BCD Inflator Hose v. Dump Valve- Which wins?

Hello-

I was down about 60 feet when my BC suddenly began to inflate. I tried to grab onto someone, couldn't and began moving up.

Luckily, someone then grabbed me and held me until they could wrestle apart the stuck inflator hose.

The whole thing was over in seconds.

But it got me wondering.

If I had been alone and unable to disconnect the inflator hose, and had started up fast, aside from trying to be spread horizontal to increase resistance, if i had yanked the dump valve and then turned head up to let the air out would it have been enough to overcome the air coming in from the inflating hose?

Thank you.

I'll try that next Wednesday with my BCD if I am wearing it. I would think that any BCD designer or manufacturer of a BCD would engineer it to work that way. On my BCD I can actually reach down and unscrew the dump cover if I cannot disconnect the air hose.

dump valve has much bigger cross section so I believe it would win.

One way to fight that problem is to go head down swim down while dumping the air through your the bottom valve and disconnecting the hose or closing the valve if you are diving doubles.

Garrobo:

I'll try that next Wednesday with my BCD if I am wearing it..... I can actually reach down and unscrew the dump cover if I cannot disconnect the air hose.

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Don't do it, you could find yourself at the bottom with no way to hold air in your BC... The cover is there for maintenance only, swimming down whilst disconnecting the bc hose & or closing down the right post if your diving doubles is a much better solution.

I don't know about you, Scuba in Chicago, but my wing has a dump valve at the bottom. I can remove the cover and use the wing almost normally -- in fact, in a class, I had my instructor do precisely that, and I didn't know he had done it until I couldn't make myself adequately buoyant on the surface.

The dump valve will exhaust air faster than the inflator will provide it. However, if you are busy holding the dump valve open, you have only one hand to disconnect the hose. On the other hand, in a single tank setup, it may be more advisable to pitch head up, hold the exhaust button on your inflator open (thereby stabilizing the inflator) while you disconnect the LP inflator hose. In a single tank, you do not have the option of closing a post, so your best bet by far is to disconnect the hose, and it is very difficult to do this with one hand, if nothing is holding the inflator steady while you try.

Even in doubles, there is significant controversy about what the best immediate reaction to a violent inflator leak is. In some cases, the best choice may be dependent on your dexterity -- it is far easier to shut the right post in cold water, with numb hands, than it is to disconnect the LP hose. Once the post is closed and the right half of the system is depressurized, it is far easier to disconnect the hose.

TSandM:

I don't know about you, Scuba in Chicago, but my wing has a dump valve at the bottom. I can remove the cover and use the wing almost normally -- in fact, in a class, I had my instructor do precisely that, and I didn't know he had done it until I couldn't make myself adequately buoyant on the surface.

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I can see the logic in trapping the gas with 20 degree trim and approaching vertical. I can only see the removal of the cover causing two things at different stages of this scenario.

Scenario 1-
The time it would take to single handedly twist off the dump valve cover (about 8-10 twists, reach back and time yourself) for someone who doesn't use it as their primary dump would be on a one way trip to the surface without kicking down.

Scenario 2-
If someone started kicking down to counter the lift and were able to successfully remove the cover, disconnect the inflator most if not all the gas in the wing would be lost leaving a one way trip to the bottom. It's a slippery slope of logic whichever way, but I can't see the outcome as being positive whichever way its spun.

Just my 0.02

you can minimise the chance of the infaltor hose connector sticking by applying a little silicone grease every few dives also helps protect the O ring in there.

if you do get a jammed inflater button then turn heads up and pull open one of your dump valves before or as you try to disconnect the hose this will allow enough air out of the jacket to either stop your assent or cause you to descend, you can slow your self a little more if you breath out rather that in with surprise when it happens
those of us in wings with only one dump at the kidney have to move to the correct position for the particular system

I'm still going to try it.

If people are that worried about inflator failure and you have uncontrolled inflation, then equip your BC with an inflator shutoff adapter, trident # A235, A236 or A237 depending on your BC. http://www.tridentdive.com/air accessories.pdf

fnfalman:

If people are that worried about inflator failure and you have uncontrolled inflation, then equip your BC with an inflator shutoff adapter, trident # A235, A236 or A237 depending on your BC. http://www.tridentdive.com/air accessories.pdf

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Unnecessary failure point, no thanks, I rather DIE