New BCD. Do I have to change the low pressure hose?

[Land Fish]

Thank you all very much! Really appreciate you all took the time to share your experience and advices

I'll check the length of the new hose and ask the local dive shop where I got the BCD whether they'd help me change the hose.

Can't wait to get it wet next week on a LOB

 

[jgttrey]

It's a good opportunity to optimize and streamline. Some BCDs come with corrugated hoses that are really long. You see them flopping around on some divers, coming down nearly to their waist. They are "secured" at the top shoulder and then there's 18 more inches waving in the current. That's not great for a few reasons -- streamlining, entanglement, it's never in the same place twice when you reach for it, etc.

You may not have that situation, but if you do, now is a good time to address it. You can get a shorter corrugated hose and some tie wraps. Get that correct first. Then, find the inflator hose length that works with it.

You can jump in a pool with your rig and see. As long as you can comfortably orally inflate, you really don't need the corrugated hose to be any longer than that. It'll be close to your body, not flopping around, and therefore in a consistent place and easy to locate. Then pop off the inflator hose and see how much extra length you have, which will give you an idea what you should get.

Err on the side of too long for the inflator hose rather than too short because if it's a little long, you can, per above comments, sometime adjust with what LP port you use. I find it easier just to give it a half or full wrap around the corrugated hose. The idea is that the inflator hose and corrugated hose are one unit, so you don't have loops of inflator hose floating around.

Anyway, just a thought that if you are looking at moving hoses around, might as well make sure you've got the corrugated hose length optimized first.

 

[Marie13]

Thank you all very much! Really appreciate you all took the time to share your experience and advices

I'll check the length of the new hose and ask the local dive shop where I got the BCD whether they'd help me change the hose.

Can't wait to get it wet next week on a LOB

You can change out the hose yourself. You just need an adjustable wrench. I was very hesitant at first, but now I’m even taking regs off hoses and changing things around. Don’t do that without being shown how. You need two wrenches so you don’t break the reg.

 

[Zef]

You can change out the hose yourself. You just need an adjustable wrench. I was very hesitant at first, but now I’m even taking regs off hoses and changing things around. Don’t do that without being shown how. You need two wrenches so you don’t break the reg.

You only need two wrenches if you are removing a second stage from the end of a hose.

I would caution against using an adjustable wrench unless that is absolutely one's only option. The LP hose fitting at the 1st stage should use a 9/16 inch or 14mm wrench.

Tighten the hose down by hand and then tighten very slightly snugger with a wrench.

The 1st stage is typically chrome plated brass, which is a soft metal. Over-tightening can damage/strip the 1st stage port.

-Z

 

[MrBigfins]

Thank you all very much! Really appreciate you all took the time to share your experience and advices

I'll check the length of the new hose and ask the local dive shop where I got the BCD whether they'd help me change the hose.

Can't wait to get it wet next week on a LOB

If you are going on a LOB and it's new gear, I would try to get it wet at least in the pool before you go. Best to sort it out before you might miss some dives because of any issues.

Anytime I add new gear I do a checkout dive. That way I can control the dive plan to keep it at a shallower depth and have room to deal with any failures or issues. Then I know that I wont have a surprise the next time I take it on a dive that may present more difficulty in dealing with an issue. Or before a dive that I payed alot of money and can rarely do such as a liveaboard

 

[Land Fish]

Thanks again for the tips!

The new hose turned out to be about 3 inches longer than the one that's currently fitted in the first stage, and I've never had issue with LP hose before. I reckon I'll take the new hose with me in case I need to replace the current one for its length.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't have an opportunity to test the new BCD before I go. Limited options at the dive shop for my size (didn't think I was XS but here we are ), and I'd have to go on rental anyway.

 

[Zef]

Thanks again for the tips!

The new hose turned out to be about 3 inches longer than the one that's currently fitted in the first stage, and I've never had issue with LP hose before. I reckon I'll take the new hose with me in case I need to replace the current one for its length.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't have an opportunity to test the new BCD before I go. Limited options at the dive shop for my size (didn't think I was XS but here we are ), and I'd have to go on rental anyway.

Do you have a tank you can set up your reg and new BC on to check the length? or can you check the length of the corrugated hose on the BC you were using? If the corregated hose on the new BC is longer then you may need to mount the new hose for it to reach the fitting.

In reality, if the hose coming off your 1st stage is too short for the corrugated hose, it will still connect, its just that the corrugated hose will lie a bit wonky until you get it sorted out.

Have fun and be safe on your trip.

-Z

 

[Land Fish]

Do you have a tank you can set up your reg and new BC on to check the length? or can you check the length of the corrugated hose on the BC you were using? If the corregated hose on the new BC is longer then you may need to mount the new hose for it to reach the fitting.

In reality, if the hose coming off your 1st stage is too short for the corrugated hose, it will still connect, its just that the corrugated hose will lie a bit wonky until you get it sorted out.

Have fun and be safe on your trip.

-Z

I'm afraid I don't have a tank to test. The shop did inflate the BCD until it popped and sat for a while to make sure it didn't leak. But we didn't fit it over the tank, nor did I have my reg with me.

Based on what's been said here, hopefully it wouldn't be a major task to fix when I get on the LOB and if the current hose couldn't reach the inflator (is it called that btw?)

 

[drbill]

As long as the old hose is still in good shape, long enough and the fitting is correct (as appears to be the case from your post), you shouldn't need to change. I've got inflator hoses that are a decade or more old and despite very frequent diving, they are still good.

 

[Alvin Slovinsky]

Hopefully someone can answer my question my first stage regulator doesn’t have a bcd inflator hose low pressure side on it are the inflator hoses a standard size thread that fit into the first stage regulator or does it depend on the make of the first stage regulator. I measured my other set up and the inflator hose on it is 33 inches so I thought I would order the same size for this one as well. I do also require a low pressure plug for one outlet on my first stage that needs to be closed off can someone tell me what side plug I require as well Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer me.