Help with floating to surface

[RobPNW]

Thanks MC, didn't think of the wrap around concept which would tilt the valve towards the side. I can also appreciate the KISS principle on failure points. That's why I was thinking of not getting the dump integrated with the inflator elbow. Seems you could rely on the bottom dump for most of the time, and if that breaks, well it's time to go up anyways. So you could always go more head up and use the inflator exhaust if you had to. Additionally, it seems to make sense that if the bottom dump were free flowing, you would want to get more head up anyway to mitigate what's leaking out of it.

 

[scubadada]

I'm considering a BP&W setup for myself and have a question about the air dumps. I see the different inflator elbow options out there and the arguments for an against. The one thing I'm kind of confused about is the typical dump valve on the lower part of the wings. Seems most I see are on the "inside" of the wing. IOW, if your horizontal under water, the valve would point down. What am I missing? That seems illogical. Wouldn't it be better for the valve to be pointing up? Thanks for any help. Also, if a person were to forgo the dump integrated with the inflator connection on the wing, are there any wings that offer a stand alone dump on the right shoulder similar to a lot of the "traditional" BCDS?

The butt dump is on the inside, but close to the bottom. I have exclusively used the butt dump for many years and find it very easy to release air, a little, or a lot. When I really want to make sure my wing is empty, I go a little head down, butt up.

 

[RobPNW]

If you're diving with a drysuit, then you may be taught to just use the drysuit instead of BCD for buoyancy control, in which case the dump probably won't get used much. Agencies like GUE do stress the use of the dump valve for all types of diving.

I know there's mixed feelings on this concept. I'm more of a guy who puts just enough air into the drysuit to keep from getting full body hickies LOL, and then adjust the BC after that. That's not to say, in the event of some kind of BC failure, I wouldn't consider using the drysuit more for buoyancy if I had to to get safely to the surface in a controlled way.

 

[MrVegas]

I think the OP just needs more weight. Everyone is really, really different with weighting. I need 16-18 pounds with an AL80 in a 3mm in salt water. A few years back, I had a dive op where I was renting everything actually refuse to give me the amount of weight I asked for. After I couldn't get down, the DM came over and checked my BC, then gave me two more pounds. Still not enough, and I had to do the swim of shame back to the boat to get the weight I had asked for in the first place.

 

[RobPNW]

Sounds like 2 lbs to me.

 

[TMHeimer]

I think the OP just needs more weight. Everyone is really, really different with weighting. I need 16-18 pounds with an AL80 in a 3mm in salt water. A few years back, I had a dive op where I was renting everything actually refuse to give me the amount of weight I asked for. After I couldn't get down, the DM came over and checked my BC, then gave me two more pounds. Still not enough, and I had to do the swim of shame back to the boat to get the weight I had asked for in the first place.

Many have also heard my almost identical story more than once.