Technical diving regs

[ajduplessis]

@Centrals. There are 3 terms, Compatible, Clean and Service.

Compatible: Can be used but needs cleaning
Clean: Clean of all Hydrocarbons, does not mean its compatible (example non-viton o-rings)
Service: Clean and Compatible.

---------- Post Merged at 01:03 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 12:58 PM ----------

As already highlighted the Apeks kit is great. I use the DS4/ATX50 on all deco stages and the ATX50 as backup BV. My back gas is driven by Tec3 with a SPS600 as primary.

I am also a very big fan of the SP MK25 or DS4 with 5 ports as backgas drivers. They are most probably the most versatile and configurable first stages around.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

How do you "O2 cleaned" your reg?
Don't you require dust free room(Jade's room) at all?
I believe there is a difference between O2 clean and O2 compatible.

One of the shops I worked with had a clean room, so I suppose more of the small amount of dust that might be airborne was filtered out, but it's primary function, IMHO, was to impress customers. I don't think at a practical level regs cleaned there were any cleaner than a reg someone may have cleaned using the same process in their kitchen.

The reality is we are cleaning scuba regs, not launching space probes. And unlike a space probe that lives in a vacuum, an O2 cleaned reg, valve and tank are exposed to both external and internal contaminants from the very first fill. O2 compatible gasses have lower levels of hydrocarbons, but they are not hydro carbon free, so even a perfect O2 cleaning won't survive the first fill.

 

[Centrals]

These are what I understand:
1. O2 compatible: Compatible with high conc. of O2.
2. O2 clean: Free of contaminate and particulate matter. Must be carry our under certain controlled environment.
How to use the equipment after the treatment is irrevalent.

I service my own Apeks regs for rec or tec dives. Do not have any access to a J room so I make sure everything is as clean as possilbe. I do use Apeks service kit + Cristo-Lub MCG111.

 

[billgraham]

Everyone seems to like the Apeks and HOG regs, and I'm told the Apeks ones are easy to service and parts are widely availabe. I've used Poseidon Odins for a long time because they are great for cold water/deep diving, and are great stage/deco regs because of the +/- switch and the fact that they are unidirectional. They solve a ton of hose routing problems for sidemount you can eliminate swivels/right angle fittings/hoses behind the head. The downside is that parts are sometimes hard to find, and they are expensive to service. All of them are 0-2 clean and interchangeable.

 

[GrimSleeper]

These are what I understand:
1. O2 compatible: Compatible with high conc. of O2.
2. O2 clean: Free of contaminate and particulate matter. Must be carry our under certain controlled environment.
How to use the equipment after the treatment is irrevalent.

I service my own Apeks regs for rec or tec dives. Do not have any access to a J room so I make sure everything is as clean as possilbe. I do use Apeks service kit + Cristo-Lub MCG111.

DA Aquamaster pretty much said it. In the real world, there's 'O2 clean' and (heresy!) 'O2 clean enough'.

I don't have a sterile environment in which to O2 clean regs, valves or tanks. It's essentially kitchen sink and Simple Green, distilled water for rinsing when I can get it, rainwater when I can't (I do have the advantage of living about as far from industry as it's possible to get - our rainwater essentially IS distilled water). In my opinion (checks forum, yes, can say this) the single most important element of prepping equipment for partial pressure blending and/or O2 use is lubricant - once I've got rid of silicone grease and any hydrocarbon deposits, I'm not wildly concerned about viton vs. nitrile (although viton does last longer in the presence of high concentrations of O2), or the 'risk' of dust. If the inside of a tank or reg gets hot enough that a speck of dust or the material the o-rings is made of matters, you've got bigger problems than whether you used a sterile room for cleaning.

Obviously, I'll retract the above if I ever get an explosive deflagration while filling...

 

[Fish-R-Man]

I have Apeks DST/XTX50 regs for primary and DR RG3000 regs for my deco/stage regs. I really like both types.

As far as O2 compatability, I have often wondered what all of the hype is about. As long as they are assembled as free of hydrocarbons as possible, IMHO they should be fine. I have done a lot of work in shipyards over the years and welders use high pressure and liquid O2 all the time. These guys aren't the cleanest bunch around. Torch pressure is usually regulated below 60 psi, so that may make a difference. The high pressure connection point on the regs they use are not cleaned before assembly. and yet I have never seen an issue with this use of O2.

 

[Simon-]

I second the RG3000 for stage/deco bottles.

I have the DR Hurricane regs for back gas

 

[aquaregia]

I have done a lot of work in shipyards over the years and welders use high pressure and liquid O2 all the time. These guys aren't the cleanest bunch around. Torch pressure is usually regulated below 60 psi, so that may make a difference. The high pressure connection point on the regs they use are not cleaned before assembly. and yet I have never seen an issue with this use of O2.

Unlike SCUBA divers, the welders probably aren't trying to avoid a fire.

 

[Fish-R-Man]

Unlike SCUBA divers, the welders probably aren't trying to avoid a fire.

They are if your inside a boat!