Removing Pro Valve DIN insert?

[Akimbo]

…Why it is so much $$ (exponentially) , IDK. Then again, remember what toilet seats cost on military contracts? Our tax dollars at work (keep in mind, some government agency is buying them)....

The cost probably has more to do with the tiny market than high profits. They have to amortize tooling engineering, and inventory costs over a small number of units.

Just using a bailout/pony bottle and spare regulator would be less expensive and more reliable method for managing gas supplies in zero vis. That is the whole reason the British Navy developed progressive equalization on doubles in the 1950s or 60s.

 

[NAM001]

I would tand to agree. If the oring was wet (salt water ofr some other contaminate on it) would that do it. I have removed orings and some are stuck like glue.

O-rings don't really do that. I've serviced some pretty horrible valves but the o-ring will tend to compress and become permanently deformed rather than stick. If they were made from natural rubber they might but they're not, so they won't.

 

[bada3003]

No!!! Stay from the Genesis Pro DIN/Yoke valves. I got one a couple of months ago new (was cheap, and my tanks keep multiplying) but DIN inset wouldn't screw out. Never happened before. Thermo pro's (and similar makes from different brands) screw out easily. Sent it back, LP sent another one. Pretty sure it's not the same, but same problem. Soaking, applying (un)reasonable force, well, nothing worked. Gave up and LP refunded. It's not an expensive item so more of a hassle/waste of time than anything else. But wondered if Genesis' convertible valves were cheap for a reason.

Genesis Pro DIN/Yoke Valve at LeisurePro

$40 - easy choice...

WTF??????

XS Scuba PVD Reserve Valve at LeisurePro

 

[geoff w]

Showed my tank valve to my buddy a few days ago who services regulators and tanks for most all the dive shops in the area; he took it home to try to get it apart and the next morning pronounced it as a permanent yoke valve. He said live with it or replace it, but suggested eventually replacing it because there's an O-ring for the DIN insert that will eventually fail. So I'll get a new valve when I get a chance and swap it out. He also suggested greasing the threads for the insert with silicone and periodically taking the DIN insert out and cleaning out any salt so the new valve doesn't get stuck as well

I did a little research on teflon tape, which is properly called PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) thread tape. The white stuff sold in hardware stores is for plumbing for threads up the 3/8". There's also a yellow tape that's thicker for threads up to 2", and it's intended for gas. Finally, there's a green tape that is oil-free PTFE used on oxygen lines, so it would probably be suitable for O2 clean tanks.

My plan is to unscrew the DIN inserts on my other tanks and clean the threads out now, and continue to do so on a regular basis. This will also let me check the DIN O-ring to make sure it's OK. I picket up some yellow PTFE tape and plan to try that to see if that helps keep the DIN insert from getting stuck on the other valves (not planning to make my tanks O2 clean any time in the foreseeable future)

 

[Akimbo]

The outside threads of the DIN adapter are not exposed to elevated Oxygen or pressure. That’s how the seawater gets in there. Standard white PTFE tape is fine. In fact, it is also accepted by the USN and NASA in high pressure O2 systems unless something recently changed.

 

[undrwater]

For yoke reg divers, perhaps a regimen of removing the plug when removing the regulator is in order. Hook it to a BC D-ring and rinse with the rest of the gear.

 

[geoff w]

The threads are a tighter fit than they look. The yellow (gas rated) PTFE tape doesn't work, even with just less than 2 wraps around the little DIN insert. Will keep trying other things, but in the meantime getting a replacement valve for the tank in question

 

[Akimbo]

The threads are a tighter fit than they look. The yellow (gas rated) PTFE tape doesn't work, even with just less than 2 wraps around the little DIN insert. Will keep trying other things, but in the meantime getting a replacement valve for the tank in question

I was able to get two wraps of the white tape to fit. Make sure you stretch as you apply and stretch to break on the last layer.