Strategies if an o-ring pops at depth

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InTheDrink

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Location
UK, South Coast
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Hi,
This may have been asked (many times) before, if so, please point me in the direction of any link appropriate.

On a recent liveabord trip we had lots of blown tank o-rings on the boat or zodiac. PITA but no dig deal.

However, had one blown at depth this would probably change the PITA to something different.

I've never had an o-ring blow whilst underwater. Can anyone with more knowledge advise whether the symptoms are catastrophic (in terms of gas loss) as I can't imagine air would be delivered to the second stage. In which case I'm guessing getting to a buddy sharpish or CESA would be the only options?

Or are there other aletrnatives?

Apologies if the question seems basic but I guess this would be the right forum.

J
 
Go DIN-problem solved.:D
 
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
 
It doesn't have to be a huge issue, but it certainly can be. The noise alone can cause a great deal of stress.
I've never had an O-ring go at depth, but I know I could feather my valve for as long as I needed to surface. Ideally, I'd shut down the valve and share air with my buddy while they looked the situation over for me. It's likely they could fix it and if so, the dive is on.


Hi,
This may have been asked (many times) before, if so, please point me in the direction of any link appropriate.

On a recent liveabord trip we had lots of blown tank o-rings on the boat or zodiac. PITA but no dig deal.

However, had one blown at depth this would probably change the PITA to something different.

I've never had an o-ring blow whilst underwater. Can anyone with more knowledge advise whether the symptoms are catastrophic (in terms of gas loss) as I can't imagine air would be delivered to the second stage. In which case I'm guessing getting to a buddy sharpish or CESA would be the only options?

Or are there other aletrnatives?

Apologies if the question seems basic but I guess this would be the right forum.

J
 
Go DIN-problem solved.:D

No kidding, unfortunatly unless you travel with cylinders or are VERY picky when looking for a dive op your going to suffer the yoke headache.

I turn my tanks on as soon as my gear is assembled to give my o ring plenty of time to take care of business.

More than likely an o ring will fail when the tank is at its highest pressure and the valve is most likely getting fumbled around.

As far as it blowing underwater, well, just keep that in your mind when your diving with your buddy, and keep him/her close by!
 
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

Some resort locations will have a small supply of DIN tanks, but you'll likely need to call ahead. There are "convertible" or "pro" valves that have a yoke insert that can be removed with an allen wrench to become a DIN valve, but you're not likely to find these on typical aluminum tanks at resort locations. You can also convert many DIN regulators to yoke with a few simple tools, or get a DIN-to-yoke adapter for no-hassle conversion on the spot. In short, you have have many options, but when I travel, I always assume that DIN is not available, and will carry an adapter with me (or convert my reg before leaving).
 
It doesn't have to be a huge issue, but it certainly can be. The noise alone can cause a great deal of stress.
I've never had an O-ring go at depth, but I know I could feather my valve for as long as I needed to surface. Ideally, I'd shut down the valve and share air with my buddy while they looked the situation over for me. It's likely they could fix it and if so, the dive is on.

I'd be concerned with taking the reg off the cylinder or closing the valve so as to not allow water to flood into the valve. This of course is assuming I was already air sharing and we had plenty of gas. :wink:
 
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

All depends on the valve,most(if not all Sherwood valves can't
Thermo valves just have a insert in the Din valve.

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ThermoStandard.jpg
 
It doesn't have to be a huge issue, but it certainly can be. The noise alone can cause a great deal of stress.
I've never had an O-ring go at depth, but I know I could feather my valve for as long as I needed to surface. Ideally, I'd shut down the valve and share air with my buddy while they looked the situation over for me. It's likely they could fix it and if so, the dive is on.

Hi Dave,
Thanks for your thoughtful response.

You mention that you could feather your valve until you got to the surface. That would imply that you could still get some air supply to your second despite the o-ring failure. How is this possible, for my information? Even without the seal is the seal between the tank and first stage strong enough to deliver some gas?

TIA,
J
 
Raja Ampat 2007, my DM/Guide has his tank valve O-ring extrude resulting in a major leak on initial descent to 12m depth (he had a yolk/A-clamp tank valve and I had just switched over to a DIN valve for this dive). I donated my long hose, shut-down his tank valve, showed my SPG reading 190 bar (like you should always do during a S-drill), and we elected to continue the dive gas-sharing at 9m for 30min touring an absolutely gorgeous reef.

Cozumel 2006, my adjustment knob on the second stage blew-out resulting in a catastrophic nonfixable free-flow, on a single-tank dive in 6m of depth, during a weightbelt lead check. Switched to my bungied back-up reg around my neck and then modulated/feathered the tank valve behind my head while doing a CESA. (Should be a skill regularly practiced starting in basic open water IMHO).
 

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