BCD annual inspection

[trob09]

..snipped..

Nobody is doing this after every dive, hence part of the need for an annual servicing. Additionally, the inflator valve should be opened up periodically and serviced and the bladder should be opened up and visually inspected. These two steps require more training (and tools) than the average diver has, further necessitating a trip to the dive shop.

I guess I need to change my name to Nobody. Well, to be truthful, it's not every dive as I don't do this on the boat during the surface interval, but:

When I get home, everything goes into the tub with warm water & simple green. The rear dump and inflator hose comes off the bladder & I make sure that water & simple green get splashed inside. I re-attach the rear dump valve & inflator hose and then inflate fully (to the point that the OPV valve blows) and then shake the soapy water around & drain out the inflator hose. The rear dump and inflator hose come off again & the bladder is rinsed until all soapy water is out. it is then dried completely inside and out (I have adapted a blower fan to send a constant stream of air through the bladder). While this is done I inspect the inflator. _At least_ once a year I break down the inflator, inspect, change o-rings as necessary, re-lube and reassemble. Once dry & reassembled, I fully inflate the wing & check for function of valve & inflator. Then it's stored and ready for the next dive.

My BP & wing doesn't have pockets so there's nothing to check there. I do inspect the webbing, the back-up lights and knife every trip as well.

Regs (doubles and stages) also get put on a tank, pressurized, submerged and soaked for an extended period so I can check for function, leaks and performance.

Drysuit is also soaked and rinsed, inflator and exhaust valves are inspected and tested. seals are inspected and talc is applied when dry. Zipper is waxed.

Some claim I am anal-retentive, but this stuff keeps me alive at 270 feet (or more). I am certain that the shop is not going to do all of that, regardless of any vinyl tag they might put on it to remind me to take it in.

 

[The Kraken]

Well done, Trob.

 

[trob09]

Well done, Trob.

Thanks. As all of the agencies say, safety is my responsibility. I service my own regs, inspect clean and service my own tanks and valves too. If something is wrong, I know it. I also know how to fix it.

 

[munkispank]

this is an interesting thread, thanks to all the posters.
I usually clean out inside and out after each dive- I have been using one of those expensive BC solutions from a dive shop- but I might swith now.
I have removed the rear overpressure deflator and cleaned it- but not actually taken the inflator hose off of the BC. I might give this s atry now when it's dry to check it out- didn;t know it was soemthing I could do myself.

so- when it goes back on, what should I lube?
And I am a little confused about the armour all on the inflotor hose- what doe sthat do?- why is it a good idea?

 

[The Kraken]

Armor-All really will be of no great advantage. You're grabbing the thing all the time and effectively wiping it off.

Take some of the lubricant used for the O-rings in camera housings and put a light coat on each side of the gasket that goes between the inflation hose and the BC. Helps keep a good seal. The inflators themselves are ver simple and rudimentary devices and are very easy to disassemble, service and reassemble. Check the obvious wear points and give a close inspection to all other components.

 

[scubapro50]

This is an interesting topic. I think that what it comes down to, as far as BCs go, is how well a person maintains their gear. If you thoroughly rinse and clean your gear after a day of diving, you will probably be fine. HOWEVER, many people do NOT do more than spray it off with a hose, imho.

We get BCs in that have salt build-up in the inflator, lots of salt inside the bladder, RE, and OPVs, etc.

We ask, "Do you do a good fresh water rinse of your gear after you are done with your dives?"

Customer replies, "Oh yeah, I take really good care of my gear!!"



Scott

I guess you can tell how well a diver takes care of his gear by how long it lasts .... I've seen some really new gear all messed up after a few dives because they didn't do ( even know how to do) preventive maintance .... shouldn't new divers have been taught on how to maintain their equipment while taking their basic lessons? Have the instructor take and show them how to clean their BC and rinse and clean the rest of their equipment so it will last.

 

[miketsp]

..snip..
Additionally, the inflator valve should be opened up periodically and serviced
..snip..

Interesting comment. I had a small problem with an inflator valve leaking on a BC and I looked at the manual which came with a nice exploded view and apparently only required 1 Allen Key to strip it all down. So I talked to the tec at the LDS and he said that dismantling should be a last resort first I should really insist with soaking, washing and spray lubrification. I thought this was strange since the exploded view looked simple and I should have been able to strip, clean and reassemble in about 30 minutes. I decided to phone the factory to check and they told me that in practice a stripped and reassembled inflator mechanism tends to have a higher subsequent failure rate than one that has never been disassembled, provided it has been washed and lubricated regularly.
So I soaked it for 24 hours, flushed it through with water under pressure and then flushed it through with a silicone spray. The problem disappeared and hasn't reappeared - this was more than 2 years ago.

 

[Charlie99]

So I talked to the tec at the LDS and he said that dismantling should be a last resort first I should really insist with soaking, washing and spray lubrification. I .......... I decided to phone the factory to check and they told me that in practice a stripped and reassembled inflator mechanism tends to have a higher subsequent failure rate than one that has never been disassembled, provided it has been washed and lubricated regularly.

And since a new inflator is only about $25, I wonder what the failure rate is on new ones? :boings:

 

[miketsp]

And since a new inflator is only about $25, I wonder what the failure rate is on new ones? :boings:

I think the implication was that if you look after your inflator it should last as long as the bladder.

 

[Charlie99]

My implication is simply that, at some price/difficulty point, an item becomes a throwaway replacement rather than a serviced item. It's your choice how much you want to trust an inflator that has given you problems in the past. Obviously, it depends a lot on how badly the button was sticking and how easily you got it to work smoothly again.