Breaking-In Equipment

[divinh]

Over the last few months, I've been buying my own gear. Yesterday, I finally went to a LDS pool to test...

1. I bought a used Zeagle Scout, made around 1996. I had already tested the bladder with manual inflation and it holds air fine. When I connected it to a tank, it inflated by itself. I have not had the BC inspected by the LDS. I probably should. At this point, is the problem with the Schrader valve and is it something I can replace myself? I don't mind handing the whole thing over to the LDS but I do want to learn to repair things myself. Is it worth repairing or should I just write off the purchase?

2. My bought-new-BC is a BP/W design, a Sopras Tek/Sub Compact Lite. I've found that on the surface, it has a tendency to push my face forward into the water. I've read that this is a matter of placement of the tank relative to where I wear my weights? I can shift the tank higher/lower on the BC to make it so it doesn't do this? Normally, I dive in warm water in a rash guard and shorts with little to no weights. I'm doing my testing with 3/2mm full wetsuit, boots, and spring strap fins, all new equipment to me and needed for my next dive trip. In my testing, I found that my legs tended to hang below me and it was hard to go horizontal. I felt I had a lot of weight on me, concentrated at the waist and the BC air shifted to the top of it so it seems natural that this would happen. When I moved the tank higher, it felt better, but seemed awkward to have the tank so high up. Added to this, I discovered that the BC waist belt was getting loose. That probably caused some ballast issues too. I've adjusted the BC to be tighter around me, but I'm looking for a method to keep me from being pushed forward on the surface and horizontal below.

3. I found that the 23" hose to my primary second stage tugged against me. I figured it was probably too short, not necessarily too stiff. For the 19" SPG hose, I found that it was an effort to read it so close to my arm pit, unlike the usually very long console hoses I've used on rental equipment. I bought a 30" MiFlex low pressure hose and 40" MiFlex high pressure hose to replace both with. The LDS offered to replace the hoses for me, but I decided to take the purchases home to do myself. Should I just let the LDS do it or is this something simple enough for me to do? It just requires the right size wrench, correct? I do have it. The LDS would be able to test right away with a tank, whereas I would do it and test at the LDS on my next visit. Is it worth doing for the experience?

Thanks!

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

1. A couple of zip ties and your done. If it's A pull dump, there's a cable and a pin to deal with. Not too terribly difficult. Even if the Schrader valve is the problem...a new inflator is cheap piece of mind. 45-degree Oral Power Inflator

2. Try less air on the surface and you will have to play with some weight location variations to get trimmed out. Pool time helps where it's easy to make adjustments.

3. A wrench is all it takes. Don't go nuts on tightening it.

Good luck,
Jay

 

[runsongas]

1) inflator needs servicing, dgx sells a kit with a tool

Inflator Service Tool w/O-Ring Kit

2) put less air in the bc, move weights toward small of back

3) hose replacement is easy enough, just don't overtighten

 

[divinh]

Thank you both for the quick responses!

 

[Doc]

2. Investigate "keel weights".

At the surface, my dive buddy relieves her "face forward" tendencies by staying behind me a hanging on to my tank valve from the back.

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

In the surface I tend to blow up my wing as much as possible, then i lay on my back.

I like to have the tank rather high, valve handle someware between my shoulder and my ear, so I can reach it.

 

[-JD-]

[strike]
2) A crotch strap might be helpful. It sounds like your BC is riding up.

Depeanding on your cross-sectional profile, that would explain the "loosening" of the waistbelt.

With the wing higher up, it is harder to get over the balance point and tip back.
[/strike] Sorry, hadn't seen your other thread ...

Also look to see if the wing can be shifted down on the harness. That will shift your balance point down and help on the surface and with horizontal trim.

 

[АлександрД]

1. Just disconnect BCD inflator from camera, turn something around inflator button (or use clamp) to make inflator button pressed, and then put it in to warm water. Better to add some citric acid. It will remove all salt from it. Than wash well, and check again. It could helps you.

2. check this topic Attaching hard weights to shoulders
You can move two weights from the belt to the shoulder straps. It could normalize your trim.

Also to prevent face-dipping at the surface I just reclined to the back, and lay on the back (sure, on the little bit deflated wing)
When you have to stay for long time at the surface you just can take off your BCD and lay down on it, like on inflatable matt.

"You should have gear, that brings you comfort underwater.
If you wish to have great comfort at the surface - you have to buy boat"
(c) my instructor.

3. If it free-of-charge - just give it to LDS (or your instructor). Or buy such (small) wrench

and do it by yourself. As mentioned above - delicately.

 

[stuartv]

1) inflator needs servicing, dgx sells a kit with a tool

Inflator Service Tool w/O-Ring Kit

That service kit may or may not work for the old Zeagle inflator. I tried using that kit to service the inflator on one of my wings and found that the inflator I had had some very minor differences to what the kit was obviously expecting.

The whole replacement inflator is so cheap, I would highly recommend just tossing the old one and putting on a whole new one. That's what I did, anyway.

@divinh:

If you are having trouble getting horizontal because your feet want to hang down, you might need different fins, that are less negatively buoyant. But, you can start with positioning the wing lower on the back plate and positioning the tank as high as you can without banging your head on the 1st stage regulator constantly. Also, if you are using any lead on your waist, get some trim weight pouches and mount them on the top tank strap, up against the back plate, then put some of your lead in those.

I really like these:

DGX Gears Trim Weight Pocket (each)

$10 each and they are just big enough to hold a 4# weight or smaller. I had some XS Scuba ones before and they were too big. A 1 or 2 # weight in one of the XS Scuba ones really flopped around inside. I just ordered some more of the ones from DGX. I will put 2 on each of my tank straps, so I can fit enough weight back there for when I'm diving in my drysuit with thick undergarments. 4 pouches means a max of 16# and that will be just enough (for me).

Lastly, I agree with @-JD-. If you don't have a crotch strap on that BP/W rig, you really need one. With a crotch strap and things setup correctly, your rig won't ride up on you when you are floating on the surface.

 

[aquacat8]

Contrary to what you might imagine, crotch straps vastly improve comfort: they also can pull the weight just a tiny bit off the sensitive lower back, and underwater if you like to hang upside down looking under rocks they stop your whole BC from slinging forward. I made my first crotch strap out of a scuba dive bag shoulder strap in a fit of frustration at the above. Now would not want to dive without one.