XS Air II compatibility with non Oceanic BCD's?

[Gamgan]

Hi I’m new to the boards and spent the last hour searching on the forums for the answers to my questions. I think I might have found the answer but wanted to confirm what I had read.

I have about 40 logged dives, and decided to purchase my diving gear instead of renting it. I enjoy using the Oceanic XS Air II that’s installed on my Oceanic Probe LX ( and we practice OOA drills with the octo/inflator often since my GF just got her Padi Lic).

I purchased a used Oceanic XS Air II as a gift for my GF and its currently being serviced by a Authorized LDS, and it came with a standard inflator hose instead of the corrugated XS Air II hose with the ball in the middle for pulling/purging. It did bring the LP hose that comes with XS Air II.

Ok so here is my question;

When looking for a BCD for my girlfriend/diving buddy, will any brand of BCD have the same size shoulder dump valve attachment ( ¾ inches) where I can just replace it with the Oceanic inflator hose + XS Air 2?
And if not, can the lower part of the Octo/Inflator be attached /replace the inflator valve from a BCD that’s non Oceanic?

Thanks in advance for the help, I tried searching but found tons of other interesting information.

 

[ssflounder]

Gamgan,
Oceanic and Aeris are the only brands who still use 3/4" corrugated hose. However, you can look at the SS1 from Atomic which will come with 3 adapters to convert from 3/4" to 1" since it uses a 1". Usually the same LP hose can be used.

 

[Gamgan]

Thank you for the answer. So that means I will have to buy my gf a oceanic or aeries bcd to use the xs air 2 I have for her. I really like the scuba pro air 2 system, is there any way to attach it to my oceanic probe lx bcd?

 

[Couv]

Hello Gaman,

Ususally you can stretch a smaller diameter corrugated hose to fit over a larger inflator etc. However, after you get your unit back from the DS try to install it on the exisiting hose. If it cannot be made to work, see Dive Gear Express' web page to find the components to sort it out. EXP Wings by Dive Rite - Dive Gear Express

Good luck,

Couv

 

[Gamgan]

Thank you both for the information I will check it out. I haven't bought a scubapro air 2 yet but I will see if can test out the size at a lds with my oceanic inflator hose (corrugated hose?). Again thanks

 

[Couv]

Gamgan,

There are two hose issues you must consider. One is the size of the corrugated hose. That's the large hose (3/4" to 1") that goes from the inflator to the bc. That is the issue we addressed already. The other thing to consider is the inflator hose quick disconnect. The inflator hose connects your first stage to the inflator. The problem here is that not all inflator hose quick disconnects are compatible with the fittings on other inflation devices. For instance, the ScubaPro Air 2, Tusa Duo and Dive Rite Source all take the same size quick disconnect. Oceanic Air XS, Aeris Air Link, SeaQuest Air Source, Apeks Octo Plus, Zeagle Octo Plus, US Divers Air Mic take another; and of course there is the standard inflator hose that should not be used for an alternate air inflator/regulator. If I understand correctly, you have two Oceanic XS units. That is fine if they both work, but you must have the correct corrugated hose AND the correct inflator hose. Getting the correct hose should not be a problem, you just have to make sure they are compatible. Here is another site where you can get a better idea of what we're talking about. Discount Scuba Gear at DiveSports.com - Buy Scuba Diving Equipment & Snorkeling Equipment In fact, if you PM PhilEllis http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/private.php?do=newpm&u=38359 who owns Divesports.com and tell him what you have, he can get you sorted out. Mention that you are a member of Scuba Board for a discount and tell him I want a commission.

Couv

 

[Gamgan]

Couv thanks for the explaination, I read up on the site and think I now understand how it works thanks to your information and the other 2 posters info.

in summery, My Oceanic octo/inflators have two factors, the corrugated hose, that can fit Aeris or any similiar or smaller sixed hose by just replacing the inflator and testing the fit. Then the coupling, theres seems to be 2 standard sizes from the list you provided. I already have the ones that fit oceanics but if I decide to switch to Scuba pro Air 2 , Ill have to replace the LP hose with the appropiate Coupling.

Again thanks guys for the info, very very helpfull

 

[Couv]

One more thing to consider:

IMHO the best method of connecting an inflator or inflator/regulator to your first stage is with a standard second stage (or Miflex) hose coupled with a screw on adapter with a quick disconnect. There are a few advantages to doing it this way. For one thing, l/p second stage hoses come in a large variety of lengths making routing much simpler. Additionally, if the hose becomes defective one only needs to change it out. See the links below for an online supplier of hoses and adapters.

http://www.divesports.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=hose+adapter

See this link for a picture of each type of male end connector in order to determine which size female connector you need.

http://www.divesports.com/XS-Scuba-MiFlex-Braided-AltAir-Inflator-Hose-p/ds-hose-maai.htm

And here is another option that allows you to adapt a SP inflator hose to a standard inflator connector, but NEVER adapt a standard inflator hose to use on an inflator/regulator as it will not have the necessary flow. http://www.scuba.com/scuba-gear-37/0...-Inflator.html

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