Storing Gear for the Winter

[DA Aquamaster]

evad once bubbled...
What about storing regulators with the purge depressed?

There are two schools of thought. On the one hand depressing the purge lifts the seat in the second stage off the orifice and prevents the seat from taking a set. On the other hand it leaves the entire system open to possible moisture, dust and creepy crawly things. (since the first stage seat is open as soon as the reg is removed from the tank as there is no IP pressure to close it)

So I think it depends a lot on the environment where you are storing your regs. If you live in a dry climate and are storing things in a clean dry closet depressing the purge is a good idea. If you live in a wet salt air environment and leave your stuff in the garage, I'd leave the purge closed. If the reg is adjustable, screw the adjustment all the way out to take most of the pressure off the seat.

The timing of an annual service is also something to consider. With many high performance regs it does not do you much good to have an annual service done in October and then let the seat take a set from getting pressed into the orifice all winter. If it's an adjustable reg and it was left on the minimum setting, the reg will probably still be divable but will have to be adjusted tighter and will breathe harder than it should. If the adjustment was set on max, you will either have a very hard breathing reg or be headed back to the dive shop.

A non adjustable will most likely free flow slightly after this lenght of storage and this may be able to be "fixed" at the dive shop by adjusting the orifice, but you will still end up with a reg that breathes harder than it would with a fresh seat.

In the case of an early annual service I would leave the purge depressed or alternatively (with an adjustable reg) you could remove the stop and back the adjustment screw out to the point that the seat no longer touches the orifice. Then be sure to store it in a clean, dry, dust and bug free location.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

DivingGal once bubbled...


Why not? I've not heard this before.

The theory is that the oxidation or rust that may occur in the tank over the winter will use some of the O2 and reduce the O2 percentage in the tank.

Other variants of the general theory are that the higher O2 creates the potential for more corrosion or oxidation. But if you have ever figured the PO2 of just plain air in a 3000 psi scuba tank, you won't be concerned about the PO2 in partially filled nitrox tank stored over the winter.

In an AL tank, the oxidation is a self limiting process, the surface essentially seals itself from further oxidation and unless standing water is present, it will not be a concern. In a steel tank, the rusting process is not self limiting but rust still will not occur without moisture in the tank.

So if the the tank and the air, nitrox, or O2 in it is clean and dry, you won't encounter any problems with corrosion or oxidation over the course of a winter and there should not be any measurable decrease in the O2 percentage in the tank. Now this is not to say that storing it for a couple years or more would be ok.

Tanks should either be stored full, so that in the event of a fire the burst disc will fail and vent the tank before the tank fails due to heat or stored with a couple hundred PSI so that the tank will not fail from excessive pressure during a fire.

Tanks should be stored upright so that in the event you do have standing water in the tank, it will corrode the bottom of the tank rather than the thinner side wall. Fall is a great time to do the VIP (and Hydro if needed) - it ensures the tank is in good shape and does not contain any moisture. And as indicated above you can then have it filled with a hundred PSI of air to keep out moisture during storage.

 

[divad]

DA Aquamaster once bubbled...


There are two schools of thought. On the one hand depressing the purge lifts the seat in the second stage off the orifice and prevents the seat from taking a set. On the other hand it leaves the entire system open to possible moisture, dust and creepy crawly things. (since the first stage seat is open as soon as the reg is removed from the tank as there is no IP pressure to close it)

So I think it depends a lot on the environment where you are storing your regs. If you live in a dry climate and are storing things in a clean dry closet depressing the purge is a good idea. If you live in a wet salt air environment and leave your stuff in the garage, I'd leave the purge closed. If the reg is adjustable, screw the adjustment all the way out to take most of the pressure off the seat.

The timing of an annual service is also something to consider. With many high performance regs it does not do you much good to have an annual service done in October and then let the seat take a set from getting pressed into the orifice all winter. If it's an adjustable reg and it was left on the minimum setting, the reg will probably still be divable but will have to be adjusted tighter and will breathe harder than it should. If the adjustment was set on max, you will either have a very hard breathing reg or be headed back to the dive shop.

A non adjustable will most likely free flow slightly after this lenght of storage and this may be able to be "fixed" at the dive shop by adjusting the orifice, but you will still end up with a reg that breathes harder than it would with a fresh seat.

In the case of an early annual service I would leave the purge depressed or alternatively (with an adjustable reg) you could remove the stop and back the adjustment screw out to the point that the seat no longer touches the orifice. Then be sure to store it in a clean, dry, dust and bug free location.

Thanks.

 

[DivingGal]

DA Aquamaster once bubbled...
The theory is that the oxidation or rust that may occur in the tank over the winter will use some of the O2 and reduce the O2 percentage in the tank.

That makes sense, thanks for the explanation.

 

[ScottyK]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...

That's why you need to start diving dry

The best diving is in the winter anyway... I would be more inclined to store my gear for the summer... for a day or two max.

You west coast guys have all the luck when it comes to winter diving

In the Northeast, trust me, you will not be diving in the wintertime

Even in the bays, you'd need an iceaxe to get in the water, which gets right down around 32 degrees. All the plant life dies back, and the fish and inverts either dig into the mud, or head out to the deep water of the continental slope to wait out the winter.

Fill a large tub with mud and icewater. Submerge yourslf for about an hour. If while down there you're thinking "hey, this is great", winter diving in the northeast might be for you

As for me, I'm holding out for an invite from U.P. or NW grateful diver.

Scott

 

[Uncle Pug]

ScottyK once bubbled...
As for me, I'm holding out for an invite from U.P. or NW grateful diver.

invited!

 

[ScottyK]

I'm going to take you up on that one of these days!

I will have hopefully closed on a house by February or so, then we're moving to the Gainesville area.

Once we get settled in, consider the offer reciprocated if you want to come down and "thaw out" for a couple of days

 

[grouchyturtle]

That's why you need to start diving dry

I should have seen that coming!

I'm still a rookie. One thing at a time. Maybe Nitrox next.

Besides my credit cards are still recovering from my first big gear purchases the begining of this season, not to mention a few expensive non-diving toys! Hm dry suit or housing for that new camera?

 

[metaldector]

Being from Florida, I think winter is that two week period in January when it gets down to 45 degrees, birrrrrrr. I just hang the wet suit in the garage, take the reg in for overhaul, then start diving again at the end of January. Don't think much about it.

 

[nwdiver2]

Keep your exposure suit away from large motors, washer, dryer and furnace as these can produce small amounts of ozone which eats neoprene. I stored a back up dry suit in a small hanging space beside my washer and dryer (which ran with the door closed to the alcove all the time) and it was fried the next year when I pulled it out to check it. It wasn’t cooked from heat as it never got hot in there, it was ozone.