Question Yoke Regulator with Wreck Diving

[James79]

Legitimate question... Does anyone know of a yoke reg being knocked off of a tank in use?

Respectfully,

James

 

[BoltSnap]

Had he told me DIN was the only way to go for wreck diving, this would have been the time to buy DIN! Bummer!

You can always change it no problem at all. I'd do it especially if you own your own Tanks.

 

[BoltSnap]

I only do travel diving. Recently I spent 1 week diving in the Philippines and had enough of crappy rental gear. The DM tried to convince my buddy to dive with a faulty pressure gauge. ENOUGH. I am buying my own gear.

Everyone here has been helpful, but still no definitive answer.

I think you answered your own question here. Yoke will be fine for you based on the type of diving parameters you defined for yourself.

If you get into tech diving, frequent wreck penetration, owning your own Tanks, using high pressure tanks, etc. then get a different regulator with DIN connection.

 

[lexvil]

N

Legitimate question... Does anyone know of a yoke reg being knocked off of a tank in use?

Respectfully,

James

no, I had a Kraken on an HP 100 a few years back fall off the tailgate of a 3/4 ton 4x4 dodge, it landed regulator first. There was a pretty good bend in the yoke a hairline crack in the body and a missing piece on the can lip, it’s a very strong connection with the pressure on.

 

[halocline]

Wow, I have learned DIN is much safer than Yoke, but I did not know diving with Yoke was frowned upon when diving wrecks.

DIN is NOT 'much safer' than yoke, if you learned that then you are learning something that is demonstrably wrong. DIN is more appropriate for technical diving where entanglement is a real and serious potential problem. But in OW, non technical diving there is no difference in safety. In order to accurately say something is safer, you would need to demonstrate that people using the 'less safe' alternative are actually dying or being injured as a result of their choice. Since every day, around the world, there are thousands and thousands of safe, successful dives on yoke regulators, and this has been true for decades, obviously yoke regulators are no 'less safe' than DIN regulators.

Then you mentioned "when diving wrecks". There are two very different types of dives being discussed here. One is OW, recreational divers exploring the exterior of wrecks and maybe passing through some swim-throughs that have been created on the wreck, but always staying within recreational limits, single tank, no technical training. For those types of dives, yoke is fine.

The other type of wreck diving is highly technical, with specialized gear and lots of extra training. Divers doing that kind of diving know exactly what gear to use, and the DIN/yoke issue does not exist. They are all using DIN. They are also using very specific hose routing, specialized techniques, and still this is very hazardous diving. If regular OW, single tank recreational divers were doing this sort of diving, they would be dying at an alarming level, regardless of using yoke or DIN regulators.

 

[halocline]

Legitimate question... Does anyone know of a yoke reg being knocked off of a tank in use?

Respectfully,

James

I've seen yoke regs getting bent out of shape when tanks fall over on the boat, never seen it on a dive. I've also seen DIN valves get knocked out of round when tanks fall over, most notably in the back of a truck.

Generally speaking I think yoke valves can handle more abuse at the filling station, getting trucked around, and there are no threads to corrode. This is why they've been so successful for many years at tropical tourist diving destinations. They're pretty tough. DIN valves can get beat up to the point where the threads don't work, and in the convertible valves those inserts can very easily get welded in place by salt. That I've seen a lot of.

Each system has it's uses and advantages. That's why they are both in use all over the world.

 

[James79]

I've seen yoke regs getting bent out of shape when tanks fall over on the boat, never seen it on a dive. I've also seen DIN valves get knocked out of round when tanks fall over, most notably in the back of a truck.

Generally speaking I think yoke valves can handle more abuse at the filling station, getting trucked around, and there are no threads to corrode. This is why they've been so successful for many years at tropical tourist diving destinations. They're pretty tough. DIN valves can get beat up to the point where the threads don't work, and in the convertible valves those inserts can very easily get welded in place by salt. That I've seen a lot of.

Each system has it's uses and advantages. That's why they are both in use all over the world.

I agree... I asked due to multiple comments in this thread about risk of yoke regs getting "knocked off the valve" in confined spaces. Seemed a little off to me. The snag hazard argument has merit, but the physical security argument sounded bogus.... So I'm curious if anyone has ever seen it.

Respectfully,

James

 

[TylerG.]

As a companion to another question, I am about to buy a new regulator. Without getting into a DIN vs. Yoke debate...
.
My diving is mostly USA, Caribbean and SE Asia. I am going to Egypt for 1 week of wreck diving. How concerned should I be using a Yoke regulator in wrecks?

A yoke reg will work, until it doesn't. The risk you run using a yoke/clamp reg inside a wreck is hitting the yoke on the ceiling, dislocating or completely shearing it off. At least, you might develop a small trickle, worst case scenario the whole reg detaches from the cylinder, not likely but still possible. This problem isn't actually that uncommon, I've seen back-mount divers shear off the hand-wheels on manifolds before. And yoke, especially brass ones, bend all the time.
DIN versions of regs are usually only a few bucks more than their yoke counterparts, and in my opinion completely worth it.

 

[Cheizz]

My diving is mostly USA, Caribbean and SE Asia. I am going to Egypt for 1 week of wreck diving. How concerned should I be using a Yoke regulator in wrecks?

^^ This is in the original question though. The question is not: I am going to be an expert technical wreck diver, should I get a yoke or DIN regulator?

 

[James79]

A yoke reg will work, until it doesn't. The risk you run using a yoke/clamp reg inside a wreck is hitting the yoke on the ceiling, dislocating or completely shearing it off. At least, you might develop a small trickle, worst case scenario the whole reg detaches from the cylinder, not likely but still possible. This problem isn't actually that uncommon, I've seen back-mount divers shear off the hand-wheels on manifolds before. And yoke, especially brass ones, bend all the time.

A tank valve hand wheel is not a yoke or yoke screw. If you've rebuilt a valve or manifold before you would see just how tiny the stem is (which is what shears when you break off a hand wheel). I ask again... has anyone ever actually seen this "dislocating or completely shearing" a yoke against the ceiling of a wreck? For that matter, I question the yokes bending "all the time" short of massive abuse (like falling off the back of a truck while mounted on a tank, see @lexvil and @halocline comments above.) Like I said above, I get the snag hazards argument for certain conditions, but the dislocating or bending at a mere bump against the ceiling sounds like a whole lot of hand-wringing "what if".
So, question stands..... anyone ever actually see this terrifying failure mode in action?

Respectfully,

James

edit to add: I dive regs going back to the 50's, with very thin yokes (made of the dreaded weak brass) and am not particularly gentle with them.... have yet to bend one.