Zeagle Ranger BC issues?

[tiburon72157]

Anybody experience the following issues with their Ranger?

1. Trapped air in bladder causing ascent?

2. Trapped air shifting from side to side as you roll?


Thanks

 

[Coloradoscuba]

No,
Not with mine, it has been flawless. Though it is hard to clean out after the dive.

 

[ScottZeagle]

I just answered your PM....

Scott

 

[tiburon72157]

thanks very much scott for the reply. but how am i going to address and correct the issues with the bc? i won't go through another year of hassling with this situation.

 

[RonFrank]

Anybody experience the following issues with their Ranger?

1. Trapped air in bladder causing ascent?

2. Trapped air shifting from side to side as you roll?


Thanks

Rangers trap air as will any Bladder of that size with maybe the exception of a ring shaped design. I have been able to deal with it by just making sure that I get the air to the top of the BC, or on the lower left where I can dump. The newer bladders have two lower dumps that would help, but mine only has a lower left dump.

As for rolling, I don't have this issue. I don't generally add a lot of air to my BC, and when I start to ascend I just make sure that I get the air in a position that I can dump it. This may result in having to go vertical for a few seconds to allow the air to go to the top of the BC.

Larger Badders are going to trap air. The key is to be aware of it, and get the air into a position to dump. It has not been a big deal for me to deal with this, but it did put me in a awkward postion (upsidedown safety stop ) the first time it happened.

 

[deeper thoughts]

No but i noticed it held a lot of water, been using it for years but i use the crotch straps and they do make a difference try them and they might help

 

[Chad Carney]

Anybody experience the following issues with their Ranger?

1. Trapped air in bladder causing ascent?

2. Trapped air shifting from side to side as you roll?

Thanks

I'm not trying to be smart, just not getting enough information here.

It comes down to the definition of trapped air.

I have seen inner bladders from several companies, including Zeagle, installed with a fold or twist that will not allow air to vent properly. If a BC has that problem, no amount of correct body position will help. The bladder would need to be reinserted correctly, so getting it checked is paramount.

Maybe I don't understand, but in my opinion, air that can move from side to side, is not trapped.

If a diver does not assume the proper head up position, leaning back and holding the deflator over his left side to the highest point... well then a big wing can hold some air in whatever side is higher than the deflator hose. As Ron said "When I start to ascend I just make sure that I get the air in a position that I can dump it. This may result in having to go vertical for a few seconds to allow the air to go to the top of the BC." Rear dumps are fine for an accomplished diver to mess around with, but certainly not on an ascent.

Sure narrower BCs like our Stiletto, will deflate with less body control required, but that does not mean that an even larger wing than a Ranger's, like that on a Tech BC, is trapping air.

From the little information stated here, unless it's a folded or twisted bladder, I'm surprised that a diver with several hundred dives could have a year of hassling with a BC.

Chad

 

[tiburon72157]

ron, thanks. what you're describing is exactly what i do. i learned through trial and error how to adapt to the quirks of my ranger. getting to be a real pain though...as scott z mentioned to me, sometimes they trap air and he dosn't know why. the few local guys i know who use a ranger, haven't experienced my issues. luckily, the only time i'm upside down, is when i'm practicing hovering inverted.

chad, already had the bc checked out. lds says the bladder isn't tweaked. over the past year i've had dealt with the issue because i didn't have any other choice. i haven't been in a financial position to do anything about it. as such, if i still wanted to dive, i had to make do...trapped air or not. i worked around the problem. regardless if the air is moving around side to side, up or down etc. and i can't dump it, i consider it trapped air. the bottom line is, the bc should be working better than it is.

 

[Chad Carney]

tiburon,

I managed a large LDS for many years, and when a customer didn't like something they bought, for whatever reason, whenever possible we would try to swap something out for them. Often from our class gear, or offer them a reasonable trade-in so that they could move into something that made them happy. Would this be a possibility with the store where you bought your Ranger?

As you probably know, the wing assembly on a Ranger is interchangeable with the more streamlined bladderless wings of the Escape and Stiletto. Larry at Scubatoys has made this "Brigade" combination famous on ScubaBoard. I far prefer the Stiletto wing, and only wear my Ranger LTD when I need double tanks. From your profile it doesn't sound like you need a wide large lift bladder.

Another thought, perhaps there is a a Brigade diver on the board that is looking to move into tech and would want to trade for your Ranger wing?

Chad

 

[tiburon72157]

thanks chad...my lds where i got the bc originally has big-time money problems now. and i know they won't work with me. i don't really want to continue shopping there either. hopefully my money sitch will be changing within the next month or so. as such, i think i'm going to try and demo some different brands/models. its just that the trapped air thing is really, really starting to annoy me now...and i am almost to the point where i can actually do something about it. and if i decide to move forward with dm next month through another store, this other particular store will make me gear up anyway, with only what they sell. and they don't sell zeagle. we'll have to see how things pan out, but unless zeagle wants to step up and do something to help me out, i'm moving on from this manufacturer, which is a shame. typically, i'm the only zeagle bc on the boats in this area. think i'll give larry a buzz also and get some thoughts from him.