Upgrade to miflex, hose removal tool, g250

[beanojones]

I use craftsman soft jawed pliers but the wrap over the splined nut should work. I like to lube those threads to inhibit any corrosion that may tend to form.

You'd lube both end's threads? (Just curious.) The first stage threads are O ring sealed, and I hear a lot of people saying they don't lube those.

Of course after having had to use bolt extractors to get out some port plugs, I am big on lubing all threads, even the ones behind an O-ring seal.

 

[Camerone]

You'd lube both end's threads? (Just curious.) The first stage threads are O ring sealed, and I hear a lot of people saying they don't lube those.

Of course after having had to use bolt extractors to get out some port plugs, I am big on lubing all threads, even the ones behind an O-ring seal.

The lube isn't to keep the o-ring happy; it's to keep the threads from seizing. You should actively avoid lubing the first stage o-ring. Get lube on it and it'll eventually extrude and you'll get to shutdown a reg underwater

Second stages need lube on the o-ring because it swivels around. They only need to be hand tight. It's a barrel seal o-ring, so unlike a first stage, once you insert the hose in the reg body, it's as compressed as it will ever be. Snug it up if you want, but it's unnecessary for the sealing.

 

[redacted]

I don't worry about lubing threads that are protected by an o-ring from SW incursion. But any threads that are exposed to SW get some lube. But the only o-ring I avoid lubing is the o-ring between the tank valve and the 1st stage as the lubricant is subject to attract and retain dirt. On static o-rings on hoses and port plugs, I either hit them with an appropriate lube or even a little O2 compatible spit.

The problem with these unprotected threads is that the increasing pressure of descending drives SW into them and there is no quick and easy way to remove it. I'm not too sure how effective even a long soak is but that and the lube is what my regs get at the end of a SW trip.

 

[beanojones]

The problem with these unprotected threads is that the increasing pressure of descending drives SW into them and there is no quick and easy way to remove it. I'm not too sure how effective even a long soak is.

In my harsh tropical experience, this seems to be born out. If it is a space, it will get seawater in it and corrode. We had good luck with packing with lots of silicone (Christolube is just too expensive to smear everywhere). The usual concern about attracting dirt with grease seems to be outweighed by the corrosion prevention.

Dirt you can wash off, corrrosion kills metal.

As far as soaking, we stored our gear in freshwater at one place (with a pinch of vinegar) to good effect. But as noted elsewhere, that was also to prevent cockroaches from eating the rubber parts. A side effect was much easier overhauls. Much much easier overhauls. I would probably use SaltX in the future instead of vinegar, depending on how it made the mouthpieces taste.