I've never seen a frozen pressure gauge and very much would not like it. I really want my pressure guage to work 100% and they don't cost too much, so I would replace the gauge immediately and never use it again.
As for the other question, no I wouldn't be bothered by diving without BCD/wind inflation under the ice. I wouldn't be under ice w/o a drysuit and I can easily use the suit for bouyancy. Sealing the deal is that the fact that I also have an alternative positive bouyancy device - standing on top of the ice and holding my tender rope
If we are under the ice we have tender ropes or, in a distinctly confined area (small quarry for example) with excellent visibility ther might be only a strong, fixed line (solid rope) leading from the bottom to the entry point. So you can either be hauled up or can haul yourself up and the exit point can always be found.
I wouldn't plan on diving w/o BCD/wing inflator or make it a regular plan because I think the inflator can and should work just fine under the ice, but it wouldn't worry me at all.
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The rest of this the OP would obviously know better than I, but I'll write it because others might be interested and I have no interest in getting back to work.
From what I've seen, an inflator will often freeze at temps as mild as -10C. Generally everything will be OK once you get it underwater where it can warm up. BUT if I couldn't get underwater is reasonably shallow water, or at least secured to the surface by a good rope and an tender I trusted, I'd give it up too.
To avoid problems/missed dives
AT HOME
Make sure everything is dry after its last rinse. After the first 6 hours or so of air drying indoors, I like to gently shake all the items to dislodge and drain any remaining drops of water, set then set things in a slightly different position to dry well longer than could possibly be necessary. Once gear is dry, do not breath those regs again and do not breath into that BCD/wing until you are underwater because your breath is moist.
ON SITE
I usually attach the regs at home but do not test breath because breath is moist. If you need wait and attach regs onsite, do so now in the still-warm car but do not test breath or fiddle with anything (inflator) while you are out in the cold air. Get in the water and stay at the surface but keep your regs and inflator underwater, where it is probably warmer than in the air. The inflator will occasionally not work when you just get in the water, a regulator might (much more rarely) give you a tiny bit of trouble too but both should be OK once they warm up a bit. If a reg doesn't seem to be working fine after a good 3-5 minutes and max 3' under water, leave it to another day. Freeflowing is real trouble and the risk of it wouldn't have let you (or buddy) relax and enjoy your dive anyway.
Usually someone with a freeflowing reg or well & truely frozen inflator has done something silly and gotten it moist in the cold air, usually by forgetting themselves and test breathing/oral inflating it in the cold air, or never having gotten it properly dry before leaving home.
Last of all, once back on land and having doffed your tank(s), make sure to open the drysuit zipper before it freezes. If it's seriously cold you might need a thermos of hot water to thaw the zipper so it can be opened w/o damage.
Full disclosure: -8 to -12C I've seen quite frequently, but I've never been diving at temps colder than -15C. I know many other that do however, and apparently damage neither their diving equipment nor their hopes of starting a family. So far I've had stricter comfort standards.
As for the other question, no I wouldn't be bothered by diving without BCD/wind inflation under the ice. I wouldn't be under ice w/o a drysuit and I can easily use the suit for bouyancy. Sealing the deal is that the fact that I also have an alternative positive bouyancy device - standing on top of the ice and holding my tender rope
If we are under the ice we have tender ropes or, in a distinctly confined area (small quarry for example) with excellent visibility ther might be only a strong, fixed line (solid rope) leading from the bottom to the entry point. So you can either be hauled up or can haul yourself up and the exit point can always be found.I wouldn't plan on diving w/o BCD/wing inflator or make it a regular plan because I think the inflator can and should work just fine under the ice, but it wouldn't worry me at all.
_______________
The rest of this the OP would obviously know better than I, but I'll write it because others might be interested and I have no interest in getting back to work.
From what I've seen, an inflator will often freeze at temps as mild as -10C. Generally everything will be OK once you get it underwater where it can warm up. BUT if I couldn't get underwater is reasonably shallow water, or at least secured to the surface by a good rope and an tender I trusted, I'd give it up too.
To avoid problems/missed dives
AT HOME
Make sure everything is dry after its last rinse. After the first 6 hours or so of air drying indoors, I like to gently shake all the items to dislodge and drain any remaining drops of water, set then set things in a slightly different position to dry well longer than could possibly be necessary. Once gear is dry, do not breath those regs again and do not breath into that BCD/wing until you are underwater because your breath is moist.
ON SITE
I usually attach the regs at home but do not test breath because breath is moist. If you need wait and attach regs onsite, do so now in the still-warm car but do not test breath or fiddle with anything (inflator) while you are out in the cold air. Get in the water and stay at the surface but keep your regs and inflator underwater, where it is probably warmer than in the air. The inflator will occasionally not work when you just get in the water, a regulator might (much more rarely) give you a tiny bit of trouble too but both should be OK once they warm up a bit. If a reg doesn't seem to be working fine after a good 3-5 minutes and max 3' under water, leave it to another day. Freeflowing is real trouble and the risk of it wouldn't have let you (or buddy) relax and enjoy your dive anyway.
Usually someone with a freeflowing reg or well & truely frozen inflator has done something silly and gotten it moist in the cold air, usually by forgetting themselves and test breathing/oral inflating it in the cold air, or never having gotten it properly dry before leaving home.
Last of all, once back on land and having doffed your tank(s), make sure to open the drysuit zipper before it freezes. If it's seriously cold you might need a thermos of hot water to thaw the zipper so it can be opened w/o damage.
Full disclosure: -8 to -12C I've seen quite frequently, but I've never been diving at temps colder than -15C. I know many other that do however, and apparently damage neither their diving equipment nor their hopes of starting a family. So far I've had stricter comfort standards.
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