Rinsing Mistake

[ScubaSteve]

You should never rinse a reg without it being under pressure.

:huh: I have never heard this. I wonder....YUP!! I have not once rinsed my gear under pressure...unless I was late to get somewhere (Oh you meant pressure on the gear?)

EDIT *******

Even after the OP's description of what they did, my mind still translated Rinse as Rinse, not Soak. It is important to stress the difference between rinsing and soaking. The OP did not Rinse their regs....they soaked them. I agree that if one is going to Soak their gear, then under pressure is the only way to go.

 

[Web Monkey]

I have a Sherwood Oasis. I routinely toss my gear in my bathtub for a while after a dive to get rid of the salt water, including my regulator (with dust cap on). Is this a bad thing to do even with the dust cover in place?

A dust cap is great for dust, however there's no guarantee that it's waterproof.

If you're going to soak your reg, it's a lot safer to do it with a cylinder attached.

Terry

 

[sanjac]

Thanks all for the information.

 

[Xaryo]

A regulator is allergic to water unless it is hook to a cylinder and under pressure. It should never get near the water unpressurized.

Otherwise, tiny droplets of water may enter it and start their corrodation job, wich is not a good thing.

Keep it under pressure, it will stay clear and it will take less time to do the annual inspection. (less time= cost less $$=> more $$ on something else more interesting.)

 

[DevonDiver]

You can tell Xaryo never worked in the scuba industry lol

 

[Xaryo]

oh you can tell that?From what? The underpressure thing I suppose?

From what I have seen and heard directly from the tech at the LDS, I will never submerge my reg in water if t is not under pressure, Mister tech insructor.

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

Holy smokes guys - how much "salt" (actually dissolved minerals) could possibly be on a regulator that you are rinsing? You may raise the mineral content of your rinse water by a few parts per million, but nothing more. Not sure? Fill a glass of water from your rinse bucket before putting the reg in, then another afterwards. Taste both. Does the second one taste very salty? I think not.

For the regulator in question by the original poster, I would not get too excited. As noted, it was fresh water, hardly a material with significant corrosive properties. It is unlikely much if any water entered the first stage beyond the filter. If your filter looks good (not green or white) after drying, relax, and enjoy your next trip underwater. If the filter is ugly, then perhaps a trip to the dive center for a service might be appropriate.

 

[Web Monkey]

Holy smokes guys - how much "salt" (actually dissolved minerals) could possibly be on a regulator that you are rinsing? You may raise the mineral content of your rinse water by a few parts per million, but nothing more. Not sure? Fill a glass of water from your rinse bucket before putting the reg in, then another afterwards. Taste both. Does the second one taste very salty? I think not.

If you're talking about a dock on the US mainland with a municipal water supply, there probably isn't much salt in the rinse water.

If you're talking about a boat or island where the rinse bucket competes with the shower and drinking glasses for every drop of fresh water, the answer could easily be "quite a bit."

Terry

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

If you're talking about a dock on the US mainland with a municipal water supply, there probably isn't much salt in the rinse water.

If you're talking about a boat or island where the rinse bucket competes with the shower and drinking glasses for every drop of fresh water, the answer could easily be "quite a bit."

Terry

Perhaps I did not clarify my point enough - I was not referring to 'used' rinse water for drinking glass number one, I was referring to fresh water, before anything was rinsed in it, to illustrate the point that no significant amount of minerals will be present on the regulator you are about to rinse.

However, you bring up a second valid point - if you question the quality or saltiness of the waer you are supposedly rinsing gear in, then why rinse at all?

 

[Web Monkey]

Perhaps I did not clarify my point enough - I was not referring to 'used' rinse water for drinking glass number one, I was referring to fresh water, before anything was rinsed in it, to illustrate the point that no significant amount of minerals will be present on the regulator you are about to rinse.

However, you bring up a second valid point - if you question the quality or saltiness of the waer you are supposedly rinsing gear in, then why rinse at all?

I don't generally rinse after local dives, since I'm diving in essentially the same water I'd be rinsing in, and chances are good I'll be in the pool in a couple of days to kill off any microbes.

After the pool, I rinse like crazy (usually twice) since the pool water eats everything.

If I'm on a Caribbean cruise, I wait until I get back to my room to rinse, since there's no reason to waste the island's water, when the ship makes fresh water by the ton in distillers.

Terry