Need a cleaning/lube tip

[netwayne]

I am looking for a tip to clean the threads on my 1st stage thumb screw (used to attach the 1st stage to a tank). Should I just worry about cleaning it or is there some type of marine grease to keep it turning smoothly?

Thanks!

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Just rinse/soak in fresh water. I have never lubed mine. I especially wouldn't use anything petroleum based.

 

[texdiveguy]

I am looking for a tip to clean the threads on my 1st stage thumb screw (used to attach the 1st stage to a tank). Should I just worry about cleaning it or is there some type of marine grease to keep it turning smoothly?

Thanks!

Just use clean water to rinse it with the balance of the first stage after each dive session...no need to ever lube that part.

 

[netwayne]

Thanks for the posts. I think you key'd on something I haven't been conscious enough about is the fresh water rinsing right after the dives. My last 2 boats trips ended up being puke trips for me so rinsing my gear on the boat was not at the forefront of my thoughts. I always rinse thoroughly after I get home but I think I need to do some on the boat as well. Anyway, I had a little buildup on the threads of the first stage so somebody suggested vinegar to clean that up and it seems to be working well.

 

[spectrum]

When I dive I carry 1/2 liter bottles of tap water (used spring water bottles) I pour one over each regulator connection BEFORE breaking the connection. This makes at least some attempt at clearing salt away from the openings before exposing them.

Vinegar will cut the crud. Be sure to rinse well with water after so the acid does not remain there. As mentioned add no lubricants, it will just attract sand & grit and do some real damage.

Never count on the boat water as a final rinse, but as a first line of defense it's usually better than nothing. Those community tubs can get so concentrated that they are worse than the ocean. The rinse at home is the real deal.

On a related note..... I dive with my car keys and leave a bottle of water out to rinse them before unlocking as well.

Pete

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I observed 2 problems in my old cleaning routine that I corrected. First, the tap water at home is freezing cold and cold water disolves salt slowly. Second, at the end of a couple of dives, I tend to rush through the rinsing with said cold water and probabaly was not doing the best possible job.

I now fill my cleaning tub (55 gal drum) the day before I dive. I leave it covered in the sun. The water is then reasonably warm. When I come home from diving, I drop my rig in the drum of warm water for 5-10 minutes (air on) while I break out the first can of suds (non-soapy kind). Then I purge the regs and swish everything around in the warm water and remove the rig and finish cleaning in the customary manner (inside the BC, etc..).

 

[netwayne]

Great tips, guys! I like the freshwater rinse prior to breaking the tank/reg connection and I agree about the community rinse tubs.....I stay away from them because I doubt the operators change the water frequently enough. Since I am new, I am still renting tanks but I like the 55 gal drum idea for soaking. Eventually, I'll buy a couple of tanks. Don't need to worry about warming the water out in the sun down here in Florida.......it's always freakin hot down here! How do you guys like the cold water diving compared to warm water diving and also fresh compared to salt?

 

[dannobee]

As far as warm water diving vs. cold water diving, look at some of the pics in my galleries. I did about 15 dives in the Florida Key's in July and, although nice, was glad to get back to Carmel for some diving. The cold water brings in a lot of nutrients and in most of the spots that I dive, there's so much life that there's rarely a bare piece of rock anywhere.

As far as Marine vs. fresh water, I can only compare lakes and quarries to ocean diving, and there's no comparison. Ocean diving hands down. Unless there's something like Great Lakes Wrecks or Caves, I'd take the trek to the ocean every day.

My version of the 55 gallon drum is a big plastic drum (55 gal floor soap container) with the top 1/3 cut away and two rope handles put in to facilitate dragging it around. I stick the gear in after diving, then fill it up and let it soak for a day or two. The drysuit gets hung upside down on a hanger, then rinsed.

 

[spectrum]

How do you guys like the cold water diving compared to warm water diving and also fresh compared to salt?

Cold water diving is the world I live in. It's the diving I can make on a whim and it's what lets me be a frequent diver. I happen to find it interesting and our visibility is usually nice enough to have a stress free dive as a 2 or 3 diver team. It's where I get to see the changes of the seasons as life cycles go forward. As we get into winter weather it takes on a more tactical feel as you figure out how to get out of wet great without suffering frostbite.:11:

In many ways I find our cold water plant life more interesting and colorful but I have been accuse of being a nut case on this observation

Warm water is a treat, what's not to like about warmth, less rubber and weight?

Salt/Fresh?

Well we say that Salt water is about what you will see and freshwater is about what you will find. To me being neutral is what it's all about and the site is secondary.

The ocean has by far the biggest abundance of critters and plant life. We need to be mindful of tides and more mindful of the marine forecast, Visibility is more variable too.

Here in New England fresh water is rich with artifacts from yesteryear and many sites are a bottle hunters paradise. Thermoclines are more pronounced in some seasons but the shallower depths offer us a taste of tropical dives with temps in the 80's for a few summertime weeks at the right sites. Freshwater is a good fall back when the ocean is stirred up, like right now. Freshwater dives are easy to clean up after. A rinse for good housekeeping never hurts but generally it desalinates our gear.

Florida springs were a big disappointment to me. The visibility and temperature were nice but I found them to be mainly dead holes in the ground. Little in the way of life and not big.

Quarry's are like a divers theme park with stuff to do and lots' of space. Visibility, temperature, attractions and critters vary widely.

Take your pick, variety is good, it's all fun!

With regard to gear cleaning in general, here's my story.

Pete

 

[Luis H]

Florida springs were a big disappointment to me. The visibility and temperature were nice but I found them to be mainly dead holes in the ground. Little in the way of life and not big.

Pete

I don't know about that. Weeki Wachee has some nice aquatic life. Yes, I am referring to the nice looking mermaids (but there were turtles and fish as well).