BC Failure

[PfcAJ]

A lot of corrugated hoses out there aren't really corrugated, they just look like it.

Close inspection shows a joint running lengthwise. They're just molded plastic with little ridges on it it to look like a corrugated hose. It doesn't stretch the same way.

Compare this, a real corrugated hose

To this, a faux-corrugated hose

 

[padudle]

fjpatrum ,

No rudeness detected.

I think it is just a design defect in some of the hoses I have used. The ribs on the hose are just thick sections of rubber. Right where the thick ribs meet the thin walls in between there is a "stress riser" where the hose tends to tear.

After this last failure the LDS put a different brand of hose. The cross section of the corrugations are more like a series of U shapes going in and out. I think that spreads the stress evenly and should be better.

Anyway, some inflator hoses are quite fragile in normal use. Keep your eyes peeled for bad designs. Some argue that inflator hose breakage is not dangerous but I have found it inconvenient on dive trips to remote locations.

 

[padudle]

PfcAJ

Yes, that is exactly the type of inflator hose that has failed on us twice. I agree it is not really corrugated, just ribbed. The ribs actually increase the chance of breakage.

Thanks for the photos, worth a lot of typing.

 

[fjpatrum]

A lot of corrugated hoses out there aren't really corrugated, they just look like it.

Close inspection shows a joint running lengthwise. They're just molded plastic with little ridges on it it to look like a corrugated hose. It doesn't stretch the same way.

Compare this, a real corrugated hose

To this, a faux-corrugated hose

Thanks for the pics, now I understand. I guess buying old gear I don't get to see the pretty new hoses like that too often. In that regard, I can see how that wouldn't stretch as well. I think I actually do have one of those hoses, but I don't pay much attention to it since I use the other ones on my BC.

 

[Den7]

I had the cap at the top of my inflator hose unscrew itself twice soon after service two different years when I first started diving. Both times it was at the beginning of a dive with a 7 mm farmer jane and I or my buddy discovered that my BC was not holding air and bubbling heavily and I did not start the descent. I was lucky that I was not overweighted and stayed right at the surface until we figured out what was going on. One time the cap was lost and the second time it was just very loose and we tightened it.

When I informed the shop that the cap had unscrewed itself, they told me that I need to make sure that all the caps are tight before every dive. After the first time, I checked the caps for a while. After the second time, I made sure I checked every time... for several years. Then, once in a while. Hmm, I had better get into that habit again.

I always seem to get reproach glances when I tend to romp with my gear a little longer by doing some extra check ups. Plus I definitely do not rush to descent the same second I enter the water which usually gets me already angry looks from my buddies which kinda makes me feel slightly uncomfortable... However, now I know that I am doing the right thing and I think the lesson we learned here proves it one more time that there is no rush when your life could be at stake. It's better to be late (if it applies here) than dead. Thanks for sharing.

 

[fjpatrum]

I always seem to get reproach glances when I tend to romp with my gear a little longer by doing some extra check ups. Plus I definitely do not rush to descent the same second I enter the water which usually gets me already angry looks from my buddies which kinda makes me feel slightly uncomfortable... However, now I know that I am doing the right thing and I think the lesson we learned here proves it one more time that there is no rush when your life could be at stake. It's better to be late (if it applies here) than dead. Thanks for sharing.

I've only dived off a boat once, but I've had new buddies pretty much every dive so far. I solve the "you didn't descend fast enough" problem by telling dive buddies pre-dive that I usually have trouble equalizing the first time and I go slow until then. I let them know after that first equalization I'm usually fine but that first one can take a couple minutes.

Keep doing the right thing... make a good buddy check and it will make a better dive for both of you, I'm sure. My first post OW was a shore dive with a DM and 3 other divers. 2 were together so I "buddied up" with the other non-DM diver. He didn't really seem to understand why I did a buddy check with him instead of the DM, but he was appreciative of it when the DM ended up having to babysit one of the other divers and he and I got to see what we paid to see without any real worries.

 

[Den7]

I've only dived off a boat once, but I've had new buddies pretty much every dive so far. I solve the "you didn't descend fast enough" problem by telling dive buddies pre-dive that I usually have trouble equalizing the first time and I go slow until then. I let them know after that first equalization I'm usually fine but that first one can take a couple minutes.

Keep doing the right thing... make a good buddy check and it will make a better dive for both of you, I'm sure. My first post OW was a shore dive with a DM and 3 other divers. 2 were together so I "buddied up" with the other non-DM diver. He didn't really seem to understand why I did a buddy check with him instead of the DM, but he was appreciative of it when the DM ended up having to babysit one of the other divers and he and I got to see what we paid to see without any real worries.

Fair enough. I go by "safety first" ALL the time and no matter what. Don't trust stranger divers (dive buddies you've never met before) too much as wellk:

 

[padudle]

I think this thread is about but I wanted to mention how I finally resolved this issue.

We bought a pair of new Power inflators from Northeast Scuba Supply and replaced the units on our Sherwood BC's. The new elbow did not quite fit at the shoulder where they screw on so I re-used the elbows from the Sherwood units. I really like the new units because the hose is truly corrugated as recommended by PfcAJ above. These new hoses look like they will not fail so we no longer have to carry a spare.

 

[dktexas54]

Thanks for the info. I found that the hose can swing and over time loosen your connection. I always check my connection before every dive. 16 lbs with a 7mill? you must be in great shape.

 

[Tigerman]

Drysuit; Your redundant friend in bouyancy