rebreather death edo-04 (rb 80 clone)

[db8us]

As i heard....

when having a normal breathing pattern the unit was NOT venting any gas, when breathing hard the vlavle was "flattened" andy then venting "some" gas

 

[padiscubapro]

db8us once bubbled...
As i heard....

when having a normal breathing pattern the unit was NOT venting any gas, when breathing hard the vlavle was "flattened" andy then venting "some" gas

if thats the case the diver should have known something was amiss...

 

[madmole]

To me that valve looks like its had hot water on it, maybe he has been a bit enthusiastic on his cleaning

Shame he had no PO2 monitor, especially as he had a second RB with him

ALWAYS know your PO2!!!! and that goes for ALL semi closed and the RB80. Anything thats mechanical or electrical will eventually break

As for a buddy, how many times does it have to be said and the fatalities mount up. Dive alone, die alone

 

[caveseeker7]

madmole once bubbled...
Shame he had no PO2 monitor, especially as he had a second RB with him

According to the LKA press release BOTH RBs had damaged check valves.

 

[db8us]

Yep, both valves were damaged.
It looks like the manufacturer did not make enough tests prior to sell the unit, or just took cheap stuff

@Madmole
we always use a Po2 Monitor when trying out things and on the first maybe 100hours.
On long exploration dives we leave it at home, since we stick to listening and feeling the machine work, as there is no time checking Displays and i do not hear the alarm.
The sensors show stupid values after 10hours....

 

[madmole]

mmmmmm low or high PO2 doesn't make any noises and feelings either!

and if the O2 meter tells you the PO2 is wrong after 10 hours, which is wrong the PO2 meter or the user!!!!

I get a physical symptom when My Land Rover runs out of Diesal, and I can swap to the secong tank, but I still have a gauge on the thing and a yellow idiot light

We are all human, we all make mistakes, even the best maintained and checked kit can fail. Stack the odds in your favour and KNOW YOUR PO2

Yes, other Passive SC breathers have better valves, but they still have this single point of failure (and others). What happens if its leaking just a little, just enough to lower the PO2 below what you think. The unit will still behave the same, and vent gas when you expect it (just a smaller volume), the dive will go fine and then you surface and BINGO

We already know the Passives have a problem on the surface and shallow surfacing, hence most folks go OC at the surface (plus the breathing resistance is too high when upright waiting for the boat)

 

[padiscubapro]

db8us once bubbled...
Yep, both valves were damaged.
It looks like the manufacturer did not make enough tests prior to sell the unit, or just took cheap stuff

@Madmole
we always use a Po2 Monitor when trying out things and on the first maybe 100hours.
On long exploration dives we leave it at home, since we stick to listening and feeling the machine work, as there is no time checking Displays and i do not hear the alarm.
The sensors show stupid values after 10hours....

if your sensors "give stupid values" its sounds like moisture on the cell face.. sounds to me you need a better place to put them to keep them dry rather than losing them.. also rising co2 will give cause "funny" values, the po2 will be lower than expected, as long as its not too high only increased breathing rate will be noticed, and the body can withstand this for a considerable time. its not until the co2 reaches a critical level when things start to go wrong..
the constant venting of an scr can really hide co2 issues, keeping them to a tolerable level by the body when something is really wrong.

 

[db8us]

If i am shallow or near the surface, i do not need a breather.
I only use it if it´s advantages outweighs the disadvantages.

Here in a local lake (20m depth) i often see divers doing 40Minutes with an YBOD or Draeger...
I prefer OC then...

During exploration dives i think one is not able to constantly check "displays" and i can not hear the Oxygauge-Alarm ;-(

 

[madmole]

Well, for most YBODS owners the advantages do outweigh the dissadvantages

Warm gas
No noise or bubbles
No dry throat
Nice smooth natural breathing pattern
No concerns on gas duration
Able to standardise one set of bouyancy skills rather than swapping between RB and OC floatation
Perfect Nitrox/Trimix mix for depth, therefore longer duration or less deco

Heck I even use mine in the pool

disadvantages, mmmm
I have to pack the sofno and prep the unit
Its bigger out of the water than a 12 and reg

Youre the 4th or 5th RB-80 user I've talked to who finds that their unit is not suitable for shallow water use, is this a design fault or a user problem? having to swap OC and RB skills on every dive is complicating matters, and what if I have to resue you, I now have to do an extra check to see what the hell you are breathing and do I need to close your loop or not. Doesn't sound like a simple solution to me, most unDIR

As for not being able to flip up a handset and check some numbers every minute or so, thats rubbish, course you can do it easily (trained and practiced since dive 1 on the unit). Dont you check your tables, bottom timer, contents guage etc during your dives?. How do you check and listen to the RB-80 to make sure all those valves and injectors are working fine and bubbling when they should then? At least the YBOD, HH etc shout/flash/Shake loudly if your a complete prat and miss the obvious.

Dont get me wrong I like the RB-80 and think its a good unit. But its not the ONLY unit and its certainly not the most suitable unit for the way most folks dive. If its the tool that you choose to use thats fine, but consider that not everyone dives the same as you and that cost and availablity are also important factors in the choice of unit. Just consider yourself a Mac user when the rest of the world are using PC's

 

[anthony12]

I have never dove the rb-80, and am sure it is probably a fine rig. I have to wonder when someone says a RB is not suitable for shallow dives. I think they are perfect for shallow dives. Your body becomes the only limiting factor. If your warm, have a nice current to ride-I've stayed down for 3hours a wack taking some unbelievable photos at 70' or less.

As for the RB-80
1.) Its way to expensive
2.) Very few actually being dove
3.) No included PPO2 Monitoring

Like I said before, its probably a great unit. But, its way to expensive, not many people diving them, and no incuded PPO2 monitoring. As a single father cost is very important and PPO2 monitoring is even more important. If the RB-80 is your choice then I'm sure you put a great deal of thought into it and its the right unit for you. After alot of research and a couple tests of other units I chose the Inspiration because it was quite simply the best I could afford, the most units produced, and the fact that I was able to dive one before I emptied the bank account.