Tiny droplet of moisture in SPG

[Ioncloud9]

I had been storing my regulator in its case for about 45 days since it was last rinsed. Apparently it wasn't completely 100% dry before I put it in the case as there was an odor of old moisture that was all over it. I also noticed there was a tiny spot, just a few droplets of moisture inside the SPG. Its a 1.5" plastic and brass SPG. I'm not sure what to do next. Should I just toss it and order a replacement? Its less than a year old and been on about 16 dives. It was last dunked in fresh water and dried before placing it in storage and I've never had a problem with it flooding or fogging during dives. If I replace it, I'll get a brass and glass face SPG instead.

 

[tbone1004]

remove it from the hose and put it in a bag of rice like a cell phone. Probably suck it all out. That said I'd be more concerned about what's inside the hoses and the regulators, particularly if it has a smell and may be starting to grow things....

 

[Diver0001]

That water could only have gotten there 2 ways:

1) the SPG is broken
or
2) water got in the 1st stage somehow.

Either way you need to take it to a shop and get it inspected/serviced.

As for your question of whether or not it should be replaced. I'm personally one of those "fail on the safe side" types and if it were MY spg I would just replace it. These things can and do fail (albeit very rarely) but when it does fail it's not funny.

R..

 

[Ioncloud9]

That water could only have gotten there 2 ways:

1) the SPG is broken
or
2) water got in the 1st stage somehow.

Either way you need to take it to a shop and get it inspected/serviced.

As for your question of whether or not it should be replaced. I'm personally one of those "fail on the safe side" types and if it were MY spg I would just replace it. These things can and do fail (albeit very rarely) but when it does fail it's not funny.

R..

Yeah I think replacing the SPG is definitely the safe play. It’s only $60 for a new one and for life support equipment it’s not worth taking unnecessary chances on parts that might be defective.

 

[Ioncloud9]

remove it from the hose and put it in a bag of rice like a cell phone. Probably suck it all out. That said I'd be more concerned about what's inside the hoses and the regulators, particularly if it has a smell and may be starting to grow things....

I took the whole setup apart and there is no indication water or moisture got inside the hoses. I think there was a tiny bit of water inside the second stages. Just a few drops but enough to cause the exterior bits to get damp. I don’t think any moisture made it past the diaphragm.

 

[tbone1004]

if you have a second spg just check it against that. stick it in some rice for a week and let it dry out. if it is still accurate just let it go until it breaks. It's not like you suddenly can't breathe if your spg fails

 

[JamesBon92007]

I had one leak recently--after using it there was water in it. It turned out that the SPG and hose was OK, it's just that the housing it's in was leaking. After a couple of failed attempts at sealing it I used epoxy to re-attach the clear cover (after carefully cleaning the sealing surfaces, lubricating the o-ring, etc) and so far it seems AOK. I found a plastic lid that fit exactly on the outside rim of the clear cover and put it in a vise with boards on both sides until the epoxy set up. Of course I replaced the o-rings too, just to be sure.

 

[Diver0001]

I had one leak recently--after using it there was water in it. It turned out that the SPG and hose was OK, it's just that the housing it's in was leaking. After a couple of failed attempts at sealing it I used epoxy to re-attach the clear cover (after carefully cleaning the sealing surfaces, lubricating the o-ring, etc) and so far it seems AOK. I found a plastic lid that fit exactly on the outside rim of the clear cover and put it in a vise with boards on both sides until the epoxy set up. Of course I replaced the o-rings too, just to be sure.

So.... summarizing (if I understand you) you spent a lot of time and probably as much money as a new one would cost to glue a second front piece to it.

You DO understand, don't you, that when you open your tank there is 100 times as much pressure on that gauge than there is in the tires on your car.... and you know how hard tires blow when they blow......

To me, what you are suggesting is ... well ... illogical, to put it diplomatically. This (see photo) is what can happen if the SPG fails. The reason you don't see a glass front on this gauge is because the glass front is firmly embedded in the first thing it hit after it blew off. Fortunately, in this case, it wasn't someone's face.

So, again. I say what I started with. I'm a "prevention is better than cure" type of diver and if I saw water in my SPG I would retire it.

 

[Ioncloud9]

if you have a second spg just check it against that. stick it in some rice for a week and let it dry out. if it is still accurate just let it go until it breaks. It's not like you suddenly can't breathe if your spg fails

Yeah I see your point. As it is, I was checking my dive buddies regs and somehow some water got through the octo and all up in the 1st stage. For some reason the SPG on this kit didnt have any signs of moisture. I'm not sure what went wrong or what I would've done to allow water egress into these regs. I always seal them after taking them off tanks and never press the purge when rinsing them off. But I might as well get both kits serviced at this point.

 

[JamesBon92007]

So.... summarizing (if I understand you) you spent a lot of time and probably as much money as a new one would cost to glue a second front piece to it.

You DO understand, don't you, that when you open your tank there is 100 times as much pressure on that gauge than there is in the tires on your car.... and you know how hard tires blow when they blow......

To me, what you are suggesting is ... well ... illogical, to put it diplomatically. This (see photo) is what can happen if the SPG fails. The reason you don't see a glass front on this gauge is because the glass front is firmly embedded in the first thing it hit after it blew off. Fortunately, in this case, it wasn't someone's face.

So, again. I say what I started with. I'm a "prevention is better than cure" type of diver and if I saw water in my SPG I would retire it.

View attachment 476752

I'm more of a "why is there water in my SPG" kind of guy and took it apart so I would know. The actual gauge itself is separate from the housing--all the housing does it keep it dry. There was no sign of corrosion on the gauge or did it appear, in any other way, to be unsafe to use. It worked fine, out of the water, when pressurized, with no leaks whatsoever. The reason that an old gauge can blow the cover off when pressurized is because the gauge itself is defective. If the SPG was repeatedly wet inside the housing then, of course, there could be corrosion that might compromise the integrity of device's ability to withstand high pressures. I would not use a gauge that demonstrated those kinds of defects. I do not agree with the idea of drying out the gauge because to me this indicates a probable repeated exposure to moisture (of an evil kind--salt water) and is more likely to be ready to blow.