How often do o-rings blow out on 1st stages?

[ranger979]

I can happen and has happend to people. The din is by far less likely to give way. Here is a question how long had it been since the oring was changed? Was it in good shape? There are so many things that can go wrong it is best to try to limit them by maintaining your equipment and checking things regularly.

So as a new diver, I'm asking, what is considered proper maintainance? I currently have my regulators serviced annually. I generally look for signs of wear or damage when I clean them afer each dives and before I attach them to the tank. Is there more I should be checking?

 

[mixdiver]

So as a new diver, I'm asking, what is considered proper maintainance? I currently have my regulators serviced annually. I generally look for signs of wear or damage when I clean them afer each dives and before I attach them to the tank. Is there more I should be checking?

That is all you can do. If it happens it was just ment to.

 

[Wayward Son]

Keep a set of O rings (assorted sizes) in your save a dive kit. They're a fairly cheap hunk of rubber, they can & do fail on occassion, even if rarely. The $0.05 O ring can kill a dive right now.

I've never had one on the valve let go. I did have one on my reg blow out about a year ago. When I pressurized the reg on the boat it blew. It turned out to be the O ring on the HP hose for my SPG. Fortunately another diver had a set of O rings & I was able to replace it & dive. That very afternoon while buying fills I also bought my own spare O ring kit. Cost about $5.

This is a well maintained reg that had a few dives on it since the last service. pressure tested at home the night before, no probs. When they blow, they blow.

At least one person on the trip should have spares, easy enough to make that one be you. A small adjustable wrench can be had at Walmart for about $2.00 or so & is handy for loosening & snugging the connections when replacing a bad O ring.

 

[ShakaZulu]

Seen it blowout on a Yoke fitting at least three times in my diving career. Remember, it you are renting tanks, who knows what condition those fittings/o-rings are.........

 

[miketsp]

Personally, once with a yoke, at depth, in the last 4 years.
Witnessed, while gearing up, one guy blew 3 in a row before deciding his yoke was bent due to a cylinder toppling over and reg hitting the deck.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Hi there Ranger -

You’ll be surprised just what % of tank O-rings on rentals are damaged. O rings are cheap - carry spare ones for your tank and reg when travelling and always inspect the tank O ring before putting your reg on: with some dive operators around 10 % of their o-rings are really worn and cracked. Depends on the operation. In the last ten years I've seen a couple of tank o-rings blow on a yoke when setting up (buddies yoke on too hard/too soft?), seen one go underwater and I've blown one on my first stage when turning the air on: don't worry - you'll know about it when they go...

A mini dental pick sold in most pharmacies is the best thing I’ve found to remove a worn tank ring.

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[Don Burke]

I thought this occurred very seldom, however, I have seen it happen twice this past summer. Once to me and then once to my dive buddy. My dive buddy's requlator was DIN so I was very suprised by that. I thought this almost never happens with DIN.

I now see a few a year.

Some time ago, I spent a week diving off Bonaire. It was more like one every other day there. I suspect the divers had as much to with it as the maintenance.

 

[String]

Must admit that when i go abroad and have tanks that are A-clamp not DIN (ok america really nowhere else) i carry a bag of O-rings with me and nearly always change the rental tank ring before i dive. The things are so cheap its MUCH less hastle this way.

As for the "maintenance" question - i wouldnt maintain an o-ring. Id just replace regulary. Again, these things are so cheap it shouldnt make any difference doing that. Things like grease, turning them around if one side is worn and so on is really papering over the cracks.

I tend to find a credit card (or other plastic card) works well for removing o-rings from tanks.

 

[contengo]

I've seen it happen twice. They were both maintenance issue. Some people would spend hundreds of dollars on shiny new "name your favorite equipment" but go absolutely cheapie on maintenance. One time was with a recycled o-ring. I think it was a 50 cents o-ring kept alive beyond its years by lube, vaseline, spit, seaweed juice, ketchup... Another time was they were using wrong (softer, cheaper) o-ring from plumbing store. He was bragging how he got them super cheap, paying next to nothing. I bet the hardware store o-rings work great at faucet (70 psi?), but not at 1st stage psi. I found cool pictures of blown up o-rings. next time you have a failure you can match it up with the pictures.

http://www.oringsusa.com/html/failure_analysis_of_o-rings.html

 

[mech]

FWIW,I don't believe the little trident o-ring pack that is commonly sold has the fatter din o-ring.
It has one that is close.
The only din o-ring failures I seen were on land by people trying to use them.