Airsource 3 leaking air on inflation

[r466it]

I've had a problem with my Airsource 3 since I purchased it last fall. I've searched the board and don't see anyone describing a similar issue.

When I use it to inflate my BC ( Balance ), air escapes from the mouthpiece and the valve on the side opposite the buttons. During the dive, it's hard to adjust buoyancy because the adjustments vary based on the amount of air that escapes. After a dive, I find excess amounts of water in the BC bladder.

The first time I took it back to my LDS, they tried to reproduce the problem, but couldn't. They broke down the Airsource to check o-rings, but everything looked OK. The next dive trip, everything worked fine. No extra bubbles. Achieving neutral buoyancy was easier.

Went on a trip to Roatan. Flew there with regulator in checked baggage. Problem came back. Upon return, I took the equipment back to LDS. They are shipping to Aqua Lung for service.

My question is, is there anyone out there that might have had the same problem and what was done to fix it?

[DiverDave21]

Similar problem occured at my shop. We have the AirSource 3 in our rental and the inflator buttons are sticking. Sent them back to AquaLung and they gave us brand new ones. They did deny that there was a problem and I have heard rumors that the tecs changed a part in there but not sure..hope all goes well

[wanderlass]

I have the same problem with my Airsource3. I had it since mid of 2008 but free flow occurred only early this year. I thought it was just o-ring or host problem that can be easily replaced, but when brought to dive shop, they told me it's not fixable. It's over 2 years so no longer covered by warranty. I can still use it but I have to close the valve or lose air as the free flow is getting worse.