Removing o-rings?

[Marek K]

How do folks remove o-rings; specifically from DIN regulators, but also from like yoke valves? And how?

I've heard of a lot of people using dental picks. Do you just carefully "spear" the old o-ring, not worrying about damaging it because it's being replaced? Or pry it up, risking damaging the fitting?

Since I'm thousands of miles from the nearest CVS drug store, what else might work? Just a pin, needle, or safety pin?

I've seen a dive shop just grabbing an x-acto knife blade -- not sure how safe that would be.

Don't ask how I've done it in the past.

--Marek

 

[Corigan]

I use picks. I know that doesn't help you in Poland though. As for removing it, if you think the o-ring isn't going to be reusable then you can just spear it (carefully) to remove it. If you think you might reuse it, then a pickset (hook picks) makes things rather easy.

Matt

 

[redacted]

Lots of options for the yoke valve o-ring. Unlikely to cause any damage are a fingernail, toothpick, or corner of a plastic (credit) card. If it comes out that way, it is possible to clean, inspect, and reuse if necessary. When those fail (like on rental tanks in MX where some look more like a piece of shaggy plastic than a rubber o-ring) I use a brass pick from one of those $20 scuba multi-tools. And in that case the technique is often stab and piecemeal removal. Brass on brass (chrome) is just a little dangerous so use caution. When steel meets brass, brass loses. So I avoid steel whenever possible. When I have to use steel (usually inside the reg) I prefer the hooked end style picks slightly dulled. You can usually carefully slip them around an o-ring to lift it out with no damage to hard or soft surfaces.

I've never worked on the DIN o-ring but should work the same (or easier because of the thicker material).

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Brass picks will prevent potential damage to the brass valve or regulator. Otherwise be careful not to scratch the valve or regulator itself.

Many DIN connectors have a removeable center body around which the o-ring seats. So if you can remove it with an allen wrech the o-ring comes with it and can be easily pulled off the center body with no spearing or digging with a pick required.

 

[Marek K]

a pickset (hook picks) makes things rather easy.

Like, a lockpick set? I thought those were illegal? Might be even tougher for me to get than a dental pick. Or maybe not, in this part of the world!

fingernail, toothpick, or corner of a plastic (credit) card [...] brass pick from one of those $20 scuba multi-tools.

I tried fingernail. No luck. Credit card assumes you've got yours with you. I've got all the other tools I need piece-mealed (hex wrenches, adjustable wrench)... hate to get a multi-tool just for the pick, though worth considering.

But toothpick? Great idea... hard to scratch anything... hadn't thought of that! Need to find some and throw them into my save-a-dive stuff. As long as I'm careful about not leaving splinters in the groove...

Many DIN connectors have a removeable center body around which the o-ring seats. So if you can remove it with an allen wrech the o-ring comes with it and can be easily pulled off the center body with no spearing or digging with a pick required.

As far as I can tell, all the DIN fittings we've got are one-piece... the hex socket in the connector is there to remove the whole fitting from the first stage. Or not?? Hard to tell without, um, removing an o-ring... and I don't think we have any toothpicks in the house!

 

[spectrum]

As far as I can tell, all the DIN fittings we've got are one-piece... the hex socket in the connector is there to remove the whole fitting from the first stage. Or not?? Hard to tell without, um, removing an o-ring... and I don't think we have any toothpicks in the house!

Our's are 3 piece.
1. The part that screws to the regulator.
2. The part that screws into the valve
3. The piece with the hex center that provides the shoulder to keep part 2 there in the middle.
There is a static O-ring sealling #1 to #3

Pete

 

[jonnythan]

http://www.scubatools.com/Universal.html

$9.50 for a brass O-ring pick

 

[Marek K]

...or I could order a package of these next time we put an order in to drugstore.com? And throw a few into the save-a-dive stuff? Look like semi-rigid plastic... Cheap, light, no splinters... Can't spear the o-ring, but should be able to pry it up...

(We use drugstore.com from here for a lot of stuff. We recognize the brand names, and know what the products are. Plus for a lot of stuff that we could buy at a CVS or K-Mart in the States, we have to go to a pharmacy here -- even non-prescription stuff. And then we're dealing with folks behind a counter or behind a window. I can just see myself explaining that I need something I can use to remove scuba o-rings...)

 

[redacted]

...or I could order a package of these next time we put an order in to drugstore.com? And throw a few into the save-a-dive stuff? Look like semi-rigid plastic... Cheap, light, no splinters... Can't spear the o-ring, but should be able to pry it up...

(We use drugstore.com from here for a lot of stuff. We recognize the brand names, and know what the products are. Plus for a lot of stuff that we could buy at a CVS or K-Mart in the States, we have to go to a pharmacy here -- even non-prescription stuff. And then we're dealing with folks behind a counter or behind a window. I can just see myself explaining that I need something I can use to remove scuba o-rings...)

I found some of the plastic tooth pick to be too soft - but will still work sometimes. A credit card, cut in half, kills two birds with one stone

 

[Marek K]

Many DIN connectors have a removeable center body around which the o-ring seats. So if you can remove it with an allen wrech the o-ring comes with it and can be easily pulled off the center body with no spearing or digging with a pick required.

Our's are 3 piece.
1. The part that screws to the regulator.
2. The part that screws into the valve
3. The piece with the hex center that provides the shoulder to keep part 2 there in the middle.
There is a static O-ring sealling #1 to #3

We've got two Sherwood DIN fittings, and two Mares. For at least the Sherwoods, it doesn't look like there's anything that can be done to be able to pull off the o-ring easily.

See the attached diagram from Sherwood's Technical Bulletin No. 104, September 1989, describing the SAA5300 DIN adapters that we have. Removing the retainer (Item 5) wouldn't make the o-ring any more accessible.

Hmmm... I didn't realize there were three o-rings in the DIN fitting...

--Marek