Pony Bottle Reg.

[Dive-aholic]

ffde asked about a pony, not a deco bottle. On a stage, I use a small face spg on a 6 inch hose. On my O2 bottles, I have a button gauge. On my pony, I check the pressure with a gauge prior to hooking up the 1st stage. I then pressurize the reg and shut the air off. Even with a pre-dive/dive switch, there is a small free flow risk. If you have an OOA event, it doesn't take much to turn the air on. BTW, I sling my extra tanks.

 

[ffde31]

Great, thanks for the help. Can I take my safe second and attach it to a first stage on a pony bottle? I am assuming that three reg's aren't required.

 

[daniel f aleman]

Can I take my safe second and attach it to a first stage on a pony bottle? I am assuming that three reg's aren't required.

Don't push it. It's a pony or it isn't. Do it like ronrosa mentioned above.

 

[markfm]

Same thought as the prior poster. Pony is my bailout gas, I know what my consumption is, what I can do. I have my normal safe second for a standard OOA, though on a longer than normal hose for my own convenience (deployment options).

If someone comes up and does a "polite" OOA sign, they get my normal safe second. If they come up and rip the primary out of my mouth, my normal safe second is still right there, golden triangle.

Pony, as my bailout gas, is there for if I have the OOA, or if someone comes to me OOA and is sucking down my tank fast -- I can watch my console to see how they're doing on my tank, while I know what my time is with me on the pony.

 

[ffde31]

Makes sense, just didn't want triple redundency if it isn't required, that's all.

 

[Meng_Tze]

Backgas two regs, all other tanks, pony's, bailout's etc have their own regs.

Thing is that if you have a need for that other gas, espeacially in an emergency.....you want to have it quick, right there. If you have one reg on your backgas and another diver has OOG..... your reg in your mouth gets ripped out... you are left scrappling for the backup on another tank. Or if you have your backgas in mouth... the panicked diver has to wait to get the backup on the other tank....... in those situations you dont want to spend time finding your backup.

Bear in mind that a diver may come from behind you and grab a reg.... you dont alsways see them coming and they will not always give you the OOG sign and will probably grab what is in your mouth..... trust me on that.

 

[all4scuba05]

and you wonder why some people prefer solo diving during some of their dives

 

[Meng_Tze]

and you wonder why some people prefer solo diving during some of their dives

I dont wonder..... I understand. But even solo divers could have another diver come up and grab a reg........

 

[Sting J]

Selection depends on the kind of diving you are doing. I usually use pony bottles on very cold or deep dives. In which case I use high performance balanced regs well suited for cold water. I also prefer DIN valves on my pony regs. When in cold deep places I want my back up reg to be equal or better than my primary. I realize this is not always the popular view. I just think that if my primary regulator fails to deliver the air I need....I want a backup that is a better performer i.e. more freeze proof and harder to over breath. Remember in a bail out you might be under stress and breathing heavier.
Bottom line it depends on the type of diving you are using the pony for. A simple time tested unbalanced reg set up is hard to beat for warm water. This is due to its simple reliability and economical costs. Though for more severe environments high performance is not a bad way to go. The added expense will not look like much if it saves your life some day.
As for guages that is up to preferance. I personally use a compact button style pony guage because I just check air at equipment setup. I am not planning any deco dives...so if there is ennough air in the tank to surface from the depths planned and the tank valve is open, the dive is good to go...
As for number of second stages... For recreational diving I agree with the other posts that say you use two on primary first stage and one on pony set up. The whole idea is extra redundancy.
Just my long but humble opinions, lol.

 

[rongoodman]

I'm going to get the same reg I have on my main tank, Aqualung Legend, so they'll be matched if I decide to move them onto a set of doubles down the line. If I need another after that, I'd be more inclined to economize. Right now, I'd be most inclined to set it up as a stage/deco bottle, with 40" hose for the reg and standard SPG on a 6" hose. (If the summer goes well, I'm hoping to dive on some of the shallower wrecks off Plymouth in the fall!)