Mysterious regulator malfunction

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Bagoose

Registered
Messages
13
Reaction score
10
Location
Sweden
# of dives
100 - 199
Not sure if this is the proper discussion group to post this in, but here we go.

Had a (initially) pleasant first time diving in a
limestone quarry. During our second dive, however, I had a weird regulator malfunction. Well, weird for my limited experience. It's a Mares Abyss 22x DIN regulator that I bought in July. It has less than 20 dives on it and just prior to the dive I had my LDS fit it with a longhose for the primary second stage.

The problem started almost emidiately as we had descended to approximately 6 meters (~18 feet). I got plenty of air but the air was sort of crackling when inhaling. Almost like there were tiny pebbles in somewhere in the tubing (there obviously wasn't). I signaled to my buddy and we ascended in an orderly fashion. At the surface there were no symptoms or problems with air flow at all so, after a few purges and breaths through the reg, we decided to descend ever so slightly and see if the crackle would persist. It did, but not as much as before so we swam on calmly at a few meters depth while both keeping our eyes ears on my regulator. According to my buddy there were no visible signs of leaks at this point and since the reg was breathing fine (albeit with a light crackle) I didn't really think it would be a problem. I've had plenty of rental regulators making strange noises and wasn't really worried (maybe I should have been). After 10 minutes of shallow diving, as we were circling a curious airplane cockpit at 4 meters (~12 feet) depth I thought I heard a slight wishing sound as I was exhaling. Difficult to say where it came from but if I had to guess it was from the 1st stage. Also, I'm not sure if that sounds had been there before as I was paying way more attention to noises than usual.

This is where it goes weird. I hear a semi-loud pop, like someone is blowing a chewing gum bubble and bursting it right next to me. A few breaths later there's a loud BANG right around my head, very similar to popping a large balloon, somewhere close to my ears and I could swear I felt some sort shock wave on my head. I signal my buddy, who's already pretty attentive from the loud bang, and ascend to surface. The regulator was breathing fine during the ascent and at the surface but we decide to call the dive and do a surface swim back. Took a few more breaths from the regulator, but it seemed fine.

When I unscrewed the first stage from the tank the O-ring was perfectly intact, but wet with a few small, slightly brown drops of water. Looked almost like rust, but seems unlikely. And the water in the quarry was perfectly un-brown :)

What in the world could this have been? Does anyone have a clue or had a similar experience? I take pretty good care of the regulator, never purge it when not pressurized and so on... :)

It's now at my LDS for service, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this...
 
My first thought would be the new hose. I remember reading about miflex hoses having a crystalizing problem. Not the real Miflex hose but some alternatives. Could there be something wrong with the hose? As you go deeper you are getting more air. That increase air flow could highlight the problem. Once you are back to 1 atmosphere the problem isn't noticeable?
 
My first thought would be the new hose. I remember reading about miflex hoses having a crystalizing problem. Not the real Miflex hose but some alternatives. Could there be something wrong with the hose? As you go deeper you are getting more air. That increase air flow could highlight the problem. Once you are back to 1 atmosphere the problem isn't noticeable?

Thanks for your input! And you're absolutely correct in assuming it's a miflex hose, but I wouldn't know if it's "real miflex". But what exactly is crystalizing and how did that lead to the pop and subsequent bang?
 
Might be worth mentioning that it was 2°C/35°F air temperature and 6°C/43°F in the water.
 
The "bang" sounds very much like what I experienced when one of my LP hoses split right behind my head. After the outer rubber split the braid inside the hose held and the hose began fizzing, lots of small bubbles.

Felt just like you described- loud bang and felt like someone slapped the back of my head.

Check the reg or have a shop check it to make sure you don't have any problems.
 
Thanks for your input! And you're absolutely correct in assuming it's a miflex hose, but I wouldn't know if it's "real miflex". But what exactly is crystalizing and how did that lead to the pop and subsequent bang?

I don't know details of what might be happening. I just know the hose is new. I read something about a crystalizing problem with some miflex hoses. I'd take the hose off the first and second stage and shine a light up it to see if there is anything visible. Maybe bring it to the shop which services my regulators and see what they have to say. Maybe he has something on his bench he can check the hose with.
 
TC:
The "bang" sounds very much like what I experienced when one of my LP hoses split right behind my head. After the outer rubber split the braid inside the hose held and the hose began fizzing, lots of small bubbles.

Felt just like you described- loud bang and felt like someone slapped the back of my head.

Check the reg or have a shop check it to make sure you don't have any problems.

Sounds plausible. After the bang I was focused on getting to the surface safely so I didn't really pay attention to any leaks or bubbles. And it kept giving me air during the ascent as well.

The hose was brand new but could be faulty or may have been sitting on the shelf for quite a while.

I took it to the shop earlier today, before posting here. Will call them tomorrow and brief them further... :)
 
I don't know details of what might be happening. I just know the hose is new. I read something about a crystalizing problem with some miflex hoses. I'd take the hose off the first and second stage and shine a light up it to see if there is anything visible. Maybe bring it to the shop which services my regulators and see what they have to say. Maybe he has something on his bench he can check the hose with.

It's at the shop now so I'll call them and have them investigate the hose. Again, thanks for your input! Most valuable!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom