Washing BCD's bladder from the inside
- Thread starter Texasguy
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fire_diver
Contributor
A BC is an enclosed environment like a sandwich bag. The active ingredient in mouthwash is alchohol which kills bacteria. Bacteria can thrive in any location they have warmth and moisture.
Hmm, bacteria are also on the outside of the BC, the drysuit, the fins, the mask, the....
Rinse with fresh water, inflate wing and hang it upside down so water can drain down the hose. Press deflator button, compress wing and blow out any remaining water. It helps diving in fresh water though: no salt.
Rinse with fresh water, inflate wing and hang it upside down so water can drain down the hose. Press deflator button, compress wing and blow out any remaining water. It helps diving in fresh water though: no salt.
fire_diver
Contributor
The problem is that simply hanging and draining still leaves a lot of moisture inside a bladder. The outside of a BC, drysuit, wetsuit, etc have the chance to completely dry which in turn kills the bacteria. Yes there are ways to dry the inside of the BC such as removing opvs. Most divers will never do that.
charlesml3
Contributor
So what? It's not like it's going to grow into some biological waste hazard. I rarely wash the inside of a BC and I've never seen it start growing stuff. That's a scuba myth.
-Charles
Outlaw13
Registered
Rare I agree but not a myth.
http://www.undercurrent.org/UCnow/dive_magazine/2011/EmergencyBreathing201106.html
fire_diver
Contributor
Not a myth, it's science.
charlesml3
Contributor
Yea, and it's DUMB science at that. So let's just go back to the core of the point. It seems that the prevailing idea here is you could at least potentially "get a couple of breaths out of your BC in an OOA situation." That entire premise is crap. Here are my points:
1) Why are you in an OOA situation? With proper gas management and properly maintained gear, you should never be in an OOA situation.
2) If you're keeping enough air in your BC "just in case you run out of air" then you're doing it wrong. That means you're overweighted right away. So now you're fighting that bubble expanding and contracting all the time by adding and dumping air to compensate.
3) Let's just say you do experience some failure of your first stage: In that case, breathing from your BC should be your last option. Where's your buddy? If he's too far away, you need to be looking at a CESA, not a breath from your BC.
4) And let's say you have NO other choice but to take a breath from your BC: "Lung Infection" - At least potentially survivable. "OOA at 100 feet and no way to CESA" - well, we all know how that ends.
1) Why are you in an OOA situation? With proper gas management and properly maintained gear, you should never be in an OOA situation.
2) If you're keeping enough air in your BC "just in case you run out of air" then you're doing it wrong. That means you're overweighted right away. So now you're fighting that bubble expanding and contracting all the time by adding and dumping air to compensate.
3) Let's just say you do experience some failure of your first stage: In that case, breathing from your BC should be your last option. Where's your buddy? If he's too far away, you need to be looking at a CESA, not a breath from your BC.
4) And let's say you have NO other choice but to take a breath from your BC: "Lung Infection" - At least potentially survivable. "OOA at 100 feet and no way to CESA" - well, we all know how that ends.
fire_diver
Contributor
This has NOTHING to do with breathing from a BC. Geeze you're a stubborn arse. Mold and bacteria can deteriorate a plastic liner in a BC. It can also deteriorate the rubber seals of OPVs. Nobody is even saying you have to do it after every dive, or even that you have to do it at all. Some people just say they think it helps to do it occasionally.
Mold and bacteria grows in warm wet environments. Salt crystals can damage a bladder. What exactly are you arguing for? Are you just trying to get a fight going?
Mold and bacteria grows in warm wet environments. Salt crystals can damage a bladder. What exactly are you arguing for? Are you just trying to get a fight going?
:focus:
Washing out the bladder of the BCD is simply a good equipment maintenance habit to have. I know people who never wash their BCDs at all, interior or exterior, but I always give all of mine--including the rentals--a good rinse before drying them out to keep them in good working order. When I've serviced inflator mechanisms for BCDs that were not rinsed regularly, there was always significant salt buildup and corrosion in them. Dump valves can also get salt buildup and stick shut or open as a result. I've never examined the interior of the bladder for gunk, but the easiest way to rinse out the inflator and the dumps is to put fresh water into the bladder and drain it through these openings, so when doing that, a swish around the bladder to get rid of excess gunk, extra salt water, etc., is the recommended process.
Washing out the bladder of the BCD is simply a good equipment maintenance habit to have. I know people who never wash their BCDs at all, interior or exterior, but I always give all of mine--including the rentals--a good rinse before drying them out to keep them in good working order. When I've serviced inflator mechanisms for BCDs that were not rinsed regularly, there was always significant salt buildup and corrosion in them. Dump valves can also get salt buildup and stick shut or open as a result. I've never examined the interior of the bladder for gunk, but the easiest way to rinse out the inflator and the dumps is to put fresh water into the bladder and drain it through these openings, so when doing that, a swish around the bladder to get rid of excess gunk, extra salt water, etc., is the recommended process.
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