Anybody have this happen before?

[shoredivr]

I was walking towards the pool for a weight check with my new drysuit, tank on my back and gas on, when I heard a sudden hiss of escaping gas behind my head. I thought maybe a hose went, but when I got the tank off and had a look, the HP port plug seemed unscrewed a bit. That's odd, it was ok for diving last week, but no problem, I thought, I'll just get out an allen key and tighten it up. As I put the key into the hole, the port plug head just fell off the rest of the plug. I had not even begun to torque it. Toast.

No, the 1st stage did not hit anything at any time.

Last weekend I was diving in 34F water, and the air temperature was above freezing and there was no leak on that dive.

Suggestions? I mean, apart from getting another HP port plug

 

[redacted]

I'd suspect it was over torqued. Take a good look at the threads in the body for any sign of over torquing damage, replace the plug, and go light on the torque.

 

[UCFKnightDiver]

just get a new HP plug and don't overtorque it, to answer your question though, no it's never happened to me and that's a bit scary.

 

[wedivebc]

Any chance the reg was subject to freezing after the last dive? Water expands when it freezes and can generate an enormous amount of pressure.

 

[nadwidny]

A DiveRite product. No surprise there.

 

[shoredivr]

Any chance the reg was subject to freezing after the last dive? Water expands when it freezes and can generate an enormous amount of pressure.

I wondered about that too. The air temp on the previous dive day last week was a few degrees above freezing. However the dive before that one, in February, the air temperature was definitely below freezing...yet if that was when ice formed around the HP port plug, I managed to get last weeks' dive in without having any problems...

Thanks all.

 

[Doc]

That's corrosion, plain and simple, from a metallurgical failure.

I do not blanket condemn DiveRite gear as does Nadwiny above. I would like to see the mating surfaces on the 1st stage, the o-ring condition and a detail of the hex surfaces in the cap.

Nope, never seen that one, not on SCUBA gear. On my 1976 CJ5 after years in a salty environment? Yes.

 

[shoredivr]

The threads in the first stage look fine, check the threads in the photo, it's the same all the way around the port itself. Unfortunately the o-ring must be in the back of my truck somewhere, but looking at it after the head of the port plug fell off, it had no pinches or overt wear marks.

The hex surface remains fine in the plug, I can fit an allen key into it no problem. It's just the top cap part of the plug that snapped off. And that's the part that holds the o-ring in place.

99% of my diving is in fresh water here in the Great Lakes, and I don't think this reg has been in salt water since it came out of the box.

 

[captain]

Was the regulator serviced recently. If it was I would suspect the EXPERT reg tech over torqued it. If it was serviced you might want to check if anything else was over torqued like the LP hoses in particular.

 

[SkimFisher]

A DiveRite product. No surprise there.

Knew that was coming...