BC service question

[Dr. Lecter]

Or at least until the button comes shooting out during a dive and causing you to soil your drysuit

Green Loctite is your friend and mine. Still, not the end of the world if it does.

 

[Soakedlontra]

With good user care, technician servicing may never be needed. The bladder should be drained and rinsed with FW occasionally. The inflator needs to be flushed with FW after each SW dive trip. Mine only gets more serious service when a problem (leak) occurs.

I do all of that. The inflator button got stuck once but after messing with it for a little while it worked again...I guess since then I have been wondering if I would be better off servicing the whole thing.

---------- Post added November 19th, 2012 at 09:20 AM ----------

If you are doing a good rinse after every dive day there should be no need for scheduled professional service.

Keep an eye on things for worn pull dump strings and an wear and tear. The inflater valve will probably need attention every 100 dives or so. This little tool lets you get in there to clean and lube at the first sign of sluggishness or sooner.

Personally, I do not take any pull dump valves apart for routine service. Faithful rinsing has always kept them in good order and there are too many stories of mis-assembly, lost parts or even jumping in without reinstalling a valve.

Pete

I have heard that it's more difficult to get parts to replace the inflater valve. Is that true?

---------- Post added November 19th, 2012 at 09:24 AM ----------

I'll confess . . . I don't service my inflators until they begin to leak. Most of the time, it's a leak out around the inflator button, but once in a while, it's a slow leak into the wing. You can only rebuild the inflators a few times -- they're made of very soft brass, and you will eventually score it enough so the o-rings won't seal. But if you are using a standard wing, the replacements units from Trident are only about $35 or $40.

That's what Sam told me too. That in the long term I am better off replacing the whole inflator valve. I use a Deep Sea Supply.

---------- Post added November 19th, 2012 at 09:29 AM ----------

On sale! Put one in your save-a-dive and service the fussy one at your convenience

Thanks!

 

[redacted]

A sticky button is a good indicator of service need for the inflator. With the DSS inflator (and many similar) one tool (or a makeshift substitute) is needed and all replacement parts are standard o-rings. But, if you do not already have a spare inflator, now would bee the time to get a replacement and then add your old rebuilt inflator to your save-a-dive kit. I believe the instructions are on the DSS site.

 

[spectrum]

I can say that on my Sherwood Avid I needed to service the valve twice and only on my "generic" wing inflater. So far all have responded will to cleaning and greasing. Intervals have all been greater than 100 dives. The bladder gets a 3X flush after every visit to salt water.

I would expect OEM parts to be less avaialble though in many cases it's just generic o-rings. I don't know if shops put up a fuss about selling BC parts over the counter the way some do for regulator kits.

Another good habit it to prop the inflater to be the high point while drying. That will allow any water with residual salinity to flow out and away.

Pete

 

[TSandM]

I've serviced the DSS inflators -- as I said, they're good for one or two rebirths, and then you just have to replace them. The Trident modules are the same (IIRC) and they aren't expensive.

 

[aaen]

Or at least until the button comes shooting out during a dive and causing you to soil your drysuit

I dove that inflator for years never had an issue, odd how you get our hands n it and 30 mins into the dive it blows off.

It was rather funny



Steve

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[wedivebc]

I dove that inflator for years never had an issue, odd how you get our hands n it and 30 mins into the dive it blows off.

It was rather funny



Steve

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Yeah probably user error. Or maybe the green locktite had worn out

 

[aaen]

Either way was funny. You were just complaining about the valves shooting off an i said i had never seen it happen before, then boom i see it twirling down the line maybe 30 mins later.



Steve

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[Dr. Lecter]

Yeah probably user error. Or maybe the green locktite had worn out

Did the button itself eject from the metal housing, or was it the whole SS inflator assembly that popped free of the plastic threaded body?

I usually have the opposite problem when servicing mine: use too much green loctite and you have to flame the button or else risk stripping the flathead screwdriver slot on the shaft. Use red loctite, and you'll never get the thing off.

 

[aaen]

I've never seen on in a metal housing? Dave's case was the button shooting out of the plastic housing with some velocity.



Steve

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