Dust cap off first stage while soaking regs

[Bob DBF]

yup - its a DUST cap. its not designed to be a bulletproof waterproof cap

I like the old dust caps that housed a spare o-ring, with the o-ring in it was good, but without it was just a dust cap.


Bob

 

[redacted]

But what about us fresh water only divers?

Rinse and repeat.

My condolenses.

 

[halocline]

Is it possible for some kind of mineral deposits to develop from use in fresh water? I haven't heard of anyone soaking their regs after diving in FL springs, which are the source of bottled mineral water. The tap water you're soaking the regs in probably has minerals, too. I have to believe that spring water (not to mention tap water) doesn't contain enough of anything to be harmful to our regs. Quarry/lake water?

It is possible for some mineral deposits to build up, but even the most mineral-hardened fresh water is still several orders of magnitude less corrosive than salt water. Seawater has about 30,000 parts per million total dissolved solids, hard fresh water has maybe 400 parts per million. Almost 100 times less dissolved minerals.

I have never bothered soaking regs after freshwater diving.

 

[halocline]

If you rinse your regs after a dive in salt water, it never has a chance to build up.

That's simply not true. Rinsing does get the salt water off the exterior surface, but not in the threads or in places like the contact points of the spring in ambient chambers. The ambient chamber side of the piston head, where the spring either contacts it or sits on a washer, is a prime location for salt intrusion, and that's why one sees a lot of corrosion in that area.

The only way to get salt out of places like that or threads not protected by an o-ring is through soaking. This allows the salt to migrate out through osmosis. Soak long enough, and the water that remains in those spots will be essentially salt free.

I can't speak to your experience, only my own, having rebuilt many older regulators and kept my own fleet going for several years. And my experience shows a very clear connection between soaking and far less salt corrosion at service.

 

[redacted]

I like the old dust caps that housed a spare o-ring, with the o-ring in it was good, but without it was just a dust cap.


Bob

They work but I am not a fan. The ones I have take a fat o-ring (112?) rather than a 014. When that o-ring falls out it is not easy to detect. And I have had the plastic crack, probably after the oring fell out. I prefer the so0lid rubber models.

 

[DogDiver]

Wow..... here's your sign. Why would you even think of soaking a regulator after a fresh water dive.

 

[Marie13]

It was only meant to be in for a bit, but I fell asleep.

 

[LUBOLD8431]

That's simply not true. Rinsing does get the salt water off the exterior surface, but not in the threads or in places like the contact points of the spring in ambient chambers. The ambient chamber side of the piston head, where the spring either contacts it or sits on a washer, is a prime location for salt intrusion, and that's why one sees a lot of corrosion in that area.

The only way to get salt out of places like that or threads not protected by an o-ring is through soaking. This allows the salt to migrate out through osmosis. Soak long enough, and the water that remains in those spots will be essentially salt free.

I can't speak to your experience, only my own, having rebuilt many older regulators and kept my own fleet going for several years. And my experience shows a very clear connection between soaking and far less salt corrosion at service.

My experience has shown it is true. And for what you are talking about, that's what regular maintenance is for (annual or semi-annual service). The benefits of soaking a first stage do not outweigh the damage you possibly could be doing.
Piston regs are more susceptible to this corrosion you are referring to, but I still do not see that as a reason to soak.

22 years of being in the diving industry, former Instructor, former Technical diver, certified Reg Technician for all major brands, owner of Piston and Diaphragm regs. Maybe I've been doing it wrong all these years. But, I think not.

 

[redacted]

My experience has shown it is true. And for what you are talking about, that's what regular maintenance is for (annual or semi-annual service). The benefits of soaking a first stage do not outweigh the damage you possibly could be doing.
Piston regs are more susceptible to this corrosion you are referring to, but I still do not see that as a reason to soak.

22 years of being in the diving industry, former Instructor, former Technical diver, certified Reg Technician for all major brands, owner of Piston and Diaphragm regs. Maybe I've been doing it wrong all these years. But, I think not.

What damage? One can eliminate any risk of water intrusion by soaking the reg under and many seem to favor that approach. I rarely do that as I know my inlet protectors on both my din and my yoke regs keep water out. But, even if fresh water were to get in, what damage do you see being incurred?

 

[LUBOLD8431]

What damage? One can eliminate any risk of water intrusion by soaking the reg under and many seem to favor that approach. I rarely do that as I know my inlet protectors on both my din and my yoke regs keep water out. But, even if fresh water were to get in, what damage do you see being incurred?

Any water inside a first stage that is allowed to just sit there is always a bad idea and can cause damage.
If you must soak your first stage, at least do it when the regulator is on a cylinder (turned on).
If you don't think that water inside your first stage is not damaging, then go ahead and keep doing what you are doing.