Checking your own tank valves

[Chuck Tribolet]

If the DM thinks they need to open my valve, they damn well better tell me they think so BEFORE
they mess with it.

I can say: "close it all the way", and check that is really closed by breathing the pressure down
to zero.

If they are right, I'm rightfully embarrassed and it may well not happen again.

If they are wrong, they are rightfully embarrassed and it may well not happen again.

In either event, nobody gets hurt, nobody gets a shortened dive.

Fortunately, I have my own boat, and I'm the last one in. If I get it wrong, it's 100% MY fault.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

Just out of curiosity... is your primary buddy or the DM on the boat more likely to turn the valve the wrong way?

Seems best to take a few breaths while still on the surface and look for any movement of the needle on your pressure gauge - a last step before beginning descent.

 

[InTheDrink]

Seems best to take a few breaths while still on the surface and look for any movement of the needle on your pressure gauge - a last step before beginning descent.

Yup, last thing you should do before leaving boat and giving evil eyes so no-one comes near you to **** with your ****.

 

[Leejnd]

I hope this doesn't seem like a dumb question, but it's something I've wondered for a while, and this seems like a good thread to ask it.

Is there any guidance about how long your valve should or should not be open before you descend? I was told by a DM once that I shouldn't turn my air on until right before I jump in the water.

I'm most comfortable being solely responsible for my own gear in every way, including my tank valve - but I have to admit I'm not as flexible as I once was, and while I can reach it once the gear's on my back, it ain't easy (and I'll have sore shoulder muscles for a while if I do it) - although I could do it in a pinch if I had to. So I generally turn my own air on right before I gear up. However, one time on a boat a DM told me I should wait until the last moment to turn on my air. This means that I would have to do it after I geared up - something not so easy for me anymore - or ask someone else to do it (buddy or DM). I'm just uncomfortable with this. *I* want to turn on my valve myself...*I* want to control where it sits (I open it fully, but lightly - no hard cranking)...*I* want to be the one solely responsible if I ever do stupidly descend with my air off.

So...why shouldn't I turn on my valve right before I gear up, even if it's going to be several minutes before I can jump in, while I wait for the other divers ahead of me at the gate? Is there some technical, mechanical reason, some potential failure point caused by turning on my air well in advance?

 

[Web Monkey]

I hope this doesn't seem like a dumb question, but it's something I've wondered for a while, and this seems like a good thread to ask it.

Is there any guidance about how long your valve should or should not be open before you descend? I was told by a DM once that I shouldn't turn my air on until right before I jump in the water.

If your valve and tank o-ring and reg are in good shape, you can open it the day before you dive, if you feel like it.

The DM that told you that might know something about their tank maintenance or o-rings that you don't, or maybe just doesn't want to worry about freeflows.

Terry

 

[Cave Diver]

Just out of curiosity... is your primary buddy or the DM on the boat more likely to turn the valve the wrong way?

Neither. No one touches my valves unless I ask them to. My buddies don't mess with my gear and I politely (the first time) ask DM's or boat crew to stay away from it.

 

[blue steal]

Leejnd: I usually turn the tank on after suiting up. I like to check for any leaks, check the pressure gauge, check for any flucuations in the gauge, check the octo., reg, and LP inflator. I also like to turn the tank full on , (not hard on), and then back off just a touch.
Web Monkey is right, if all is in good shape you could open it any time.
just my 2 psi or 2cuft

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

1+ what Terry said above.

My feeling (and others may of course feel differenty) is that once the 1st stage goes on the tank, the valve should be turned on and left on. When rigging my gear, I never put the reg on the tank then go on to something else without turning on the air. I've seen and heard about too many folks setting up their gear, turning on the air to check the pressure in the tank, then turning it off again.... and then forgetting to turn it on again before jumping in the water.

If for some reason you or the boat crew does not want tanks sitting with the air on, they should not have the 1st stages on the tanks.

Best wishes.

 

[Cave Diver]

If your valve and tank o-ring and reg are in good shape, you can open it the day before you dive, if you feel like it.

The DM that told you that might know something about their tank maintenance or o-rings that you don't, or maybe just doesn't want to worry about freeflows.

Terry

In my experience, rental tanks o-ring in high volume warm water destinations tend to leak more times than not. I recently spent two weeks diving with two friends, averaging 3-4 dives a day. On any given dive, 1, sometimes 2 of us had o-ring leaks. A few of the tanks leaked so bad that I asked for another and a couple of times I changed the o-ring myself from my save a dive kit. Leaks occurred randomly between 4 different divers, so I'm certain it's not the regs.

 

[Uraluni]

Just out of curiosity... is your primary buddy or the DM on the boat more likely to turn the valve the wrong way?

Seems best to take a few breaths while still on the surface and look for any movement of the needle on your pressure gauge - a last step before beginning descent.

In this case, I'd have to say the boat mate (NOT the DM (although the DM did turn it when we were all floating on the surface after the incident)) was the one who turned the valve the wrong way. I checked her valve before we splashed in. We've been diving many years in conditions much rougher than Caribbean waters for many years, and are very confident that we have each other's back and know what we're doing.

I jumped in before my wife (as I typically do), then turned around and faced the boat on the surface, waiting for her to splash in (again, normal for us when there is no viable current). I did notice the boat mate fiddling with her tank valve, but didn't think much of it as I've seen many boat crew do the same thing many times over the years.

He obviously didn't close it all of the way (most likely he closed it and did the backturn, opening it just enough to breath from on the surface). As mentioned previously, it was a shallow dive. It was at about the 40' mark where she experienced real problems (again, another indicator that there was a valve issue). My fault lies in the fact that my brain didn't register the issue as I should have when her mechanical pressure gauge was pegging back and forth.

Breathing on the surface would have shown no inconsistencies with this particular issue.