of my head, but I think it's the cheapest one.
I would just like to know if this is normal, and something I just need to ignore, or if I need to get it looked at.
Rhonda
Hello Yellowfin,
No regulator should feel like breathing through a straw in any position.
It may be that your regulator needs a tune up, but probably not after less than 50 dives. From your profile picture I see that there is an inhalation adjustment knob on your second stage. Have you attempted different settings with the adjustment knob? At any rate, if you are intending to keep up the warrantee, you will need to bring it in for a service soon anyway and you can explain to the tech what the problem is. In the meantime, here is a copy of my usual cut and paste regulator test and inspection, you may find a helpful morsel in there.
Regulator inspection:
There are a few checks that everyone is capable of doing. One is the intermediate pressure check. Get a simple 300 psi pressure gage from Ace Hardware (I like the helpful hardware man better that the giant store types) and adapt it to your quick disconnect
SCUBA Hoses and Adapters..Variety of Lengths, Colors, Fittings
or get a pre made one :
Intermediate Pressure Gauge Plugs Into The BCD Quick Disconnect Hose from LeisurePro.com
Find out the what the IP range should be for your regulator (most are ~ 135 +/- 10 psi .)
The intermediate pressure should remain steady after stabilizing within the acceptable range. If it tends to climb (creep) that indicates there is a problem with the first stage that must be corrected.
Another check is the cracking pressure of each second stage. Partially fill your kitchen sink and immerse the regulator with the mouth piece up. Air should begin to flow before the diaphragm gets more than a 1 1/2 of inches deep. You may have to put plastic tubing in place of the mouth
piece to do this, but usually not. If you want to get fancy (there is no reason to get fancy) make a simple manometer from plastic tubing and a yard stick
* » * » Manometer
and you can check the cracking pressure with a good deal of accuracy. If you want to get REAL fancy, buy a Magnehelic gage from eBay, but again no reason to do that.
Next, a water tight check is also very easy to perform and checks the integrity of the second stage housing. Hook
the first stage up to a tank and without turning on the air (or if you have a good tight dust cap you can use that instead) draw a breath on the second stage until you hear the diaphragm retract. Do not draw too hard as it will collapse the exhaust valves and cause a leak. Does the regulator hold
vacuum? If so, it is probably water tight.
These simple checks can be done by anyone. They should be done often, not to mention when new out of the box or after shop service.
Check early, check often.
couv
