Tying on Bolt Snaps

[WreckWriter]

AquaTec once bubbled...
You do know the pictures you posted show two methods of attaching a bolt snap.

one - tied on
two - o-ring style

as for my pressure gauge I attach it to my low pressure inflater hose, which is then cliped to my chest ring just below my drysuit inflator sort of around my sternium.

It seems to work pretty good, I have atached it to my left waist clip as well but my reels are attached there and my tanks are hanging there as well so it is a little busy for me.

part of the reason may also be that i have slightly changed the way i dive since diving the VR3 so I monitor my gas a little more often now

Yea, it does show both methods, I only use the tie-on method myself.

I also dive a VR3. Had any trouble with yours? I had to send mine back due to a sticky left button. Delta-P fixed and it now seems to work well.

Tom

 

[WreckWriter]

Aquamaniac once bubbled...
Progression.

1. What about the location of the snap on the hoses. How close to the gauge, reg etc.

2. Is the material and style of snap important, and why.

I know most of these issues have been covered in various posts, but its nice to have it all rolled up.

1- Tie the snap to the swivel assy, past the ferule (the metal part of the hose). This keeps your snap from travelling along the hose.

2- I prefer stainless but brass is fine as long as you take good care of it. As for style, when used like this I use a "single-ender" like on a dog leash (some call them dog snaps or gate snaps).

Tom

 

[WreckWriter]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...

I just like the ease of changing or replacing o-rings without having to undo the SPG or second stage.... if you wrap the o-ring around the hose then you can attach it to the bolt snap with a zip tie. I just went out and took this picture and changed the o-ring at the same time because the old one broke!

Sorry dude, that just doesn't look even close to secure to me. I've had too many tie-wraps break over the years for no apparent reason (in all sorts of applications, not just diving).

Tom

 

[JamesK]

I originally had everything tied on with cave line. However, I changed over to a looped oring, no ziptie, on my reg. I figured that a break away was a good idea here. Then I thought about it. Why do I really need a breakway there. If it is clipped off, that means I am breathing a stage bottle. If my buddy needs air then, I will give him the reg in my mouth, and the stage bottle. I will then switch to my primary reg. If it is stuck, I will grab my backup, and then cut free my primary. I am going to be going back to cave line. I still have everything else on cave line.

 

[Uncle Pug]

WreckWriter once bubbled...
Sorry dude, that just doesn't look even close to secure to me.

Sorry to have caused you sorrow!

No it isn't as secure as tying it on with line... but that is no reason for grief my friend... the o-rings are cheap and easily replaced with this method and I do so regularly to insure that they are secure enough... but then I have also been short on 0-rings before and instead used a second zip tie around the hose in place of the o-ring. The o-ring being the weak link this second method is much more secure.

Your problem with *tie-wraps* as you call them, is a quality issue... I buy only the best zip ties Costco has to offer ... and have never had one break in use... and I use them for every thing I can think of... sometimes I'm tempted to break stuff just so I can fix it with zip ties.

Before zip ties it was bailing wire. I used it for everything. I once had a PTO universal joint on a farm implement completely let go out in the field.... I wire the thing back together with bailing wire and finished the load... if I had had a bucket of zip ties from Costco back in those days.... why I could have hammered out several more loads!!! Progress is a wonderful thing.

 

[roakey]

On my SPG and primary bolt snaps I just use bicycle innertube about 1/2" or a little more wide for strength. It passed the JJ inspection in '99.

My Scouts use cave line.

Roak

 

[seabass]

Maybe ziptie quality is important, but I have a bulk pack of zipties from costco and have had two of the small ones break (from twisting) that I used to attach the bolt snap to my SPG. I have switched over to braided nylon line.

I typically don't trust what people say, so I have tried a number of things that havent worked:

zip ties, key chain rings, non SS/brass bolt snaps

zip ties broke, key chain rings and cheap bolt snaps rusted very quickly

 

[thethumper]

I use the ones from Sam's & I use them for my lights. Now the Uk1200 I had only one on & clipped off to the L hip ring on the way out of the sping, I jumped up & back down & the weight from the light broke the zip tie. So now there's a secondary zip tie on it.
I'm probably bad, but I user a nylon quick disconnect on my pod from behind left around from to the front waist D ring.

 

[Uncle Pug]

seabass once bubbled...
have had two of the small ones break (from twisting)

That is what I use the small ones for... easy breakers... I have the bolt for my p-valve zipped to a small bolt snap and carry it clipped off in my pocket... I want to be able to easily twist and release it should I spring a leak

However when I don't want them to break I use the bigger ones.

 

[GP]

I've used small zip ties on both my reg and SPG bolt snaps and they've both broke after around 20 dives. Luckily they've both broken when the bolt snap was clipped off on a D-Ring otherwise I would have lost the bolt snaps.