Rinsing tanks (DIN) after salt water diving

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large_diver

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A question on cleaning tanks with DIN valves --

Usually I soak my tanks in a tub of fresh water after diving with the reg mounted and pressurized.

If rinsing a tank with a DIN valve without a reg, is soaking the tank OK without a reg on it or a plug in the valve? I know theoretically that water can't get in if the valve is closed.....

Thoughts appreciated.
 
large_diver once bubbled...
Usually I soak my tanks in a tub of fresh water after diving with the reg mounted and pressurized.
I do the same - I don't see any problems with soaking the tank without a reg mounted, as long as you give it a blast from the valve after removing it from the tub to blow any water out of the DIN threads. You probably already know but you should do this each time before mounting the regulator as well - because they use a face O-ring to create a seal, there is nothing to stop water creeping down the threads until it hits the seal when the reg is mounted, so there is almost always moisture in there. Bad news if it gets blown inside the reg.
 
Gary Gentile gave a handy tip regarding cleaning the water out of a DIN valve. He suggested that you can hold your thumb inside the valve and direct the escaping gas around the threads to make sure they are completely cleared. Works pretty good. Give it a try.
Larry
 
daylight once bubbled...
Gary Gentile gave a handy tip regarding cleaning the water out of a DIN valve. He suggested that you can hold your thumb inside the valve and direct the escaping gas around the threads to make sure they are completely cleared. Works pretty good. Give it a try.
Larry

I've just started diving using DIN (valve) tanks... if we purge the tanks this way... wouldn't it blow the internal O-ring out?
 
Orca,
I must either have miscommunicated or misunderstand your question.
There are no O-rings to blow out. All I described was an easy way to assist with clearing possible accumulation water out of the Tank Valve.
Larry
 
Hi daylight,

I don't mean blowing the o-ring out...

As I understand it correctly... there's an o-ring sitting inside the DIN valve, if we were to blow dry the valve, wouldn't it force that internal o-ring out?
 
Orca,
None of the six DIN tanks that I own have O-Rings in the valve. Could you be thinking of a yoke valve?
I just use my thumb nail to direct the air so it clears out the threads prior to connecting my first stage to the tank. No way could this put any pressure anywhere that would take out an O-ring.
Larry
 
orca once bubbled...
Hi daylight,

I don't mean blowing the o-ring out...

As I understand it correctly... there's an o-ring sitting inside the DIN valve, if we were to blow dry the valve, wouldn't it force that internal o-ring out?
The DIN o-ring is a face o-ring, on the regulator. There are no external o-rings on the valve.

Make sure that you ARE blowing the water out of the DIN valves, every time before you mount a regulator! Any water sitting in the threads could have run the the back of the valve, where it will then be blown into the regulator. Usually you will see a fine mist of water being blasted from the valve - this is what is going inside of your regulator if you don't "purge the valve".
 
Actually, you should blast the water out of ANY valve, DIN or yoke before filling. Failure to do so can result in forcing water into the tank.
 

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