Diving with Aqua-Lung Stream Air

[ronhend]

Hi All,

I just bought Stream Air to began putting together a vintage equip outfit.

This one is in great shape, completely rebuilt.

I would like to dive with it on occausion just to bring back the old memories of how these things felt and sounded.

I plan to get vintage tank single or doubles to go with it.

Here is my question, is it ok to use this reg with a h/p tank ?(3442 psi)

I know back in the 50's the pressures were quit a bit lower.

Thanks,

Ron

 

[Couv]

Hi Ron,

I'm not familiar with your regulator, but I asked a similar question in this thread:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/regulators/284479-vintage-2-hose-regulator-setup.html

couv

 

[vintagediver]

Hi All,

I just bought Stream Air to began putting together a vintage equip outfit.

This one is in great shape, completely rebuilt.

I would like to dive with it on occausion just to bring back the old memories of how these things felt and sounded.

I plan to get vintage tank single or doubles to go with it.

Here is my question, is it ok to use this reg with a h/p tank ?(3442 psi)

I know back in the 50's the pressures were quit a bit lower.

Thanks,

Ron

No, do not use it with a high pressure tank.
Use it with low pressure, not because it can't handle the pressure but it will not breath well at high pressure. The sweet spot is 1800 psi. Use a steel 72 at 2250 or AL 80 bled down to 2500. I have a Stream Air and it breaths well at the lower pressure.
3000 psi is tolerable until it arrives at it's designed pressure range.

 

[herman]

I would be concerned about the yoke as well, it might handle the 3400 but that is over 1000psi more than it was rated for. Bleed down an 80 or get a 72. Even then an 80 at 2600 or so is going to give you around an hour at 30 ft, plenty of time for an old reg. If you want to use that HP tanks, get reefrats PRAM he is selling, it's good to 4000.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

The Stream Air is a single-stage, upstream valve like the Mistral (it is the Mistral's predicessor), and it is not only the yolk to be concerned with, but also the seat. The seat should be good to 3000 psi, and the yolk too, but most don't recommend it beyond 2475 psi (the 10% overfill of a 2250 psi steel cylinder). I would still dive it on those HP tanks, but bleed them down to 2475 psi.

One thing to consider is that these types of double hose regulators operate best if they are positioned between the shoulder blandes of the diver, and using a larger diameter task will move the regulator several inches away from the diver's back. In doing so, you are adding several inches of water pressure to the inhalation resistance for initiating the regulator flow. The best cylinder choice for these regulators is a twin 72 or twin 38 cubic foot steel tank system (twin 50
AL tasks work, but again you are pushing the regulator's ability to cope with that pressure). The military harness is also better than a backpack, as the backpack inevitably moves the regulator away from the diver's back unless it is an older design.

There is one other thing to consider, and that is that the upstream valve design of this regulator means that it is harder-breathing at higher tank pressures. Using a higher (3000 psi) tank at full pressure, even if there were no yolk or seat problems (which there well may be) means that the regulator will be much harder breathing. The neat thing about this regulator is to get it to about 900 psig and realize how well it breaths there. I can usually figure out with these upstream valves when I'm about to go onto reserve, as that's when they breath the easiest, and it is really sweet-breathing at that point.

SeaRat