YOKE vs DIN

[Dan]

DIN gets my vote after a near miss last week (see post #3 here:

Tuna Wreck, Similan

Dove Tuna Wreck in Similan (Island 5) on 31 January, 2023. Sandy bottom was at 38 m. Top of the wreck (starboard side) was at 31 m.

scubaboard.com

 

[Belzelbub]

DIN gets my vote after a near miss last week (see post #3 here:

Thanks for sharing that. Your example was far more extreme than the one I experienced. I'm actually surprised your yoke sealed at all. In my case, I could hear a slight hiss from the yoke, and confirmed bubbles with the combination mask defog/leak detector. This was pre-dive at an aquarium at the dive locker. First swapped out the tank o-ring and re-checked. Not change. I then took a closer look at the reg and saw some scratches across the sealing surface. Mostly light, not as deep as what you showed.

I'm actually surprised this doesn't happen more often given how a yoke reg is attached compared to a DIN reg. I've been guilty of not unscrewing the yoke screw enough, and sort of scraping the sealing surface on the valve until I realized. Another possibility, and probably more prevalent in the rental fleet is post dive storage. The yoke forms a nice spot to hang the reg on a storage hook. If the dust cap is not in place, the storage hook could be dragging across this surface.

With DIN, both the reg o-ring and tank sealing surface are a bit more protected as they don't come in contact until the DIN is screwed down tight. There should really be no reason to put anything in the tank valve that isn't a DIN regulator or a DIN plug/dust cap.

 

[rx7diver]

DIN gets my vote after a near miss last week (see post #3 here:

Tuna Wreck, Similan

Dove Tuna Wreck in Similan (Island 5) on 31 January, 2023. Sandy bottom was at 38 m. Top of the wreck (starboard side) was at 31 m.

scubaboard.com

The first time you get a dive boat cylinder or a rental cylinder that has a bent/dented or otherwise abused DIN valve, you might be second-guessing your choice!

You might cover your bases by including a DIN-to-yoke converter in your save-a-dive kit.

rx7diver

 

[Fibonacci]

Last PNG trip only two divers had DIN regs, boat crew confidently went to remove the DIN insert from the convertible tank valves.
Nope, many were stuck fast by either white corrosion or dings in the relatively thin outer housing from rough handling which swaged it permanently in place.
So those divers had to have four specially selected tanks with a working DIN recess... not so bad with only two divers but potentially an issue?

 

[MidOH]

Im not impressed with din.

The fact that the whole reg and the tightening hand screw spin, from the slightest bump, is kinda janky to me. And the pro valves ain't 300 bar, so the reg only screws in half way.

The way ya'll over analyze stuff, Im startled that you find this acceptable. We can do better. A splined valve and adapter, with threads towards the outer end, would be more secure. Double o ring it like a manifold plug. There's surely room to grow here.

My single tank rig is yoke, because travel. My baby doubles and slung 40 are din.

 

[Belzelbub]

Last PNG trip only two divers had DIN regs, boat crew confidently went to remove the DIN insert from the convertible tank valves.
Nope, many were stuck fast by either white corrosion or dings in the relatively thin outer housing from rough handling which swaged it permanently in place.
So those divers had to have four specially selected tanks with a working DIN recess... not so bad with only two divers but potentially an issue?

That seems like a problem that is easily solved. Before I showed up at a dive op, I’d ask to confirm that they’d have tanks that would work. I’d expect that they’d make sure inserts could be removed. I’d also bring my yoke adapter in my SAD just in case.

 

[Dan]

The first time you get a dive boat cylinder or a rental cylinder that has a bent/dented or otherwise abused DIN valve, you might be second-guessing your choice!

You might cover your bases by including a DIN-to-yoke converter in your save-a-dive kit.

rx7diver

Easy problem to solve. If you have problem screwing the DIN connector into a bent/dented or otherwise abused DIN valve, then go get another one without such problem and report the bad DIN valve.

Have you encountered such problem?

My source of failure was on the o-ring, getting cut by the rough seal surface of my yoke connector by rough handling of the crew who installed my regulator onto the yoke valve. The reason I converted my yoke regulator to DIN is to reduce the source of failure from 2 o-ring connector (donut insert) of the new tank valve (which nowadays what most dive operators have) into just 1 o-ring, which is on my DIN regulator (not in the operator’s tank). So, why should I bring DIN-Yoke adapter? Now there would be 3 o-ring connector, 3 sources of o-ring failure. It’s like going backwards.

 

[MidOH]

Yeah. Better keep that adapter handy.

The 2 rental tanks in front of me, are the only tanks Im getting. If one is messed up, Im generally stuck with it.

I was on a dive boat in Belize, hooked up and my tank, only had 2300-2500psi in it. (IIRC) Looked around, surrounded by midget women. "Anybody want to trade tanks so I dont cut this dive short?" (We were instructed to stick together) No takers. Lame short 44 min dive.

 

[rx7diver]

... Have you encountered such problem? ...

Most of my handful of cylinders are either convertible DIN or 300 Br DIN. They are dove in fresh water only (so, minimal risk of corrosion messing them up). And I make sure that my DIN valves are wearing either a donut or a DIN plug whenever a regulator isn't attached

Also, I don't let others attach and remove my regulators from cylinders. And I check the O-ring--especially when using a yoke valve--before I attach my regulator. (Spare O-rings, for yoke valve and for DIN reg, are there with a DIN-to-yoke adapter in the small save-a-dive kit that stays with my gear.)

rx7diver

 

[MacDuyver]

I switched to DIN last year and never looked back. It’s a really nice setup. I got a DIN/yoke adapter with it though and have already had to use it a couple times, so I recommend getting one since they only cost like $30 and doesn’t take up all that much space in a Save a Dive Kit.

In the US a lot of the yoke stuff is driven by the fact that switching all of it to DIN would be pretty expensive for a dive shop to do especially when they’ve been invested in yoke for decades.