Replacement good quality quick dump shoulder mounted BCD mechanism??

[iainwilliams]

Hi

I'm using a diverite transpac and oxychec wing. Lately, the dump valve mechanism (attached to the hose & inflation mechanism) has become worn. The screw threads on the attachment area of the mechanism to the wing are becoming worn.

I want to replace the mechanism before it becomes either permanently attached or cannot be attached due to wear and tear.

Are there quality quick release mechanisms available with stainless threads?

Any suggestions to where to get a replacement quick dump mechanism?

Thanks, Iain

 

[beanojones]

Stainless though it is resistant to rust, still rusts. Plastic does not, which is the reason for using plastic on the shoulder nuts. They are not actually meant to be taken apart and put back together every dive, though some people do, which is why you are seeing accelerated wear.

 

[SDAnderson]

It doesn't matter who the manufacturer is: the plastic retaining nut used to hold the dump mechanism to the bladder should be removed as seldom as possible. Damage to the threads - both on the nut and the bolt - is almost inevitable (and cumulative) and correcting the problem can involve replacing not just the nut but also the bolt. On many bladders the bolt is welded to the bladder and can not be separated so repairs can only be made by replacing the entire bladder, I don't know if this applies to your OxyCheq wing.

The various brands of plastic nuts are not all interchangeable. The threads are different as is the length. Heck, using the wrong gasket can screw things up. The things are cheap enough that I've never fooled around trying to figure out whose fits whose, though I'd be interested in the information if anyone has ever spent the time.

I don't know of anyone making the entire dump assembly from stainless. They have enough problems with the springs, adding more metal to the equation would only increase the corrosion problem.

Better to leave the BC sitting in a tub of fresh water to dissolve any salt crystals and flush any grit out with a garden hose.

Zeagle makes a sweet inflator head that fits most inflator hoses and that can be easily removed, allowing the inflator hose to attach to a garden hose to flush the inside of the bladder.

 

[iainwilliams]

Yes I agree that the device should not be undone regularly.

My issue is that when I travel (frequently) TSA and their equivalent in Australia insist on checking the bladder. They unscrew the device.. Now whenever I am catching a plane I have to unscrew the device for inspection.

This is why it is becoming worn and needing replacement. Iain

 

[beanojones]

Zeagle makes a sweet inflator head that fits most inflator hoses and that can be easily removed, allowing the inflator hose to attach to a garden hose to flush the inside of the bladder.

That is a cool system, but damn does a BCD ever get heavy when it is full of water. I did it once and then just decided to leave it hooked up.

 

[beanojones]

My issue is that when I travel (frequently) TSA and their equivalent in Australia insist on checking the bladder. They unscrew the device.. Now whenever I am catching a plane I have to unscrew the device for inspection.

This is why it is becoming worn and needing replacement. Iain

I remember thinking after the shoe bomber made us all have to take off our shoes, there would be an underwear bomber and we would all have to take off our pants. But then there was a underwear bomber and I still do not get to take my pants off in the airport. I have tried several times, and they have stopped me every time.

It's just not fair.