Unbalanced 1st Stage with Air Source

[redacted]

Post #7: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/do-yourself-diy/257361-what-if-water-gets-into-first-stage.html

Probably the same place you got all your knowledge of regulators and solo diving.

 

[Johnny Kain]

The first stage is the stock environmentally sealed unit the came with the ATX50. I checked the Apeks site and it says that both the 1st and 2nd stage are balanced so it seams that some of your comments regarding listening to DM's may be on the mark.

Maybe the DM (owner of a different LDS) that told me it was overbalanced was thinking of the XTX which is overbalanced (see below)?

http://www.scubadiving.com/upload/images/pdf/200606_scubalab.pdf

 

[Wayward Son]

I am also unaware of any unbalanced first stages that have been made in the last 30 years.

If it is a balanced piston first stage, you want to tune the Air Source with the reg attached to a full tank (3000 or 3500 psi depending on the tanks you use.)

Is not a Mk 2 Plus an unbalanced 1st stage? Currently in production?

 

[halocline]

It's a balanced diaphragm; maybe it's it's one of the so called "overbalanced" 1st stages. The way those work is by having a slightly oversize diaphragm on the environmental chamber, so that as the depth increases, the IP goes up slightly more than simply than the increase in ambient. Note that this really has nothing to do with "balancing" the reg; so the whole term "overbalanced" is BS. It's actually "over-depth compensating" which just doesn't have the marketing ring to it. Anyhow, the point is, if you go really deep, unbalanced second stages on a reg like this will experience a rise in IP, but it shouldn't be so much as to make a properly adjusted 2nd stage free flow.

LDS owners advising against using unbalanced seconds with so called "overbalanced" 1sts are just repeating the company line, trying to get you to buy a balanced 2nd as an octo. Maybe I'm a little cynical about it, but the truth that this "overbalanced" garbage is only effective at helping move the regs off the shelf to the average buyer, who are presented with the choices of "unbalanced", "balanced", and "overbalanced". What do you think sounds better to the average buyer, especially with a helping of "it's life support, isn't your life worth it"?

Rant off....

 

[Johnny Kain]

I know the new XTX 1sts are unbalanced. I have been told the ATX is but apeks site says otherwise.

I would really like for someone to give me a reason to handoff this reg to my wife and buy a new Atomic M1 for myself.........:cool2:

 

[ZzzKing]

I would really like for someone to give me a reason to handoff this reg to my wife and buy a new Atomic M1 for myself.........:cool2:

You need REASONS to buy dive gear? Who knew?

 

[halocline]

Is not a Mk 2 Plus an unbalanced 1st stage? Currently in production?

I'm sure DA Aquamaster meant to write "no unbalanced diaphragm 1st stages currently...." The MK2, and many other regs based on its design, are unbalanced "flow-by" piston regs.

It doesn't make any sense to build an unbalanced diaphragm reg, as you have to secure the far end of the HP poppet, and it might as well be in a balance chamber. I highly doubt that any new apeks diaphragm 1st stage is unbalanced, but there's an easy way to check. Measure the IP with a full tank and again with 300 PSI supply, and if the low supply pressure results in substantially higher IP, it's an unbalanced diaphragm.