Zeagle D-50 Problems?

bonehunter · Jun 16, 2009

I hope I am posting this on the right forum. I was diving last week in Florida at about 25 feet. I was using my Zeagle d-50 second stage and had been down about 2 hours. At 750 pounds of air I was getting ready to ascend when my regulator began taking in water, a little at first, then all water! Has anyone had any problems like this with the d-50 before?

Paleface · Jun 16, 2009

I hope its not a wide spread problem. My son and I both have the 50D,we have only used once with no problems yet. Let me know what you find out. Keith

herman · Jun 16, 2009

bonehunter:
I hope I am posting this on the right forum. I was diving last week in Florida at about 25 feet. I was using my Zeagle d-50 second stage and had been down about 2 hours. At 750 pounds of air I was getting ready to ascend when my regulator began taking in water, a little at first, then all water! Has anyone had any problems like this with the d-50 before?

Hard to say with out it in my hands but sounds like either a split diaphram or a bad exhaust valve. It should be pretty easy to find, either put the dust cap on the first stage or hook it to a tank (closed valve) and gently suck on the reg. You should get no air flow, if you do there is a problem. Now you just have to determine what it is....or I suspose the faceplate could be loose, might want to check that first.

Paleface:
I hope its not a wide spread problem. My son and I both have the 50D,we have only used once with no problems yet. Let me know what you find out. Keith

That is an old tried and true design from Apex, his may be defective but in general they are tough and dependable.

Paleface · Jun 16, 2009

Thanks Herman, thats good news!! Keith

crpntr133 · Jun 17, 2009

I would have to agree with Herman. If I was to bet I would say exhaust valve.

Chad Carney · Jun 17, 2009

As Herman said the possible causes are the diaphragm, the exhaust valve, and the third likely place to look is the mouthpiece. They can get split along the edge where they attach to the second stage body, causing quite a leak.

The Zeagle Tech-50D was made by Apex, and was a large second stage with a hard plastic purge cover. Zeagle made the ZX-50D since about 2000, and they are smaller with a soft purge cover.
Both are known to be dry regulators. (Early in the Zeagle/Apex years there was a change made in the exhaust cover to stop water from fluttering the exhaust valve with side to side head motion. The change consisted of a vertical vain behind the exhaust valve to divert water across the large open exhaust area.)

Get it checked out by a knowledgable Zeagle tech.

Chad

bonehunter · Jun 17, 2009

Thanks for the replies. I checked the mouthpiece, no damage, I took it to my local Zeagle repair guy (Scuba Center of Inman, SC). He said it may have had something lodged in it causing it to malfunction. I was at 25 feet fanning the sand bottom, stirring up a lot of silt and searching through gravel looking for fossils when it happened. I had been down for over two hours, so there was plenty of time for something to get stuck in the reg. I'll post his findings when I get it back, thanks!

herman · Jun 18, 2009

You might want to add screens to the exhaust ports.

james croft · Jun 18, 2009

I have had that happen to me a few times before when diving in an area that had a lot of junk in the water. I have gotten small debris lodged under the mushroom exhaust valve causing water to enter the reg. I have had it happen twice with a Conshelf reg and once with an AGA full face mask when diving in an area where there was a marina fire and the water was full of charcoal type burnt wood that got into the exhaust. Often times you can clear it by pressing the purge and blowing it out or purge it whiile swishing it around. Once topside remove the cover and clean it out it.

Zeagle D-50 Problems?

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lost, even with a compass

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