SPG exploding when tank turned on?

[DandyDon]

Oh it just a thought on my part, harshly worded - sorry. Glad to see it's been moved...

Myself being a coward and about 2 meters away just swore and threw myself down onto the beach on hearing the bang.

:lol:​

 

[divemaster_jim]

Not ever having seen one blow, I have seen 3 gauges over about ten years that had blown out, the funny thing with all 3 was that none of the black plugs went, The glass shattered, case deformed, But the plugs were intact for reasons unknown to me.

 

[spectrum]

My tank checker let go.

The relief plug in the back of the steel case blew out and that blew the boot right off the gauge. No glass flew.

So yes I do make a point of looking the other way, and asking others to do likewise.

Pete

 

[theatis]

I saw one SPG blow, well actually I heard it blow, and that was at depth. The SPG blew off the guys HP hose. Did the gauge break? Who knows, we never looked for the gauge. He made a normal ascent with his buddy and had enough air to make the normal ascent.

Had the exact same experience (not to me someone in the group i was diving with). Interestingly, his rig had just been serviced a few days prior and this was his first dive post servicing.

 

[cool_hardware52]

The rubber plug inthe backof the gauge is probably sufficient is the bourbon tube develops a leak, corrision etc. The volume of gas to be vented is modest.

OTOH if the gauge happens to "diesel" due to a smal amount of "fuel" in the bourbon tube the almost instant rise in pressure, and the volume of gas products generated by combustion will most certainly exceed the capacity of the rubber plug.

Sideways seems like cheap insurance.

I don't worry too much U/W with a deco bottle, the water is going to damp the explosion and slow the scrapnel down pretty fast, it would be startling.


Tobin

 

[wreckchick]

I've seen the face blow off an SPG when the tank was pressurized. It makes that little face-down move seem like a pretty good idea!

Rachel

 

[Sharky1948]

One way to minimize the shock of the initial HP flow to guages, hoses, etc., in addition to turning on the valve slowly, is to depress a purge bottom prior to opening the valve and then release it when the flow has started.

 

[DandyDon]

Glad you opened this thread. I had heard that this was no longer a risk, but I guess it is something to consider. Won't hurt to go back to aiming the glass and back both way from myself and others...

 

[meekal]

Glad you opened this thread. I had heard that this was no longer a risk, but I guess it is something to consider. Won't hurt to go back to aiming the glass and back both way from myself and others...

yea.... i'm surprised as well to see so many 'real world' experiences with the dang thing turning into a weapon! thanks all who have responded and i will certainly 'continue' to "tow-the-line" and point it away from me and everybody else!

 

[Diving Doc]

did it actually explode with glass and metal schrapnal and the whole kit-N-kaboodle or just make a terrible noise like tank burst disc bursting?

No, just blew the glass out at the weak point, but boy did I go for the duck and cover move. Scared the living doodads out of me.