Delta 4 adjustment knob - really dumb questions

I can't believe I'm asking this but what the heck... the instruction manual mentions turning the knob clockwise and counter clockwise. Could you please put it in terms of "away from me" and "towards me" when I am breathing on the reg?

Turning the knob away from me = harder to breath, and toward me = easier?

And how do I adjust it to an average setting as a good starting point?

Laugh if you want...

scubawife:

I can't believe I'm asking this but what the heck... the instruction manual mentions turning the knob clockwise and counter clockwise. Could you please put it in terms of "away from me" and "towards me" when I am breathing on the reg?

Turning the knob away from me = harder to breath, and toward me = easier?

And how do I adjust it to an average setting as a good starting point?

Laugh if you want...

Click to expand...

If this is set up conventionally, ie hose comes in from the right and knob is on the left, that means for a counter clockwise movement the top of the knob will move away from you.

Like many regs with knobs the standard procedure to minimize breathing resistance is to open (top of knob away from you) the setting until you get a slight free-flow and then turn it back towards you until this free-flow stops.

away from you easier to breath, if you go until it stops there will be a slight freeflow(air always coming but gentle)

Turn towards you it gets harder

The best setting is the one you like the most, the reg will self adjust wth depth to keep the setting you selected.

Most people just make it harder to breath when it is out of their mouth to reduce the chance of it having a strong freeflow or when diving againts a current which can also make a reg freeflow.

I set mine just so it stops the slight freeflow.

Thanks Mike and cerich! So turning the knob away from me will make make it easier to breath (less effort less resistance) and toward me makes it harder (more effort more resistance) That's what I thought, but I wanted to make sure I had it correct.

(...and if I was wondering then I'd bet there's someone else who's just felt too dumb to ask the question)

That would be me! But after some dives I finaly figured it out,but you had the same question I had at first in regards as to the clockwise direction when the reg is in your mouth.It is a very nice reg,is it not?

Male handbook chapter 7 paragraph 3 states "Men must not ask questions regarding direction. This is including, but not limited to driving and which way the clock is set for daylight savings time. Men are allowed to use the term righty tighty. Lefty loosey." All other directional indicators are left to the females because they are going to tell us where to go anyway.

Careful with that adjustment knob . . .my eight-year-old Delta II knob assembly blew-off at depth resulting in a catastrophic free-flow. CESA for real from 20', feathering the single tank valve at 10' for a reasonably slow final ascent, with enough remaining gas to inflate my wing on surface. (Two months now, and I'm still waiting for replacement parts).

heliflyer, yes, so far I like the reg! Well worth upgrading from the very basic Alpha 7 I had for 4 yrs.

vis, THAT cracked me up. Yeah, we tell you where to go when you need to be told. But I think the handbook ends at the portion you quoted because too often when we do tell you guys where to go you still don't end up there.

kev, scary story. Did you adjust the knob to where you liked it and leave it, or did you adjust it alot? Have you gotten any word on exactly why it blew? The Delta 4, from I've heard, had been improved from previous models.

I'm not exactly sure how the whole assembly blew-out; I was just adjusting it at depth and all of a sudden it started free-flowing out-of-control. I only then noticed the missing pieces and the resulting "hole" in my 2nd stage when I got back onshore.

Kevrumbo:

Careful with that adjustment knob . . .my eight-year-old Delta II knob assembly blew-off at depth resulting in a catastrophic free-flow. CESA for real from 20', feathering the single tank valve at 10' for a reasonably slow final ascent, with enough remaining gas to inflate my wing on surface. (Two months now, and I'm still waiting for replacement parts).

Click to expand...

Wow! Good to know that you kept your wits about you when it happened. My compliments to you and to those who trained you. I know a couple of companies had different problems when the adjustment knob was introduced. It is rare to hear problems with them nowadays but everyone does take note when it does happen. It is also unusual to have to wait for parts for so long. Are you going through your local dive store or oceanic direct?

Working at a dive store myself, I know how backlogged servicing equipment can get. Especially when the dive store sells multiple brands. It is always good to gently remind the dive store by asking the status of your epuipment service/repair after a resonable amount of time has elapsed. The same would hold true if you sent it back to the manufacturer for servicing.

I would also hope that if you are working through a local dive store, that they would let oceanic know about the regulator situation in case this a flaw in parts or design. I know that Oceanic is very proud of it's equipment in design, form and function. Their ACTIVE presence on Scuba Board is testimony to that. Sorry got on a soap box there for a minute.

I personally would like to here if there is a hypothesis as to what might have happened should any of our customers have any similar problems.

thanks