Regulator Soaking Question?????

[redacted]

. 15 minutes to a half hour is a good amount of time unless you have let saltwater dry in/on your regulator -

I'm not sure 15 to 20 minutes is enough to prevent possible salt deposits on unprotected threads. On my scubapro BP 1sts, I'm conserned with the threads on the seat retainer, the yoke nut, and the ambient chamber which sustain SW incursion as they are not protected by an o-ring seal. Same with the HP hose to SPG connection and the LP hose to 2nd stage connection. Same with some of the other various threaded connections on 2nd stages. SW will penetrate these threads during a dive, aided by the pressure of depth. You can't produce any flow around these threads without disassembly so you have to let nature reduce the salt as it works to correct an imbalance. I opt for hours of soaking and often overnight. As long as the system is pressurized or well sealed, I don't see where any harm can come of it.

The benefit is my regs usually go quite a number of years between "annual" services and show little to no corrosive/salt buildup when they are serviced.

On extended trips, like live-a-boards, I use a small squirt bottle to give my unprotected ambient chamber a quick rinse at the end of each dive. Deposits and corrosion on threads are a problem that can usually be dealt with. But on dynamic o-ring seating surfaces, they can result in high repair costs or the early retirement of a regulator.

 

[CompuDude]

I'm definitely feeling better about my usual routine of soaking my regs overnight in the sink now!

 

[GeorgeC]

Just wondering, i have an aqualung legend, with the acd closing thingamagig, how well does that actually keep the water out? would it be safe to soak it in water? or should i still use a dustcap?

For Aqualung ~ If you tighten the regulator down on the dust cap you open up the ACD. Only make it finger tight so you have the seal of the "dust cap" and at the same time the ACD is also closed. The ACD is designed to keep water out.

 

[MissyP]

This thread is only a year old but... thats ok For my singles regs, I hook them to my 19cuft bottle and put them in the kitchen sink overnight, in warm water... Doubles regs get hooked to my little set of 50's, and then soak in the tub overnight..

Getting the salt and sand out is pretty vital to gear maintenance... salt corrodes, sand can cause freeflows, and sand can also cause premature wear & tear on any gear that it comes in contact with if its not flushed out (think 'sandpaper' ).. Quick rinses just don't cut it~ the salt won't get dissolved and any salt/sand in those tiny little crevices will not get flushed out..

I need to get that neat little gizmo from DSS (inflator flusher) that someone linked to in a previous post.. Can't believe I haven't seen it on Tobin's site before....

 

[Richesb]

We dive a few days a week year round and submerge our 1st & 2nd stages (Apeks, Mares,Oceanic, Scubapro) completely in fresh water daily.
Have never had a problem or corrosion of any type. BUT we always do it with the din caps screwed on. If no water enters the 1st stage when you re - pressurize the reg, any water remaining gets blown out.