immersed regulator without dust cover

[Ed Palma]

Would it matter if it were "environmentally sealed" or do the same rules apply?

IIRC, environmentally sealed regs just keep water out of the ambient pressure chamber. It has nothing to do with water within the regulator itself. Thus, environmentally sealed or not, in the absence of an ACD or other such device, water will get in a soaked reg if the dust cap is not in place.

Echoing the sentiments of earlier posters, I'd remove the SPG. Assuming you haven't re-pressurized the system, then water won't really be forced into the SPG. The aperture for the HP port is so small, I doubt a lot of water could get in. So remove the SPG, then blow it all clean. Then check function with an IP gauge.

If this happened to me, I'd do a basic disassembly just to check. But then again, I do my own regs, so YMMV.

When in doubt, refer to your local LDS.

 

[LollyO]

what is an IP gauge?

 

[Ed Palma]

what is an IP gauge?

IP - intermediate pressure gauge.

In a nutshell, the job of the 1st stage is to reduce tank pressure to a pressure somewhere about 140PSI (depending on the regulator) above ambient pressure. This pressure is further reduced by the demand regulator (from 140PSI down to ambient pressure).

An IP gauge is useful because it can give a overall quick check of the health of your 1st stage. Debris in water that gets in the 1st stage, or salt crystals can cause degradation of the sealing surfaces within the regulator. This will manifest on the IP gauge as creep - the slow elevation of pressure above the set intermediate pressure.

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

Blowing the water out is a good idea. But do not panic. Remember the inside of your regulator is made of the same materials as the outside. And the outside does not immediately fall apart if it exposed to water. The main difference on getting it inside is time. If you get water inside it can sit in there indefinitely and cause corrosion. But that is a slow process so dont worry too much. Do look at the cone filter at the high pressure inlet. If it has turned color from a typical light grey to say green that is an indication of corrosion. If you see that get it changed out.

 

[mike_s]

2004 Aqua Lung Micra

2009 Edge Epic

Edge has a manufacturer rep on here. drop a pm to [user]cerich[/user] and ask him directly. he can give you the scoop directly.

 

[Deep-6]

I would advise against diving with them until they've been checked and cleared. In the mean time don't fret, it's probably a very common mistake.

 

[Sas]

oops...I immersed, soaked and rinsed, and re-immersed and re-rinsed my regulator and my husband's regulator this afternoon and I forgot to put on the dust cap.

I knew better....I just had a brain fart.

What damage have I done?

In reference to Scuba disassembly my training book said

" Dry off the dust cover before placing it over the air inlet and securing it in place" and "be sure to place the dust cap over the first stage inlet to or oriface to prevent any watering from entering


Any chance I could have got out of this without any damage?
Any and all insight and advice appreciated!


Thanks,

I have done this in the past. The best thing to do with (fresh) water is to hook it up to a tank and blast the water out (if any). You can take your regs to a shop if you want - this inspection should take five minutes or so and should not really cost anything.

I did the same thing a while back: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/243044-flooded-first-stage-sigh.html Some more advice there (and the shop mentioned there that told me I needed a full service has turned out to be dodgy beyond all belief in the end, not just with this situation).

185 dives on my regs since, and no problems

Salt water is a different story and if it got salt water in, I'd advise taking it to a reg technician.

 

[scubafanatic]

Blowing the water out is a good idea. But do not panic. Remember the inside of your regulator is made of the same materials as the outside. And the outside does not immediately fall apart if it exposed to water. The main difference on getting it inside is time. If you get water inside it can sit in there indefinitely and cause corrosion. But that is a slow process so dont worry too much. Do look at the cone filter at the high pressure inlet. If it has turned color from a typical light grey to say green that is an indication of corrosion. If you see that get it changed out.

...umm,.....I believe the inside of the reg 1st-stage is usually made of soft brass, much weaker and much more prone to corrosion than the shiny, chromed coating on the outside of the 1st stage.
...by the way, is there a chance you are more or less due for your 'annuals' anyway ? If you trust your local dive shop on service, then we're only talking about the cost of 2 'annuals'...nothing wrong with going ahead and doing them now.
...although it's a personal choice, if it were me, I'd spend too much time worrying about what I might have done to my regs, and not enjoy diving with them anymore, until I'd had them serviced...it would just bug me too much....but that's me.

 

[LollyO]

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/243044-flooded-first-stage-sigh.html Some more advice there ...

THANKS for all the good info on this thread and all the info on Saspotato's great thread!

My husband has been confident since the beginning. He says stuff like "its not brain surgery, or it just plumbing, it just hoses and fittings, and it cant be that complicated... we arent taking about a Masarati Engine"

I have no doubt that he will take them apart, if for no other reason than to satisfy his curosity. Also Its kinda like paying for someone to work on your vehicle, it helps to have a good understanding of the car even if you have it serviced by someone else.


We don't have a tank, so he will just take them apart now (I understand that the damage is usually done to the gauges when it is reconnected) So when get a tank we will follow all the good advise.

I'd also remove the spg before putting it on a tank and turning the air on to keep from forcing water into the spg. Once you have that off make sure you have a good hold of the HP hose and just crack the tank valve. When it stops blowing water, turn the valve off, remove the HP hose and put the plug in. Then you can turn on the air and purge the second stages to your hearts content....

 

[DevonDiver]

Bad luck with the regs....most of us have done that at one point. If you have any doubts, get them checked. If water did get into the SPG and start corrosion, you could end up with a needle that rose when the system was pressurized, but did not fall as you used up the air. An emergency waiting to happen. I had an SPG that did this once... lucky it was identified at home and not on a boat (which would have spoiled my diving day) or underwater (which would have risked my life).

We all make careless mistakes sometimes.... which is why it is important to keep our skills fresh, do our checks properly and generally double-check everything. That stops a careless mistake turning into a dangerous mistake.