Are BC dumps really needed?

[spectrum]

I read a comment of BSAC (?) when I googled bc dump valve... a british member said that he and his diving buddies cut the cord off their dump valves as ?? something to do with their being caught in the open position??

Some prefer to remove the knob so it can't snag.

He claimed that he has more control over how much air is vented off by using the corrugated inflator hose... thus has better control of his ascent ??

In the confined environment (which I dont' do) do cave and wreck divers find the dump valve more functional than the corrugator hose??

The inflater valve dump does have more finesse than most pull dumps. With practice you can feather the pull dumps just about as well. Use whatever you are comfortable with. During the dive I loathe needing to lift the inflater to dump and always use the back bottom dump.

Pete

 

[divad]

The OP asked about a BC with, presumably, only an automatic overpressure valve with a manual (wire) pull dump on the rear of the corrugated inflator hose.

 

[spectrum]

The OP asked about a BC with presumably only an automatic overpressure valve with a manual (wire) pull dump on the rear of the corrugated inflator hose.

Can you tell me where you find it beneficial to have it?? If so, which position do you like it best?

And he ended by asking about the pros and cons of other options.......

 

[fisherdvm]

Exactly. Apparently I was lead to believe that it had a dump valve at the bottom. Instead, it had no dump valve, except for what evad suggested.

I find that I rarely used my dump valve in my previous BC - which had terribly little lift. The Tusa imprex later were shipped with dump valves. But the model they sold me were the earlier versions without dump valve.

My question is, if I have gotten by without using a dump valve much, will I miss it. If it is necessary, should I have one installed. From what I gathered here, it is nice to have it, if you dive with your head slightly down.

But at the same time, no one clearly say that any particular situation is is absolutely essential. I didn't pay much for this reg ($100) so I am not going to return it (despite false description)... Thanks for all your input, it has been very helpful.

 

[cavernicola]

I find very useful the Dump valves (shoulder and bottom) for fine tuning my buoyancy without the need to change position (Horizontal to vertical), so for me they are fine in my personal equipment.

about the pull dump valve on the shoulder I can do without it, and I agree it is a weak spot, but I have find it is a good and useful resource when teaching discover scuba newbies, when they rocket their way to the surface on fast uncontrolled ascents

Rafa

 

[muddiver]

If you find yourself using a dump valve enough to remember the last time, you have too much weight on. Even in the butt freeze cold water of California I don't use either the dump valve on the bottom of my BC or the pull valve on the inflation hose. I have my weight figured (including pony bottle and light) for about 30' of depth wearing a 7 mil wet suit. Yea, I have to duck dive to leave surface, but I don't have to add air to my BC during my dive and I have never had an over inflation/rapid ascent.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

My jacket bc has 3 dumps. I use all of them at some time. My BPW has only one on the bottom left. Elbow on the inflator. The majority of the time I use the dump because as someone else stated I'm horizontal or slightly head down. Inflator is used very little for venting unless I'm on an ascent or at the surface and getting ready to go down.

 

[lazyturtle]

I like lots of dumps.
I find them useful to dump air without changing position. I also HATE dumping air from the inflator, I just find it to be a pain in the butt. I'd say I use the back or shoulder dump 99% of the time.
They don't wear out any faster than the other parts on your bcd. A BCD is a pretty tough piece of equipment, follow the manufacturers service reccomendations and it's not too likely to break.
Don't worry about getting water in the bcd, it's never going to be enough to make any difference.
I think the most important thing is to do what feels the most comfortable for you, being comfortable with your equipment is far more important than having extras.

 

[MarkUK]

I'm with several of the previous posters - I use the pull dumps on my right shoulder and bottom right of my Scubapro Glide Tek Pro every time I need to vent any air, I never vent air using the power inflator. I purely use this to put air into my bladder. I have just as much control for venting air using these dumps as I would if I use my power inflator, it is all about practice and getting used to your kit. As far as them being failure points, I have used my Glide Tek Pro on all my foreign assignments (at least 12 a year) for the past six years or so, and I have never once had an issue with either of the pull dumps.

Mark

 

[fisherdvm]

Not intending to start an argument... But it is only from my personal experience. When I first started scuba diving and using the dump alot, I remember being worse than a bobber... Up, and down, and up, and down... I think that was when I stopped using the dump valves...

One poster said, if you learned to use the dump right, you can control how much air you release.... I guess I'll have to try that ....