Aqualung 1st stage leak from side/?bleed holes

[paixx01]

Hello,
yesterday diving here in hawaii, my buddy notices small air leak coming from the small holes on the side of the 1st stage, NOT from the o-ring interface.

my questions

must i service it before diving with it again?

what is the cause?

thanks aloha from hawaii

Mike

 

[mike_s]

which 1st stage /regulator is it? exactly which holes is it leaking from?


to answer your question on servicing it before diving again, it might be OK, but you don't want to find out it's not OK at a depth of 100 feet. If the first stage malfunctions, your octopus is useless. go get it serviced.

 

[paixx01]

the name of the reg is not on the 1st stage, the 2nd stage is an aquarius for what its worth, i didn't see the leak, haven't reproduced it yet, but i'm guessin from 1 of the 3 small(1/8 width) holes,
it was rebuilt in january, but sure i could bring in for servicing assuming the problem persists
thanks

 

[mike_s]

not knowing the first stage (or being an expert here either), I'm gussing those holes are for water to enter a reg that is not environmentally sealed (which is common). It's prob leaking around the diaphram or piston.

could be a major issue or as simple as a "salt crystal" in there.

Give it a good fresh water rinse under pressure. meaning put the reg and tank in a freshwater source and turn the tank on. a wash basin or large rubermaid storage tub will work. purge the reg 2nd stage which will actuate the diaphram/piston in the 1st stage. If it's a salt crystal or small piece of sand this might dislodge it.

It never hurts to take it in to get it checked out. $30 bucks/$50 bucks of labor isn't that much to know what it is and to prevent a failure. If you're unsure, this is the course to go.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

If it has ambient pressure holes, it sounds like a piston regulator, most probably a fairly simple "flow by" design. If it is basically straight with a yoke on one end, the low pressure ports (3 or 4) and high pressure port in the middle, then the holes for the ambient chamber and then a metal cap on the end (that holds the piston head and forms the compression chamber) - it's a flow by design.

If that is the case, the air is leaking past either the piston stem o-ring (on the LP port side of the ambient pressure holes) or past the piston head o-ring (on the cap side of the ambeint holes). In either case, you want to get it serviced before you dive it again.

The most likely cause is the piston head o-ring getting pinched slightly during assembly when the tech inserted it into the cap/compression chamber as it is a very tight fit.

Another possibility is that you have a "franken regulator" consisting of an Aquarius second stage on a Sherwood first stage. In this case it may not be a problem as Sherwoods bleed air into the ambient chamber as freeze protection and the excess leaks out in a very small stream of bubbles.

 

[paixx01]

ya its got 4 low pressure, 1 high pressure, i guess, and its definitely USD 1st stage, aquarius 2nd,
its straight just above the pressure holes the little holes i'm talking bout are part of the metal cap it looks like.
should i go ahead and do the immersion business mike_s is advising then?
i've maybe 10 dives + on it since it was rebuilt, with no notice till this last dive,