What commonly goes wrong with BCs?

[BlueGirlGoes]

And how do you avoid that in the first place?

I'd like to buy a BC in the coming year. As a new diver I'm concerned with reliability. I want my own gear, to learn what can go wrong with BCDs (and why) and how to maintain and inspect my own gear. (I'll be doing the same thing with regs.) Gear failures weren't even addressed in my PADI training.

The majority of my diving will be tropical with a 3mm wetsuit. I'm small-boned but busty, 5'2". Right now I dive with 14lbs. of weight but plan on steadily reducing that amount with proper technique. I like to carry a lot of crap around with me so pockets would be nice. Not sure to go with weight integrated or a belt. Belts shift around on me easily, which is a PITA. Plus, they leave big bruises.

Thanks for any advice. I'll be buying online most likely, as we only have one LDS here. (Actually we have 2, but the other guy is insane.)

 

[mars2u]

BlueGirlGoes once bubbled...
And how do you avoid that in the first place?

I'd like to buy a BC in the coming year. As a new diver I'm concerned with reliability. I want my own gear, to learn what can go wrong with BCDs (and why) and how to maintain and inspect my own gear. (I'll be doing the same thing with regs.) Gear failures weren't even addressed in my PADI training.

The majority of my diving will be tropical with a 3mm wetsuit. I'm small-boned but busty, 5'2". Right now I dive with 14lbs. of weight but plan on steadily reducing that amount with proper technique. I like to carry a lot of crap around with me so pockets would be nice. Not sure to go with weight integrated or a belt. Belts shift around on me easily, which is a PITA. Plus, they leave big bruises.

Thanks for any advice. I'll be buying online most likely, as we only have one LDS here. (Actually we have 2, but the other guy is insane.)

Hi BlueGirl,

What part of MO. are you in?

You'll have to keep a few things in mind when cleaning a BCD. Salt can do havock on a BCD and therefore a good rinse is essential to keep it in shape. As far as Velcro is concerned, that is debatable. Some have claimed that their velcro lasts a very long time while others contend that it seems to lose it's ability to grasp over many uses, so you'll have to figure out how much diving you plan on doing. I have velcro and have not had any problems. The majority of women I've dived with have complained about using a weight belt because it does cause hip pain and have moved to using integrated weights instead. They have been happy with them.
Too bad about your PADI training not addressing the equipment issues. My PADI instructor covered alot of these issues. Make sure that you don't see any tears in the BCD and have all your equipment inspected at least once a year. Some shops (and I know you're planning on buying online) will throw in a 3 year service agreement if you buy through them which can save you a chunk of change on inspections. It's important that the gear fits you correctly so I would also recommend testing it in a pool...but I regress...
Cleaning and soaking your gear in water after using is essential in keeping it up to par since salt crystals and chlorine from a pool is very bad for it. Make sure that you check your tank O ring before diving and after. A bad O ring means no diving.
As far as wetsuits, I usually throw them in a washer on GENTLE cycle without detergent. Some Palau friends recommended "Simple Green" or "Downy Liquid"...DO NOT dry in a dryer...let it air dry. I've found that my wetsuits color does not fade.

Let me know if you have any more questions or you can PM me for more info.

 

[ZoCrowes255]

BlueGirlGoes once bubbled...
And how do you avoid that in the first place?

I'd like to buy a BC in the coming year. As a new diver I'm concerned with reliability. I want my own gear, to learn what can go wrong with BCDs (and why) and how to maintain and inspect my own gear. (I'll be doing the same thing with regs.) Gear failures weren't even addressed in my PADI training.

The majority of my diving will be tropical with a 3mm wetsuit. I'm small-boned but busty, 5'2". Right now I dive with 14lbs. of weight but plan on steadily reducing that amount with proper technique. I like to carry a lot of crap around with me so pockets would be nice. Not sure to go with weight integrated or a belt. Belts shift around on me easily, which is a PITA. Plus, they leave big bruises.

Thanks for any advice. I'll be buying online most likely, as we only have one LDS here. (Actually we have 2, but the other guy is insane.)

Try as many different styles of BCDs that you can. Since you are "busty" you will want something that is not very confining around the chest area. Many BCDS are cut specifically for females with...uh...how can I say this without sounding like a pig...a large chest area. Give some of those a try. My advice would be to try as many style as you can. Borrow from friends who dive, rent etc. Try a stab jacket , drop shoulder, back inflate (BP/Wing is included in that catagory) and see which one feels the most comfortable for you.

Most diveshops allow you to try gear before you buy it but since you want to buy online that is not an option (I work for a diveshop and I know what you mean by insane dive shop owners.) If you do try a shops BC make sure you PAY the guy/girl for using it if you are not going to buy from him. If you have any more questions feel free to PM or e-mail me.

 

[Bob3]

The biggest thing that goes wrong with BCs are that they often get misused.
See: "B.C.'s Are NOT Weight Belt Compensating Devices"

http://www.mindspring.com/~divegeek/bcwtbelt.htm

 

[DA Aquamaster]

The inflator assembly at the shoulder can be broken with enough abuse and if you pull on it too hard. They can develop cracks in the threads where the pieces join and this can readily occur if they are overtightened. Corrogated hoses can eventually develop cracks down inside the grooves, somthey should be checked on occassion.

Bladders can develop leaks and this can be caused by salt crystals inside the bladder (from not rinsing the salt water out of the inside of the bladder) or from sand or salt crystals caught between the bladder and overlying stuctures like pockets etc.

BC's with separate bladders inside can be especially prone to this type of wear. Many back inflates use a bladder underneath an overlying balistic nylon cover. The good news is the bladder can be easily (if not always cheaply) replaced, the bad news is that it requires a little more attention to keep it sand and salt free.

Some BC designs are prone to seam leaks and this is where quality can really pay off over the long haul.

Velcro is loses it's effectiveness quickly when it gets dirty and plugged with pet hair, moss, lint, whatever. My BC uses velcro to secure the weight pockets, but the over lapping tabs inherent in the design also provides for a cover for the velcro when the pouches are removed. This helps keep it clean and I have had no problems in this area.

Small fastex buckles can break and in some cases the center piece can snap off which makes the buckle very prone to releasing. Larger fastex buckles however are quite durable under anyhing close to sane use. Larger is usually better on a BC.

Sunlight will fade a BC quickly so keeping it in the dive bag or out of direct sunlight is not a bad idea. Of course putting it away wet can lead to mildew and other damp related nasties, so dry it thouroughly, then store it away from sunlight.

Ozone in general is bad for rubber products so don't store the BC (or any other scuba gear) in a room with electic motors, generators etc. and also do not store it in near a propane furnace or heater.

My wife is also "busty" and dives with a Scubapro Accent BC. She likes what used to be called the manta style BC as many pure jacket style BC's don't allow enough room in the chest area and some back inflates have overly wide straps that are poorly shaped and routed for the "busty" female types.

 

[Tropics Diver]

BlueGirlGoes once bubbled...
What commonly goes wrong with BCs and how do you avoid that in the first place?

1. Power inflator button sticks, causing runaway ascent. Cure: maintain it; if it feels "sticky" use oral inflation; know how to respond (dump air, remove inflator hose).

2. Pull dump breaks or hose falls off, making it so the BC dumps all air. Cure: frequent inspection. If you remove the dump valve, be sure to thread it back on properly. A lot of divers chose not to use the pull dump that is activated by pulling on the hose.

3. Unintended loss of weights in a weight integrated BC. Sometimes caused by incorrect loading, sometimes by worn out velco, sometimes caused by snagging the release on something.

 

[drbill]

The first time I used a BCD I was diving Santa Cruz Island with a Cousteau team in 1989. I had always used backpacks, not even a horse collar but was required to use the BCD on that dive.

I kept trying to submerge and was always immediately buoyed to the surface. I knew to purge the BCD, but this sequence repeated itself several times. I told my buddy that I thought the BCD was self-inflating. She didn't think that was the case... but it was. I disconnected the inflator hose and did the rest of the dive without the BCD.

Since then I've found a BCD to be far more useful! However sticking inflator valves (often due to grit) can be a problem. Another that I've experienced with the newer ScubaPro BCD's is that stupid little dump lever on top of the inflator. For a month or two that lever got caught in my hoses and even on kelp and deflated my BCD. A third problem is grit or other problems in the dump valve seal causing the BCD to slowly deflate. Finally I had the inflator hose on that same BCD crack and start leaking... twice!

I stopped using my new SP Classic and pulled out my much older SP X-Tek which has exhibited none of those problems and is a much better BCD IMHO. Like fine men, age is often a benefit rather than a detriment!

Dr. Bill