Strategies if an o-ring pops at depth

[vladimir]

I'd like to go to Truk every year, but I have a job. I have been to Bali and Phuket (twice) this year and didn't see a DIN valve. Is it your experience that practically every tank you see outside of the United States has a DIN valve?

 

[RJP]

I'd like to go to Truk every year, but I have a job. I have been to Bali and Phuket (twice) this year and didn't see a DIN valve. Is it your experience that practically every tank you see outside of the United States is a DIN valve?

No. Pay attention Vladimir.

It is my experience that currently Blue Lagoon Resort and the Truk Odyssey offer DIN valves.

Why must you always be so ridiculously contentious?

 

[Lee Taylor]

I am a recreational diver and I don't dive overhead environments. I always have a clear shot to the surface. When I have an emergency, my training is, first and formost, to "go to the surface". Go straight to the surface. Do not hesitate. Do not think about "how" to fix the problem. Do not dawdle. Start you asscent immediately. I always plan to go to the surface with my gear, although my alternate plan is to go to the surface without it. I am always prepared to come out of my gear if necessary.

That said, I had an o-ring burst, a few months ago. I was about 30 feet under the surface and decending. I immediately stopped my decent and started my ascent and slowly made my way to the surface. When my dive buddy turned off my air at the surface, there was not much left in the tank.

The point being that the air, in this case, was leaving the tank quickly.

Food for thought. Happy diving to you and may all your dives be completed safely.

 

[vladimir]

No. Pay attention Vladimir.

It is my experience that currently Blue Lagoon Resort and the Truk Odyssey offer DIN valves.

Why must you always be so ridiculously contentious?

It is you who is being ridiculously contentious, as is your wont. Follow along for a minute: String said, "outside the US, practically every tank you see is a DIN valve." In response to that, I cited a couple of dozen locations outside the US where you can see non-DIN valves, calling his assertion into question. You chose to nitpick with my assertion despite, apparently, not disagreeing with my main point.

So, I agree with you that DIN valves are available in many of the locations I cited, including the Truk Lagoon. You apparently don't disagree with me that there are resorts or liveaboards in many of those locations where you will see only yoke valves. Can we agree to agree and never respond to each other's posts again? Thank you. You may, of course, have the last word.

 

[rstofer]

Go DIN-problem solved.

Not really! We had one let go the other day. I wasn't there so I don't know exactly how it came out but I think it was just a leak. The o-ring was replaced before the dive.

Richard

 

[rstofer]

One dark night I was diving in relatively high current and down around 60' when an o-ring failed. For an instant I didn't know what was happening. But there was plenty of air getting to the first stage and I just did a normal ascent. My dive buddy knew something was wrong and I could have done some air sharing but it wasn't necessary.

I don't know how it would have worked out if the tank was near empty but air sharing was always an alternative.

Richard

 

[rjack321]

and they are far more likely to blow at the beginning of your dive (not surprisingly when the tank has the most pressure on it) so chances are you have lots of air and are just descending.

Assuming it doesn't leak immediately upon pressurization, most orings start to leak when the tank is close to empty. The pressure isn't expanding the ring into the lumen (space) to the same extent and it will start to leak around it.

 

[InTheDrink]

I should point out the recommended way of opening the valves when you are setting up. I do this and require it of my students. When opening the valve, press the purge button on a 2nd stage and then slowly release the purge. This prevents the 3000 psi jolt not only to the reg's 1st stage but also the valve o-ring. Maybe this explains "o-rings blowing out, all over the place"? Please inspect the o-rings before use.

This is a technique that I've only recently heard about (I read it here on SB) and something that I'll start doing - thanks.

J

 

[Tortuga68]

I didn't read the whole thread in detail, but it seems to me there have been some suggestions that using a DIN-Yoke adaptor might alleviate the problem of a burst yoke o-ring; it won't, in fact it'll make the chances of a burst o-ring higher

When I have an emergency, my training is, first and formost, to "go to the surface". Go straight to the surface. Do not hesitate. Do not think about "how" to fix the problem. Do not dawdle. Start you asscent immediately.

Really? I would have thought your training would be to look to your buddy. And why did your buddy turn your air off?

 

[vladimir]

And why did your buddy turn your air off?

When my dive buddy turned off my air at the surface, there was not much left in the tank.

He was on the surface. I would turn the air off just to stop the annoying hissing noise, but it would also render unnecessary a visual inspection of the tank-which might have been called for if it was allowed to completely drain.