Why Don't Manufacturers

[DiverEMT]

I was wondering one day why manufacturers don't put some kind of signal into regulators to let us know that our air is getting low. Or to make a comuter that gives us a signal. I am a fire fighter and I when I am fire fighting and wearing my mask and regulator, it has a low air alarm that goes off when my bottle is down to 500psi. Why don't SCUBA equipment manufacturers borrow some ideas from the fire department and help keep us a little safer?
Dive Safe!
Alanna

 

[Juls64]

I was wondering one day why manufacturers don't put some kind of signal into regulators to let us know that our air is getting low. Or to make a comuter that gives us a signal. I am a fire fighter and I when I am fire fighting and wearing my mask and regulator, it has a low air alarm that goes off when my bottle is down to 500psi. Why don't SCUBA equipment manufacturers borrow some ideas from the fire department and help keep us a little safer?
Dive Safe!
Alanna

they do....sorta. I believe most air integrated computers have alarms that signal when your air gets to a certain point. Its just getting divers to pay for these.

Then again, you can follow your training and LOOK AT YOUR GAUGE REGULARLY!

Juls

 

[Web Monkey]

I was wondering one day why manufacturers don't put some kind of signal into regulators to let us know that our air is getting low. Or to make a comuter that gives us a signal. I am a fire fighter and I when I am fire fighting and wearing my mask and regulator, it has a low air alarm that goes off when my bottle is down to 500psi. Why don't SCUBA equipment manufacturers borrow some ideas from the fire department and help keep us a little safer?
Dive Safe!
Alanna

Computers do that. Mine alarms at a preset pressure (I set it for 2/3 of a tank), and again when you're getting close to not having enough air for a normal ascent.

Alerting at a fixed pressure isn't really useful in SCUBA, since your air usage varies by depth and workload.

Air integrated computers do a nice job of it, although I wouldn't rely on one to watch your air for you, since it's easy to miss the beeps

Terry


Terry

 

[triton94949]

As was mentioned, you definitely want to look into an air-integrated console dive computer. (There are wrist mounts as well just prohibitively expensive.)

What I do instead is to plan my dive, watch my dive time, and check my SPG pressure about every 10 minutes. That is what the dive manuals teach you to do as well.

I also set my turn around time at 1/2 my SPG pressure for an NDL dive (1/3 for a deco dive), and since I head back faster than I head out, there is no way I would ever run OOA (out of air) as long as I watch my SPG and use a conservative turn around time.

But some other people would in fact benefit from an alarm in an air-integrated dive computer. But (blush) dont let your instructor know that you are having difficulty monitoring your air. He/she would be (blush) embarrassed. They are supposed to teach you that.

 

[Tom Smedley]

My Cobra gives it to me visually and audibly...

 

[Rick Murchison]

I was wondering one day why manufacturers don't put some kind of signal into regulators to let us know that our air is getting low.

They did... 25-30 years ago. You want to bring back the "honkers?"
My brother-in-law still has one - it's for sale if you want it.
Rick

 

[DA Aquamaster]

When I started diving, J-valves were still very common and SPG's were optional. The J-valve would slowly close at around 500 psi at which point you would reach back and pull the lever on the J-valve down to lift the spring pressure and access the remaining 500 psi in the tank. This worked really well and you actually started trusting it until the first time you reached back and discovered it had inadvertantly gotten caught on something and pulled during the dive and that you were in fact completely out of air.

Valves with tank bangers inside the tank were also used. When the pressure got to around 500 psi, a weighted arm would bang against the tank wall when you inhaled and notify you that you were low on air.

Scubapro also had a regulator (the Mk VII) that honked with each breath after the pressure fell to about 500 psi. I never dove with a Mk 7 and a tank banging valve, but that could have been interesting.

Currently, many air integrated computers can be set with audible or visual alarms to infomr you of low air pressure. The Sherwood Wisdom for example can be set for a turn pressure as well as a minimum tank pressure and both are user selectable within a wide range. This allows you to set them at 1750 psi for turn pressure and 500 psi for end pressure for example.

Personally I think they are a crutch that is not needed if you keep track of your SPG reading and combine that with proper gas planning. If you start relying solely on the alarms you will discover someday that it is much like the equivalent of a J-valve when you run out of air because the alarm inadvertantly got shut off at some point.

 

[trob09]

They did... 25-30 years ago. You want to bring back the "honkers?"
My brother-in-law still has one - it's for sale if you want it.
Rick

I still have and use my Scubapro Mk VII "honker" that was purchased new in 1978. It's my 'recreational' set up and breathes every bit as well as my new Atomic M1's.

For dives within NDLimits, it's great. Of course I never get to hear the 'honk' as I never get down to the 600psi or so that triggers the oscillation...

 

[aquaoren]

I was wondering one day why manufacturers don't put some kind of signal into regulators to let us know that our air is getting low. Or to make a comuter that gives us a signal. I am a fire fighter and I when I am fire fighting and wearing my mask and regulator, it has a low air alarm that goes off when my bottle is down to 500psi. Why don't SCUBA equipment manufacturers borrow some ideas from the fire department and help keep us a little safer?
Dive Safe!
Alanna

My air integrated Uwatec Aladin Air X does it as well.

 

[Gary D.]

I was wondering one day why manufacturers don't put some kind of signal into regulators to let us know that our air is getting low. Or to make a comuter that gives us a signal. I am a fire fighter and I when I am fire fighting and wearing my mask and regulator, it has a low air alarm that goes off when my bottle is down to 500psi. Why don't SCUBA equipment manufacturers borrow some ideas from the fire department and help keep us a little safer?
Dive Safe!
Alanna

There is a unit out there that will do exactly what your looking for. It's kind of grayish, about as big as a medium size ball and can be very fail safe if you let it.

It's called a brain. Use it wisely and check your own air from time to time. Relying on mechanical devices to tell you where your air is will not make your dive safer. It will work the other way. The more stuff you place in the system the more fail points you have.

Just use the thing nature placed on your shoulders. It's free and easy to use.

Gary D.