Unbalanced balance

[farsidefan1]

After a few yrs and 150 dives on my jacket style bcd I switched to the back inflate balance bc from Aqua lung. Much to my dismay it tends to hold air unevenly resulting in my diving on my side. This occurs about 80% of the time. Quite irritating as It has done this in Palau, Roatan and now Fiji. I have even distribution of weights etc. I have asked a couple of dive masters to look at it and they are as baffled as I am. I read a post about some other back inflate bcd's with a similar problem, something about an internal bungee system and as soon as I read the post I nearly shouted, I feel your pain" I have had it for just over a yr now (I had if over 30 days before I went to Palau - I don't dive here in Utah in the winter) so there is obviously no returning it. My choices seem to be throw it away (I'm leaning strongly in that direction, I am not happy) or see if you have a fix available for what I'm SURE is a problem you have heard before. Thanks, signed, off balance in Utah. PS I've tried filling it up till it burps on the surface in an effort to "straighten out" what ever is tangled inside

 

[DevonDiver]

1) Putting less air into the BCD will ease the problem - confirm your precise weighting.

2) Most hybrid/back-inflate BCDs have a very large capacity (35-50lbs) - this causes taco'ing and uneven air distribution when diving tropical. If you have the XL version of the Balance, then it has 50lbs of lift - that's ridiculous for warm water diving (10lbs more than what I need for diving doubles with 2 stages, canister light etc...) I mean, seriously, 220 litres of internal volume for a single-tank BCD?!?

3) Looking at pictures of the Aqualung Balance, I don't see any 'bungee system' other than the 2 straps which retain the lower wing. These shouldn't prevent air distribution in the wing. It can be that your weight distribution/trim is causing you to slightly off-balance, which then causes the air to migrate to the higher side of the wing - further exacerbating the problem. As per (1), decreasing the overall volume of air you put in the BCD will help, then work more on your trim, so that you are naturally flat/stable - use body motion to shift air within the wing to where it is needed.

4) Get a proper BP&W, that is ideal for your needs. Hybrids are a 'jack of all trades and master of none'.

 

[farsidefan1]

I have not had trim problems for years, that is untill I got this bcd. I let one of the divemasters in Fiji try it. Same issue. My understanding is that it has internal bungees or something. I don't have the XL version. Changing body position does not overcome the problem. I have turned shaken and stirred trying to move the air but then I immediately roll back over to the side. I have checked weights add nauseum and emtied the pocket in an effort to isolate the problem. Still no joy. Is there a backplate and wing that does not require assembly each time I travel? The other issue I have with the backplate and wing is that I do like at least one pocket to carry a laser pointer and torch. It is the reassembly that prevented me from going that route last time. I, for some fairly humorous and complex reasons don't assemble things well. On spacial perception I scored a 6 out of 100. Anything below 19 is considered retarded. Fortunately I manage money so as long as I avoid assembly I function remarkably well. However I do apprciate your suggestions Devon. All are very reasonable and needed to be eliminated. You are one of my favorite posters here and I always learn from you. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Storage of items is often solved by adding pockets to your suit, getting a thigh pocket that straps around your leg with a loop for the waist belt, or the shorts that some divers that are made with bellows pockets. The placement of them often results in it being much easier to access the stuff you need. A right shoulder injury makes most jacket bc pockets useless or even painful to get into.

 

[farsidefan1]

I stopped by my local dive shop (where I purchased it) and they remembered I mentioned this problem when I tried it out in their pool. They told me that even though it has been over a yr they would give me full credit toward any bc in the store. YAY. I'm looking at the zeagle ranger or aqua lung dimension. the aqua lung will cost me nothing. The Zeagle will cost me a couple hundred. I am going to start studying these options. I'm so glad for the local dive shop standing up like this. I have always supported my local dive shop and now I am getting some payback. Dive addicts, thank you. Concensus seems to be I got a defective unit. It does not appear to be a common problem by any stretch of the imagination but dang, if you are THE ONE it sucks. I am also going to look at some backplate setups. The storage ideas from Jim make sense. I have had major surgery on both shoulders and do not have full range of motion.

 

[tphillipp]

Hi farsidefan1,
I've read this thread but still do not know which BC you are referring to. Can you please tell me which model you are referring to?

 

[tridacna]

Aqualung Balance

 

[tphillipp]

Hi farsidefan1,
My mistake. I now see that you are referring to a Balance BC.
First of all,there is no internal retraction of any kind in a Balance BC.
You're asking if we have a fix for a problem that you are sure we have heard before. This is not a known problem.

The Balance BC has been one of our most popular models for over a decade. The later models have an air cell that allows air transfer left to right both at the bottom and at the top. I don't understand why air would be trapped to one side. I encourage you to take it to your local Aqua Lung dive store for evaluation and advice. Perhaps they can watch you in a pool and assist you in troubleshooting your problem.

 

[farsidefan1]

Thanks, have done that, they could not see the cause after trying to isolate the issue. We checked and rechecked weights. emptied pocket, you name it we tried it. I rarely put any air into my bc but I got a custom wet shirt which took some adjusting so initially I was overweighted, trying to compensate for the added buoancy so I added a bit of air and bingo, the problem began. I tried filling it to the max on the surface trying to free up anything that was stuck. Anyway, problem is now solved by excellent customer service. PS I let one of the dive masters in Fiji try it and he had the same problem. Both of us were entirely confused.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Thanks, have done that, they could not see the cause after trying to isolate the issue. We checked and rechecked weights. emptied pocket, you name it we tried it. I rarely put any air into my bc but I got a custom wet shirt which took some adjusting so initially I was overweighted, trying to compensate for the added buoancy so I added a bit of air and bingo, the problem began. I tried filling it to the max on the surface trying to free up anything that was stuck. Anyway, problem is now solved by excellent customer service. PS I let one of the dive masters in Fiji try it and he had the same problem. Both of us were entirely confused.

[-]So how was the issue resolved? Exchange? Return?[/-]
I see the OP already stated that he received in-store credit toward the purchase of another BCD. That's good customer service. Glad to hear that everything was cleared up.