Pony bottle question

[Bearded_fire_worm]

Yeah after thinking about it, i'll turn the valve back on after the unit and second stage is completely submerged and flooded, any free flow can be easily managed since the tank so accessible. Any leaks should be easily seen too.

 

[Steve_C]

My pony reg will free flow sometimes if it is on when I giant stride in. SO it is as you say, charge it, shut off and giant stride in. Then turn back on before continuing the dive.

 

[tbone1004]

depends on whether you intend to use it or not, if you intend to use it, then you use the pony instead of your octopus, in which case it is on and always on. I don't like turning valves off, so it's personal preference, but when I carry a pony, it is not in place of my octo, it is a bottle designed to hand off to someone else so I'm not attached to them. I use Poseidon Jetstreams, they have a switch that lifts the diaphragm off of the servo valve making it almost impossible to freeflow, so I use that. They also have an OPV built into the first stage so can't do anything about that, but they do make very nice pony regs because they are basically impossible to induce freeflow.

 

[Airburnr01]

I use a 19cu.ft. luxfar with a pony tamer rig set up to hold it upside down, with the valve accessible when i reach down. I use an atx 50 with,a 7ft hose. Clean fool proof.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[jbomb001]

TigerGear Pony Tank Mounting System | Wreck Diver Supply

I use this and dive with pony on and ready.

Sent from my galaxy S5 Active.

 

[DaleC]

Yeah I dunno... do people really have the experience of 19cuft of gas freeflowing from a slung tank without noticing on a recreational dive?
The only caveat I can think of is scootering.

 

[lowviz]

No, you will notice. But mine still stays off for a reason.

I'm now in a place in my diving where an ingrained and effective response to an issue is what I train for. Only two things breathe freely, your reg in my mouth and MY reg bungeed under my chin. Take yours, I'll get onto mine.

Everything else is charged and off. Stage, Travel, and pony bottles. All the same. Turn on and breathe. All the same procedure.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

No, you will notice. But mine still stays off for a reason.
I'm now in a place in my diving where an ingrained and effective response to an issue is what I train for. Only two things breathe freely, your reg in my mouth and MY reg bungeed under my chin. Take yours, I'll get onto mine.
Everything else is charged and off. Stage, Travel, and pony bottles. All the same. Turn on and breathe. All the same procedure.

Playing the devils advocate - if it is ok to let your bungeed reg stay charged (assuming no inline shutoff) - why not let the pony do the same? Seems the same risks and physics apply to both? Not sure I understand the logic - but then I am not incurring any deco either.

 

[uncfnp]

Ponies 19 cf or larger I leave on. My 13 cf I cut off after charging since a gas loss, even short term, is more significant. Hated trips to the LDS just to top off a few cf. Now that I can whip, may just leave them all on.

But honestly, I don't have the imagination to come up with a scenario where I don't have the few seconds to open a valve when the action has become second nature to me.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Ponies 19 cf or larger I leave on. My 13 cf I cut off after charging since a gas loss, even short term, is more significant. Hated trips to the LDS just to top off a few cf. Now that I can whip, may just leave them all on.
But honestly, I don't have the imagination to come up with a scenario where I don't have the few seconds to open a valve when the action has become second nature to me.

Lobstering and sticking your hand into a hole up to your shoulder to get that bug. Finding out your hand is now slightly wedged in that hole and your regulator is half out of your mouth in 5 to 8 foot viz in 80 feet of water. I dont want to be fussing with that valve and if the rest of that reg gets knocked out of my mouth - I want one smooth motion to get some gas...