Equalization

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No expert here of course, but if the pressure build up is delayed, would that not mean the pain is also delayed? This may cause a diver to continue to descend--when things "catch up" could that mean even a worse situation than if the pain started when it normally would without the plugs? I suppose if the diver using the plugs descends VERY slowly (even if no pain at all) all pain could be eliminated?
I'm fuzzy on the physics. My reasoning may be completely backwards.

Delayed pressure built up is similar to descending slowly. That simply means you have time to equalize. So the slow equalization rate matches with the delay of pressure built up.

The pain is usually associated with the outside pressure rising faster by the rate of descent than the inner ear can equalize due to narrow passage from the nose to inner ear. So the ear drums will be under stress (pain) as the outside pressure is greater than the inside pressure. Having a tiny hole plug will delay the pressure built up on the outside of the eardrum and giving time for the inside drum pressure to catch up with the outside pressure, similar to descending very slowly.

If diver still feels the pain, then he / she just needs to ascend to stop the pressure built up. There won't be a delayed pain if there is no differential pressure across the ear drum.
 
Delayed pressure built up is similar to descending slowly. That simply means you have time to equalize. So the slow equalization rate matches with the delay of pressure built up.

The pain is usually associated with the outside pressure rising faster by the rate of descent than the inner ear can equalize due to narrow passage from the nose to inner ear. So the ear drums will be under stress (pain) as the outside pressure is greater than the inside pressure. Having a tiny hole plug will delay the pressure built up on the outside of the eardrum and giving time for the inside drum pressure to catch up with the outside pressure, similar to descending very slowly.

If diver still feels the pain, then he / she just needs to ascend to stop the pressure built up. There won't be a delayed pain if there is no differential pressure across the ear drum.
Thanks. Understood. Do you agree with those that say pro plugs can be helpful with equalizing? It seems a bigger % say they can't. Does speed of descent make a difference with the plugs vs. without? I have used pro plugs occasionally when without my hood, but I have no personal reference as I've never had equalizing problems either way.
 
It seems as if pro plugs delay would have a risk that if you start having pain and stop descending, it will continue to get worse as the plugs allow their interior to catch up with depth. You would have to go up to prevent the pain from getting worse, not just stay there. Is this true? In the absence of the ears clearing. It seems instead of two things to manage -- inner ear and depth; you must manage three -- inner ear, outer ear, and depth.

Do they delay pressure change, or gas travel, just in the inward direction?
 
Thanks. Understood. Do you agree with those that say pro plugs can be helpful with equalizing? It seems a bigger % say they can't. Does speed of descent make a difference with the plugs vs. without? I have used pro plugs occasionally when without my hood, but I have no personal reference as I've never had equalizing problems either way.

I just understand the logic behind the pro plugs. I'm fortunate enough that I don't need them. So, I can't say one way or the other.

Some people may have such small restriction in the inner ear canal to the point of pro plug is still not helpful even with slow descent. One of my dive buddy has such problem & couldn't get down one day during one of the dives, DM / guide pulled him down due to a concern of the fast current picking up. That action pretty much blew his ear drum and ended his diving hobby. He's now just do snorkeling.
 
It seems as if pro plugs delay would have a risk that if you start having pain and stop descending, it will continue to get worse as the plugs allow their interior to catch up with depth. You would have to go up to prevent the pain from getting worse, not just stay there. Is this true? In the absence of the ears clearing. It seems instead of two things to manage -- inner ear and depth; you must manage three -- inner ear, outer ear, and depth.

Do they delay pressure change, or gas travel, just in the inward direction?

Yes, you need to ascend to stop the pain, but don't ascend faster than the descent rate or the reverse problem can occur.

The principal behind it is similar to flow through orifice or valve. Small orifice or barely crack open valve would delay the pressure change longer than big orifice or wide open valve. The downstream pressure (inside) will slowly rise to that of the upstream (outside) pressure. The gas travel will slowly go down as the differential pressure between the inside & outside gets smaller. So, the gas inward travel will go down to zero when the outside pressure equals to the inside pressure (equalization point of your ears).

Your last question is a bit tricky to answer. The answer is yes & no. Yes, if you just decent & stop at the bottom. No, if you ascent too fast. The reverse problem would occur when you ascend too fast, where the outside pressure becomes lower than the inside pressure. So, the gas can travel both ways. You need to ascend not faster than your descent rate.

As you said, the equalization can get trickier with additional chamber (between the outer ear drum & pro plug) to equalize. Now you have 3 things to manage, instead of 2.
 
I just understand the logic behind the pro plugs. I'm fortunate enough that I don't need them. So, I can't say one way or the other.

Some people may have such small restriction in the inner ear canal to the point of pro plug is still not helpful even with slow descent. One of my dive buddy has such problem & couldn't get down one day during one of the dives, DM / guide pulled him down due to a concern of the fast current picking up. That action pretty much blew his ear drum and ended his diving hobby. He's now just do snorkeling.
I think that, for people with that issue, even if only temporary due to a cold or slight ear infection, it is very important to tell your buddy and DM that you might have an issue descending due to it and if there is a need for fast descents due to currents etc that you will sit it out.

I bet your buddy would rather have his time over and have sat the dive out than blow his ear drums. In his case I think I would have signalled up and called the dive straight away instead of letting the DM pull me down.
 
It's amazing how often people let other people or circumstances control the dive. Since I have sinus issues I descend VERY slowly, almost always stopping at 10-15' for a couple minutes to let them equalize. I always tell my buddy that IS what's going to happen. Occasionally with a newer diver buddy I get a very positive response to the slow descent as they do have problems with their ears and other buddies push them harder than they like. I'd say this issue is not uncommon at all.
 
I used to have massive issues equalizing having to work at it almost constantly the whole descent with several small upward corrections. Tried every method I could research. I found I had less trouble if I was descending head down.

I then tried Doc ProPlugs and they helped tremendously! I needed to actively equalize less frequently and with far less trouble. They aren't a fix for everyone but they did work for me.

Since then I gave up cigars and the whole issue has been eliminated... turns out my sinuses were slightly irritated by my third favourite vice :wink:
 
Differing views here. The mechanics of pro plugs have been explained well. MichaelMc points out managing 3 things instead of 2. This makes sense -- a possible negative for the plugs. CanadaDan says the plugs helped tremendously--That's a positive and also makes sense in that everyone differs in physiology.
 
No expert here of course, but if the pressure build up is delayed, would that not mean the pain is also delayed? This may cause a diver to continue to descend--when things "catch up" could that mean even a worse situation than if the pain started when it normally would without the plugs? I suppose if the diver using the plugs descends VERY slowly (even if no pain at all) all pain could be eliminated?
I'm fuzzy on the physics. My reasoning may be completely backwards.
I should add to my post that you should pinch your nose and equalize for every meter (3 feet) of first 10m (30 feet) of descending, regardless you feel the pressure or not. Once you feel the pressure, it could be too late and you may need to ascend a bit to equalize.
 

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