Why hang BC upside down after cleaning?

[EvilSlumLord]

On reading my owner's manual for my Zeagle Ranger it recommends hanging it upside down after rinsing it from diving. I believe this is also the general guidance PADI gives in the OW material and perhaps this is a standard in the industry.

I have been doing it but the question that comes to mind is "Why?". What's the diff between using the shoulder straps (right side up) vs. the tank band (which seems like the most obvious place to hang it from upside down).

It's not a big deal, just curiosity mostly. And of course the natural question is how many people do it this way vs. just hanging from the shoulder straps?

Thanks!

 

[Packhorse]

Never heard that one. I hang it by the shoulder straps with a few breaths of air in it.
Dont ya just hate it when they tell you to do something but dont supply a reason?

 

[SeanQ]

The only good reason I can think of is so that water will drain into the inflator hose thus making in easier to get rid of.

 

[cfelliot]

The entire line in the manual reads:

Hang the BCD upside down and allow it to dry while partially inflated.
Drain any residual water through the exhaust hose while the BCD is hanging
upside down.

I think the point is to get any residual water out!

I clear the water out of my Zeagle by repeated air fills and upside down exhaust cycles. I then store it on a hanger.

 

[archman]

If BCD's were meant to be hung upside down, there would be another set of those wimpy hanging loops on the bottom, in addition to the one on the top.

 

[bperrybap]

The Zeagle BCs hang at the perfect angle for draining into
the hanging inflator hose when hung on a BC hanger by using the
bottom two D-rings and partially inflating the BC.
I do it this way for a couple of days; it is amazing how much water
will drain down into the inflator each day.
Once there is no more water draining out, I flip it over and
hang it from the shoulder straps.

Even works on my wifes Zena, but you have to have a different
BC hanger. You will need the one with the small stubby "arms"
which I guess are for gloves? They are below the normal arms
for the BC shoulder straps.

--- bill

 

[stevetim]

I will actually unscrew the inflator/bc cap and take the inflator hose off after a dive. This lets the thing actually air breathe and I just puff some air into the bc to keep the bladder from sticking to itself. The hose comes off very easily and there is just one thick rubber washer to put back in. Have never had a leak after doing this so it will continue to be my method of drying.

 

[Charlie99]

I used to hang my Seaquest Pro QD upside down so the water would run into the inflator hose. Since I wasn't rinsing things out thoroughly, what eventually happened is that the steel pull dump wire corroded and broke. I only take the dump valve caps off and thoroughly dry out the bladder if I'm not going to be diving for a few weeks.

The weakened pull dump got yanked and broken by someone on a boat during transit to the dive site and the loose end lodged itself beneath the dump valve leaving me with no buoyancy on a 130' Molokini back wall dive, but that's a different story.

Nowdays, once I've finished dumping water out, I leave the BCD upright. There IS a downside to leaving it upside down.

 

[EvilSlumLord]

Thanks all. I thought about the part about draining the water out but there are two dump valves on the bottom of the Ranger (one on either side) so it seems like it would be just as good to hang it right side up and drain the water that way. Maybe this recommendation is just a general one since I don't think all BC's have these dual lower valves?

 

[Jason Ooi]

I hang BCD upside down water will drain out thru inflator hose