Can I rely on the dust cap ?

[Corleone]

I own xtx50 din version and i wounder if i can relay on the dust cap while cleaning the regulator after a dive?

if i soak it in a bowl of water, will the cap prevent water ?

any unusual advise regarding regulator rinsing?

by the way, do i have to do annual service or every 2 year?

thankx

 

[Insta-Gator]

It's not the dust cap that is doing the job, it's the o-ring. If you ensure the o-ring is in good condition it will not leak. The o-ring is what's sealing your reg to the tank valve.

I've been diving my US Divers regs since 1989. I always blow the cap dry, place it properly on the reg intake and snug it down. Then I soak my regs in a tank, just like everything else. Be sure not to press the purge button on your second stage. That may allow water in and will muck up the works of the second and first stage.

 

[Donnah]

I will not rinse my reg or my mask in the communal rinse tank. What's floating around in there is totally nasty. I take both back to the room and rinse in the shower.

We have our regs serviced every year -- and our Air2s also.

 

[Bob DBF]

The cap is OK for a rinse, but I have the reg on a tank and pressurized when soaking.

It's not the dust cap that is doing the job, it's the o-ring. If you ensure the o-ring is in good condition it will not leak. The o-ring is what's sealing your reg to the tank valve.

I've been diving my US Divers regs since 1989. I always blow the cap dry, place it properly on the reg intake and snug it down. Then I soak my regs in a tank, just like everything else. Be sure not to press the purge button on your second stage. That may allow water in and will muck up the works of the second and first stage.

You may not press the purge, but other gear in the tank or someone else might. Also Sherwood's with a dry bleed should always be pressurized when underwater.



Bob
-----------------------------
"No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously" -Dave Barry

 

[Corleone]

I don't own a tank to keep my reg presurized after the dive !! all the tanks i use are provided by dive centers.

i dive with a lot of dive centers, some of them are located in 5* hotels with good facilities after the dive so, i can give a reasonable quick rinse to my gears. the problem is with those dive centers who are usually located at city center while boats are on the beach or harbor, with no facilities after the dive.

when im home, i give it a good throughout flush then i bring a dadicated bowl, fill it with fresh water and let it soak for about 30~60 min.

for some reason, i thought my xtx50 have that auto closer feature which prevent water from getting in!! only when assembling my hoses and gauge at a dive shop when i learned that water could actually get in !! had to eliminate a lot of regs for this, rised the dadicated amount and ended up buying one without maaaaaaaaaaaaan

basically i want to know if the dust cap is good for soaking or should i keep my 1st out of the bowl and soak everything else in water.

 

[timthefish]

You aren't missing much. I have a fdx10 with the seal thing and I still wouldn't let it soak . I have xtx 50 and ds4 for my doubles and I just give the second stages a flush through and the first stage a hose off with the cap in place

Sent from my HTC One SV using Tapatalk

 

[redacted]

basically i want to know if the dust cap is good for soaking or should i keep my 1st out of the bowl and soak everything else in water.

If the manufacturer calls it a "dust cap" then I doubt if I would trust it. If. OTOH, it is called a "protective cap", or something like that, then it should do the job during a soaking. Of course, like anything else in your kit, you need to inspect it to make sure it will function as expected. I like the solid rubber protective caps (which it look like Apeks uses). The plastic caps with an o-ring will also work fine but you need to check that the o-ring is installed and that the plastic is not cracked (from over tightening). I soak my regs for 6 hours of more after a SW trip. Between dives I try to give them a light rinse. Main thing is to make sure the SW does not dry on them which will form salt crystals that may cause damage. In humid destinations, where nothing drys in a day, they will be fine with less rinsing than in dry destinations like Bonair. In Bonair, I try to dip my regs after each day of diving, with the protective caps installed.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I spray my regs off after each day of diving. In nearly 2000 dives I have only soaked my regs two or three times. I've never had a problem with water in the first stage nor any salt buildup anywhere on the regs.

 

[FM1520]

I soak my regs for 6 hours of more after a SW trip.

Don't make this to hard. Quick rinse and forget about it. I only dive SW and have never had a problem.

 

[ianr33]

Look inside the dust cap.If its flat at the end then it will not be water tight (central metal part of the reg will touch the plastic first, the O ring will not seal.
If however the dust cap has a recessed part in the center it will be water tight (central,metal part of reg goes into the recess, O ring seals on the plastic)

Any guesses how I found this out?

If you do get fresh water in a reg it's not a bid deal. Just takes the hoses off ,put it on a tank and blast some air through it.

I service my Apeks if the IP creeps, or they have some other problem. it's been a while....................