How bad is inhaling from BCD/Wing ?

[kr2y5]

There is no need to risk inhaling mold and bacteria while orally inflating your wing, and die a painful death... you just need to attach a $25 bcd washout hose (also useful for rinsing) with a $13 air pump (also useful for camping). You could probably get by with just some duct tape, but if you want to get extra fancy, you can install a bunch of these $5 garden hose quick disconnects for extra maneuvring flexibility.

 

[Storker]

At this point I am just going to confess I don't rinse my bladder out. I just slightly inflate and drain.

Let's hope you're diving in freshwater, then. When seawater evaporates, it leaves salt crystals, which might very well lead to a valve malfunction.

 

[kwinter]

To all those folks that posted about not breathing from the bladder, being full of "yuckies" and dying as a result, can I please ask WTF you think is in your wing and when the last time was that you rinsed it? Unless you're talking about a rental or someone else's BCD, any bacteria in there had to come from your own lungs. Your own natural flora is not going to kill you. If you got seawater in it and those contaminants grow, then you're not taking care of your gear. Of course you rinse the inside of the bladder. And you can add a little myrazyme to disinfect it if you want. But I would not be concerned about taking s few breaths from the wing. I've done it for lengthy periods as a survival technique.


iPhone. iTypo. iApologize.

 

[tbone1004]

mine gets a steramine flush before big trips and gets rinsed out properly, but it was mainly as a disclaimer that it has happened before, so wouldn't recommend breathing off of it, i.e. using as an SCR. Most of my gear gets fresh water quarry/cave water in it, so I do flush quite well when I get back from the trips.

What the OP is describing won't kill him though, a little backwash from the pressure isn't going to kill you, though you should probably learn a more efficient inflation technique.

 

[DuBa]

Do you need to inflate the BCD when rinsing? I'm just unscrewing all dump valves (including the shoulder/hose) and rinsing with a hose, it's easier and quicker than trying to get water to all corners and dumping it repeatedly.

Or it's not supposed to be done like this for some reason?

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Or it's not supposed to be done like this for some reason?

You are fine. Some of us like to get as much of the water out to prevent moisture/some water from being trapped in the bladder.

Think of it like a ziplock baggie - put a small amount of water in the baggie and empty it out - folds could and will trap some water and moisture. Now blow into the baggie so that the bag is extended - water will roll down the sides... that is all we are talking about - not much but for me it is a habit - how I was taught and how I am teaching my son... Is it over kill? You get to decide it is your equipment...

My Horsecollar - I actually have two of them are with me today from the late 70's - no bacteria is inside that I can visibly see. The only thing inside is when I blew an old cylinder off and watched it expand but then I had to clean that mess up - really stinky smell too...

 

[DuBa]

Now blow into the baggie so that the bag is extended - water will roll down the sides...

This part is clear for drying out or storing the BCD - it should be partially inflated. As for rinsing procedure, I was taught that water should go in and come out through oral inflation hose. This i followed until i stopped and actually thought about what I am doing, hence the question (I tend to double-check results of my thought processes )

 

[Ryan Nelson]

First, breathing from it can kill you. It's happened, don't do it.

Second, oral inflation saves gas that you would otherwise be able to breathe and is the most efficient way of maintaining buoyancy.

Third, oral inflation won't kill you, you should be starting the exhale, then opening the valve, close the valve, then stop the exhale, otherwise air is coming out that should be going in.

Fourth, if you are that deeply concerned, flush the wing with steramine which is we use in CCR breathing loops, which for what it is worth, are identical in form to bc's. Corrugated hoses connected to air tight bags with dump valves and inflation valves.

Please explain how breathing from your bc can kill you.

I have to imagine that anyone who takes their maintenance at least somewhat seriously shouldn't have to worry about mold growing in and on their gear.

 

[tbone1004]

there have been documented cases of people dying after breathing off of their bc, they inhaled bacteria and it killed them. The thread was mentioned above. If you are not sterilizing the bc, it can grow nasties. What the OP is talking about is just oral inflation which is not going to cause that to happen since you shouldn't be inhaling off of the inflator.

The best method of cleaning/flushing bc's is to partially fill with water, either fresh or with a sterilization additive, orally inflate all the way. Slosh the water around *it won't slosh well unless it is full*, and then get all of the water to the dump valve by tipping so it is at the lowest point, then slightly crack the dump valve so just water is coming out, do not pull it all the way open. The pressure from the air inside of the wing will push the water out, but if you open it too much it will just drain and not be as effective. It will generally require at least two inflation cycles to get all of the water out depending on how much you put in. Store the BC fully inflated, and all is well in the world.

 

[Peter69_56]

To all those folks that posted about not breathing from the bladder, being full of "yuckies" and dying as a result, can I please ask WTF you think is in your wing and when the last time was that you rinsed it? Unless you're talking about a rental or someone else's BCD, any bacteria in there had to come from your own lungs. Your own natural flora is not going to kill you. If you got seawater in it and those contaminants grow, then you're not taking care of your gear. Of course you rinse the inside of the bladder. And you can add a little myrazyme to disinfect it if you want. But I would not be concerned about taking s few breaths from the wing. I've done it for lengthy periods as a survival technique.

iPhone. iTypo. iApologize.

I seem to remember reading a story of a guy who got a nasty lung infection which made him very ill. It may have been on DAN Asia site (not sure as I have read lots of articles on diving, but I do remember he got very ill). Anyway you have to consider that external water may contain all sorts of bacteria, and some not so nice. In sea water these little bugs may be few and far between and we tend not to breath sea water anyway thus under normal circumstances not a problem. Get some inside the bladder of your BCD, nice warm conditions and they multiply into millions in this dark friendly environment. Then you take a nice lung full of air from it and fill your lungs with this teaming culture and it overwhelms your system, because you just think its the flu so you suffer it out. Then by the time you are seriously ill its really got a hold on you.

So for me anyway I don't breath off my BCD and I teach others not to. You might do it 20 times and get away with it because there was no contamination in the bladder, but the 21st time in some sewer infested waters of a tropical island after a heavy rainfall, the bugs might be there.

This may sound like fairy stories, however I had my tech instructor, a healthy 62 year old guy go to Philippines, and come back and in 2 months die from a mosquito bite. He thought it was the flu, and had it while instructing us. He got to a stage of flaking out, went to hospital and had 600ml of fluid removed from each lung before dying. Murphy lurks all the time, and don't ever forget that.

Remember the shuttle, 40 flights with O ring damage so if we can do 40 flights and get away with it, we must be safe! Well that idea went off with a bang.

I use an antiseptic in mine so I have peace of mind. If it was a choice of drowning from lack of air (that I would firstly be so stupid to let my supply get so low anyway or be diving without a buddy or secondary supply), or "perhaps" dying if I breathed off my BCD then I would take the latter. But to do it just because I can, well that's just not me silly enough to have a peeing competition (I would just get wet and cold and smelly).

Editors note; I always orally inflate my BCD to save air, after a squirt test to show the inflator works, and as a matter of occasional practice, orally inflate when diving as well.