Traveling with regulators and thread sealant - questions

[Ready4Launch]

When you travel with your setup, do you disconnect the hoses, cap them, and plug the ports so that items lay flatter and hoses aren't smashed over? Or, do you just leave it all connected?

Next, regardless of whether you do that or not when traveling, do you use any kind of thread sealant when attaching the hose to the regulator? Any kind of grease? Loctite?

 

[JamesBon92007]

I always leave mine attached but I'm very careful to lay the hoses out so they are not binding (loose curves on all hoses) or kinked. My reg set is usually the second thing that goes into my carry-on, after my fins. Everything else gets placed within and around.

If you use Nitrox you may have different requirements but I only use air and whenever I unscrew a hose I make sure the contact surfaces are clean and very lightly lubricated with high-quality silicone grease. I also put a fine film of silicone grease on the O-Ring. I then tighten it "finger-tight" and then make it snug with a wrench. Do not over-tighten. If you can't unscrew it by hand it should be fine. A good O-Ring seal will be leak-free if finger-tight, even at 3000 psi or more. You mentioned Loctite--even if one of your hoses became loose while diving you should be able to re-tighten it enough by hand to stop the leak. If not then you probably have a bad O-Ring or damaged seat.

Since I usually don't bring a checked bag I don't have a wrench with me and you are not allowed to bring tools in your carry-on.

 

[Couv]

When I travel, I do remove the hoses from the first stage to make it easier to pack and to help prevent kinking the hoses. I use plastic caps I got from a hydraulic store as dust caps, but duct tape would suffice. Using nothing would not worry me.

When I initially put my reg set together, I do lubricate the o-rings and threads. I don't bother when I'm traveling. BTW there may be applications on some regulators where lock-tite is required, but never on the hose threads.

 

[halocline]

When you travel with your setup, do you disconnect the hoses, cap them, and plug the ports so that items lay flatter and hoses aren't smashed over? Or, do you just leave it all connected?

Next, regardless of whether you do that or not when traveling, do you use any kind of thread sealant when attaching the hose to the regulator? Any kind of grease? Loctite?

I usually don't bother removing the hoses, but often I'll take an extra 1st and 2nd stage in case I have a problem, or sometimes I need a yoke single tank set up and a DIN doubles set on the same trip. So it's not uncommon for me to have unassembled regs in my baggage. I would never bother with taking lube for the o-rings. The threads do not seal, so don't use any thread sealant, and definitely don't use loctite.

 

[buddhasummer]

No sealant or loctite. I don't remove hoses. I use the braided ones which will coil very tightly. I only travel with one set. Most recently a DS4 and Conshelf seconds, neither of which require any special tools and can be re built on the back of a boat very easily if required with nothing more than a C spanner, a couple of hex keys an O ring pick, an adjustable wrench and an ip gauge. Of course I carry service kits. The only place I use loctite is when rebuilding inflator units and screws on spring straps.

 

[charlier]

I travel a lot for my job and rarely remove my hoses. FYI, I use rubber hoses and make sure that the hoses are loosely coiled without any stress points. Depending on the length of my trip and location, tools, an extra 1st and 2nd stage, and service kits are part of my travel kit. Sometimes, I take extra parts and tools for converting my DIN to yoke. I rarely travel with lube, just about all places have lube.

 

[AlexL]

You mentioned Loctite--even if one of your hoses became loose while diving you should be able to re-tighten it enough by hand to stop the leak.

inspecting all hose connections should be part of the pre-dive check, or at least part of the post unpacking check.

loctite seems like a bad idea. might be able to get away with the purple stuff, but i wouldn't try it. tribolube on all threaded surfaces.

we travel with everything still connected; loosely coiled around the outside of our luggage, wrapped in clothing, with the 2nd stages placed into the corners.

 

[KeithG]

Next, regardless of whether you do that or not when traveling, do you use any kind of thread sealant when attaching the hose to the regulator? Any kind of grease? Loctite?

There is no need for any type of thread sealant as the threads do not form any part of the seal. The oring does the sealing.