Regulator angle

[dimac]

Good day everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone else experiences the same thing, and if they have a fix for it. Whenever I use my reg, the hose makes it bend at an angle that I either a)bite down on the mouthpiece b) hold the hose at an angle so my jaw is comfy or c) tilt my head so my jaw is comfy. I almost always do A but when i get tired, I do B.

It's gotten to the point that my mouthpiece is now off the horizontal and I still have to bite down. it's fine when I do one dive per day but when I do 3-5 it's not fun anymore.

Any tips?

Thanks!

PS: hose length is the stock hose that came with my xtx

[RickyF]

There are a couple of things you can do. They make a type of universal joint that helps with the strain. You can also buy the more flexible type LP hoses. Check with your LDS as they should be able to help.

[rhwestfall]

In conjunction with those, possibly look into a shorter hose too.

[Fishpie]

Also is the 2nd stage rotating easily where it joins the hose?
There's an o ring there that can get dry and cause the reg to pull in the mouth.
I also find that with the reg in my mouth if I twist the hose at this connection I can get it more comfy.

[diversteve]

An Apeks flexible hose or swivel hose might solve your problem.
Apeks Products

I have the Atomic swivel - it solved any pulling issues I had.
They sell a universal model also: Atomic Aquatics Regulator Essential Accessories

[evad]

You could use a 7' hose.

[dimac]

thanks for the input everyone. One thing confuses me tho regarding hose length. One advices shorter (rhwestfall), one longer (evad). Can you elaborate how that might solve my issue?

Additional info: the left side of the mouthpiece is below the horizontal, which indicates that my hose pulls downwards.

[rhwestfall]

shorter if the bow is large, and pushing the reg out. Longer if the turning of your head away from the connection is pulling it out. Flexible hoses and possibly an angled adapter make life good...

[evad]

[g1138]

dimac, if you get an angle adapter/swivel you will want to look at purchasing a 40in - 45in hose so it routes under your arm instead of over your shoulder.
Reason for this is if you have a shorter hose and an angle adapter, you'll still be routing over your shoulder and it may not solve the bow issue that much, may even exacerbate your mouthpiece issue. It can also hamper the ease of donating your primary, mainly because it will be hard to find a handhold that will allow you to present your mouthpiece to the OOA diver.

With the hose under your arm you will be able to grab the hose and twirl the reg around with your fingers.


Now depending on your issue you may want to go with a longer or shorter hose. Getting miflex can allow you to shorten your hose even more if that is the correction you need.
We cannot tell you which option you need to go with all based on "the hose is pulling downward". The hose is always pulling downward unless you're hovering or swimming backwards. I'll try to describe what you should look for to determine which route you need to take.

If your hose is too long it will often be past your shoulder line and will pull the reg out of your mouth when you're swimming or if your buddy swims too close to you. Get a shorter hose in this case.
26in is the shortest length I've seen on standard primary hoses. If you go 22-24in then you're getting into the realms of a bungee backup reg config and that presents it's own problems if you intend to buddy breath off that hose.

If your hose is too short then your mouthpiece will feel like it's tugging all throughout your dive, whether your hovering or swimming. It will especially tug if your look to your top left. Get a longer hose in this case. 32in is the maximum standard length I've seen (w/o angle adapters) but this gets you in the realm of having a hose that's too long.

You should take a line and measure the length of your hose. Hose length includes the metal connection couplings and the threads that connect into the first stage.

NOT YET! Wait until he complains about his trim.