Strategies if an o-ring pops at depth

[captain]

Let put a little perspective on this. A good valve with a good O ring and a properly mounted yoke clamp has an infinitesimal chance of blowing. The few I have had blow were my fault by not getting the regulator properly mounted and they all blew when I turned on the air.

I almost never use rental tanks. If you do then inspect the valve face for any dents or other damage, if you see some ask for another tank. Also carry a supply of O rings and when in doubt about the condition of the one in the valve replace it or ask to have it replaced. Then mount the regulator securely.

 

[sabbath999]

I agree with you entirely but I like to plan for all eventualities. Some I'll learn organically but if I can fast forward some of the learning with other's experience on SB I'm very happy with that. I've had a couple of occasions where buddy separation was inevitable and wouldn't you know kit failed at the same time so I never say never.

J

I don't know how you and your buddies set things up for your teams, but here is how we do it.

If we are separated and out of contact in open water for a minute or more, we slowly ascend to the surface (including a safety stop if we have been deep enough to warrant one), meet up on the surface and then we continue with a profile that will be safe from where we are at in the dive.

For us, this pretty much means that we should be no worse off than ascending starting no later than a minute and 30 seconds from the time we lost our buddy, since we are strict about our rule about buddy eye contact every 30 seconds. That is a firm rule unless I am shooting video, and then we have other procedures in place (the buddy stays close enough to grab me at any time because I can't make eye contact).

To me, buddy separation means, at worst, I start going up within a minute and thirty seconds. Also, we make it a point to not violate rock bottom pressure, which means our buddy always has enough air to get both of us safely to the surface. If an o-ring blows, my tank isn't empty and I will have time to ascend on what is left of the tank (or very close to it).

I don't dive deep where I am going to get separated from my buddy, and if I do get separated deep I go up. Firm rule.

I am a lot more conservative than many people, but really I don't care. They can do what they want to do, I plan on walking away from the dive with my buddy when it is over. IMHO you can have lots of fun and still practice safe air management and buddy skills.

Obviously, solo divers have their backup air systems so they just simply switch over and turn off the blown tank and follow their plans for emergencies.

To me, if you have an o-ring blow when you are short of air, are at depth and are out of contact with your buddy then you have been breaking several safety rules... and a CESA is a reward for breaking rules. But that's me.

 

[InTheDrink]

Let put a little perspective on this. A good valve with a good O ring and a properly mounted yoke clamp has an infinitesimal chance of blowing. The few I have had blow were my fault by not getting the regulator properly mounted and they all blew when I turned on the air.

I almost never use rental tanks. If you do then inspect the valve face for any dents or other damage, if you see some ask for another tank. Also carry a supply of O rings and when in doubt about the condition of the one in the valve replace it or ask to have it replaced. Then mount the regulator securely.

I agree with you entirely but I was asking this inside the context of a) just having been on a trip where o-rings were blowing like it was going out of fashion (on the surface) and b) what to do if it did happen at depth however unlikely.

I will admit that I am focussing on a very unlikely event but I still want to understand my opinions should this unlikely event transpire. Knowing that gas can be still delivered to my second stage might change my response to this situation should it ever occur. For example, I'm not going to bother feathering my valve as I would do in a free flow if I know that no amount of massaging is going to deliver me gas. This however doesn't seem to be the case.

In terms of tanks - most of my diving is not where I live (hold your judgement for the time being on that one) so I am always diving with tanks that i have no control over. I've just bought some o-rings in case I feel worried about poor quality rings in the future.

Cheers,
J

 

[InTheDrink]

I don't know how you and your buddies set things up for your teams, but here is how we do it.

If we are separated and out of contact in open water for a minute or more, we slowly ascend to the surface (including a safety stop if we have been deep enough to warrant one), meet up on the surface and then we continue with a profile that will be safe from where we are at in the dive.

For us, this pretty much means that we should be no worse off than ascending starting no later than a minute and 30 seconds from the time we lost our buddy, since we are strict about our rule about buddy eye contact every 30 seconds. That is a firm rule unless I am shooting video, and then we have other procedures in place (the buddy stays close enough to grab me at any time because I can't make eye contact).

To me, buddy separation means, at worst, I start going up within a minute and thirty seconds. Also, we make it a point to not violate rock bottom pressure, which means our buddy always has enough air to get both of us safely to the surface. If an o-ring blows, my tank isn't empty and I will have time to ascend on what is left of the tank (or very close to it).

I don't dive deep where I am going to get separated from my buddy, and if I do get separated deep I go up. Firm rule.

I am a lot more conservative than many people, but really I don't care. They can do what they want to do, I plan on walking away from the dive with my buddy when it is over. IMHO you can have lots of fun and still practice safe air management and buddy skills.

Obviously, solo divers have their backup air systems so they just simply switch over and turn off the blown tank and follow their plans for emergencies.

To me, if you have an o-ring blow when you are short of air, are at depth and are out of contact with your buddy then you have been breaking several safety rules... and a CESA is a reward for breaking rules. But that's me.

I certainly don't want to labour the point but on a few dives in what we call back here ****ing mental current, staying in touch with buddy was impossible. So with the best of intentions, I believe buddy separation is entirely possible.

Yeah it should be the exception rather than the rule but it's at these exceptional times everythind else goes **** up too

Cheers,
J

 

[String]

I'm a big fan of DIN for this very reason but is it viable in most locations? Will they have DIN tanks? Or is it (god I'm clueless) that the yoke fitting can be unscrewed from the tank to leave a DIN fitting? I think I've seen this in the past but could well have been dreaming.

J

DIN is more viable world wide than A-clamp. Outside the US practically every tank you see is a DIN valve with a removable insert to convert it to A-Clamp. We have FAR more issues getting the old A-clamp regs to seal on a tank than anything else.

Only a few places in the world insist on persevering with the A-clamp design and nearly all of those have DIN convertable tank valves anyway.

So no, its not an issue. Get DIN and dont worry about O-rings going pop. I've only been to one place in the world where ive not seen DIN convertable tanks and that was florida. If its an issue just buy a DIN>A-clamp converter for £10. Works perfectly. You can't do the conversion the other way around.

 

[InTheDrink]

You know next time I buy kit I really must ask here BEFORE I go buy. I'll check with my manufacturer how much grief converting to DIN will be.

But thanks for the heads up - if I'm going to be able to DIN fit in most places then DIN is the way I'll go. I'll obviously check before I turn up on a remote Island ;-)

Cheers,
J

 

[ianr33]

Well, even with an o-ring fully blown it will take some time for a tank to empty

Might take the rest of your life

Worst case is that a tank will empty in around 60 seconds which is why a good buddy or redundant regs are a handy thing to have.

 

[RJP]

Outside the US practically every tank you see is a DIN valve with a removable insert to convert it to A-Clamp.

Never been to the Caribbean, huh?

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

....I was asking this inside the context of a) just having been on a trip where o-rings were blowing like it was going out of fashion (on the surface) and b) what to do if it did happen at depth however unlikely.

Cheers,
J

Hi InThe Drink:

I've never seen a tank o-ring blow underwater, but have "2nd hand knowledge". In the couple of rare cases I know about, the diver could still breath from the reg, and was able to ascend (from recreational depth) to the surface before running out of air.

What would I do? Treat it as any other OOA / impending OOA. Signal buddy, share air, surface at a safe rate.

If I'd goofed and let my buddy "get away from me", I'd immediately begin a controlled ascent.

If at any point during the "event" I could not longer get air from the reg, and I was not near my buddy, I'd CESA.

But as captain said, o-rings ARE very reliable if in good shape and the reg is mounted properly. The only ones I've ever personally seen blow were on the surface, immediately after the valve was turned on.

Best wishes.

 

[blue steal]

Guess I'll buy a few extra 0-rings for the save-a-dive kit. Are all O-rings on tanks the same size?
and is it an easy task to change them out?
Great thread..........................