Checking your own tank valves

[Johnoly]

I'm a spearo,,,No one touches a spearo's equipment,,never.

 

[Teamcasa]

Checking valves is generally part of the DM's job. Some take it seriously, some don't. Either way it is your responsibility to insure your valve is open and to assist your buddy in making sure their valve is open.

As for fully open vs fully open and backing off a 1/4 turn - to me, it just adds to the confusion. If the valve is fully opened, air will flow, unrestricted. If the valve is fully closed, the diver will know in a breath or two that is is closed. However, if the valve is partially opened, there may be some doubt and who needs that?

In older valves, you could damage the seat by twisting the valve fully open and it would sometimes stick in that position hence the practice of backing it off. Todays modern valves do not suffer from this problem.

 

[reticentDiver]

I've seen this happening a few times. Best approach is to double-check the valves with your buddy just before jumping in or while floating in the surface. Only takes a second.

Regarding the 1/4 turn, I don't any point in rolling it partially closed other than avoiding the valve getting stuck in an open position. I just open the valve fully but not so strongly that it will get stuck.

 

[Rick Murchison]

As one who's had to deal with a stuck-open valve more than once, I make sure mine's about a quarter turn off the stop. And it isn't just old valves... last one was summer before last on a reasonably new Scubapro valve. It's a pain to have to sit there holding the purge valve until the tank's empty before you can switch tanks for the next dive.
Rick

 

[Teamcasa]

As one who's had to deal with a stuck-open valve more than once, I make sure mine's about a quarter turn off the stop. And it isn't just old valves...

Since I'm the guy that opens my valve, I make it a habit not to crank it hard open with enough force to cause it to stick. But if I did, I guess I'd be the guy squeezing my octo.

 

[ptyx]

I got taught the 1/4 turn as well, and for the same reasons.
I've seen 'sticky' valves (although none so badly stuck it was an issue), so I have to accept the reasoning.

However, I don't do the full 1/4 turn any more as it's enough travel to allow confusion. I just ease the valve slightly off the 'full open' position - maybe 1/16 or 1/8 of a turn.

I don't mind having other people checking the valve, but I make sure I'm the last one doing it - eventually in the water. Chimp-sized arms help

 

[djtimmy77]

My buddies have some tanks with the reverse-direction valves (from some tech diving application) and they get mad when the boat crew tries to touch their valves. One has had the boat crew turn off their valve on accident before jumping in the water causing a near-drowning.

 

[InTheDrink]

As one who's had to deal with a stuck-open valve more than once, I make sure mine's about a quarter turn off the stop. And it isn't just old valves... last one was summer before last on a reasonably new Scubapro valve. It's a pain to have to sit there holding the purge valve until the tank's empty before you can switch tanks for the next dive.
Rick

I quarter turn my valve back but am rethinking it in light of various threads I've seen here. I can't see how the benefit of possibly having to purge a tank - PITA yeah but hey - compares to a potentially serious situation as depth increases.

I'm thinking fully open or fully closed is probably safer. If fully closed I'll know before I even get in the water as I have my reg in for at least 5 breaths before I jump. That's the place I want to know whether I've no gas.

J

 

[Rick Murchison]

I quarter turn my valve back but am rethinking it in light of various threads I've seen here. I can't see how the benefit of possibly having to purge a tank - PITA yeah but hey - compares to a potentially serious situation as depth increases.

This statement highlights one of the big changes in training (and in the way we dive) that has occured over the years. When I took Scuba initially, from the very first pool session the instructor turned the air off underwater at least once per session, and we had to turn it back on. The objective was to train us to automatically check the valve open at the first sign of breathing resistance, and that habit has stuck with me.
I don't shut my students' air off like in the good old days, but I do tell all my students... "If you dive long enough, sooner or later you will jump in with the air off, or nearly off. You'd best be able to reach your own tank valve."
Every year there is at least one fatality from someone jumping in with the tank valve off or nearly off, and instead of just reaching back and turning it on they end up a statistic.
Opening the valve all the way is no guarantee against a dyslexic DM - indeed, if the valve's on the stop he may be more likely to assume it's off and needs turning all the way in the wrong direction... less a quarter turn .
Rick

 

[InTheDrink]

This statement highlights one of the big changes in training (and in the way we dive) that has occured over the years. When I took Scuba initially, from the very first pool session the instructor turned the air off underwater at least once per session, and we had to turn it back on. The objective was to train us to automatically check the valve open at the first sign of breathing resistance, and that habit has stuck with me.
I don't shut my students' air off like in the good old days, but I do tell all my students... "If you dive long enough, sooner or later you will jump in with the air off, or nearly off. You'd best be able to reach your own tank valve."
Every year there is at least one fatality from someone jumping in with the tank valve off or nearly off, and instead of just reaching back and turning it on they end up a statistic.
Rick

I feather my valve on all my drill sessions and on safety stops etc. This is not a question of not being familiar with the technique - the execution of which is trivial or at least I find it easy. It has however all to do with prevention of a LOG or OOG event at depth.in comparison to the annoyance of having to purge a tank on a boat.

Inviting unexpected task loading or complications for the sake of it doesn't sound like a rationale to me.

edit: and it sure as hell doesn't 'highlight' any training issues. Just cos I can deal with many situations I wouldn't deliberately sabotage my dives to prove 'my training'.