Revo: offboard diluent?

[Wibble]

Has anyone tried reconfiguring a Revo to fully offboard diluent? Meaning removing the diluent regulator, putting in the additional hosing and possibly changing the manifold and installing a QC6 (as it's wet-sealing) such that the offboard diluent/bailout tank would run the unit's diluent and wing inflate.

Just curious as it would make travel diving a little cheaper as you'd only need a single oxygen tank plus a stage-mounted dil-out. Another bailout diluent tank could be connected using the normal offboarding port on the injector block (and could be used for the wing if needed).

 

[beldridg]

Most people I know will just disable the ADV and put Air in their on-board Dil tank for the wing inflate and then run their Trimix off board lean bailout into the off board port on the MAV. I've done this a few times in the past as well.

You don't need to reconfigure anything on the unit and you achieve the goal (at least as I understand what you are trying to do) of using cheap gas (Air) for the wing and Trimix for the diluent.

- brett

 

[broncobowsher]

I had not thought of using Brett's idea. The closest I had was in Truk, to save on gas I brought my drysuit bottle and plumbed that into the wing. Generally worked good. Deeper stuff with lots of profile the little 6CF bottle wasn't enough. I could either swap to rich bailout or go back to DIL But saved 6CF of DIL. Really needed a little bigger bottle, keeping my out for a cheap 2L Aluminum for next time. But now have me thinking about Brett's idea. Might better match with those Choptimas and there DIL-out.

 

[beldridg]

I had not thought of using Brett's idea. The closest I had was in Truk, to save on gas I brought my drysuit bottle and plumbed that into the wing. Generally worked good. Deeper stuff with lots of profile the little 6CF bottle wasn't enough. I could either swap to rich bailout or go back to DIL But saved 6CF of DIL. Really needed a little bigger bottle, keeping my out for a cheap 2L Aluminum for next time. But now have me thinking about Brett's idea. Might better match with those Choptimas and there DIL-out.

Yep, I was using the "Air 3L on-board Dil for wing and deep bailout into the MAV" trick last time I was in Truk.

- brett

 

[Wibble]

The original thought was for using the Revo as a kind of Sidewinder/Triton/ChOptima where you have the diluent running from the bailout tank, thus reducing it to two tanks, a small oxygen which could be onboard, plus a larger ~ali80 dil/out.

Taking this even further, removing the oxygen regulator and then running it from offboard oxygen, e.g. an ali40 of oxygen on the RHS and an ali80 of "air" on the LHS.

Obviously for shallow only!

Only throwing some ideas around, just wondered if anyone's heard of someone "hacking" the Revo like that?

 

[mr_v]

The original thought was for using the Revo as a kind of Sidewinder/Triton/ChOptima where you have the diluent running from the bailout tank, thus reducing it to two tanks, a small oxygen which could be onboard, plus a larger ~ali80 dil/out.

Taking this even further, removing the oxygen regulator and then running it from offboard oxygen, e.g. an ali40 of oxygen on the RHS and an ali80 of "air" on the LHS.

Obviously for shallow only!

Only throwing some ideas around, just wondered if anyone's heard of someone "hacking" the Revo like that?

Howdy @Wibble ,

What problem are you trying to solve? It sounds like you need to buy a second, smaller unit so that you can come to FL next year w less luggage ;-)

@beldridg suggested a setup that may be useful in caves with dive profiles that call for a lot of suit/bcd gas, similar to Fathom's dilout.

Cheers~

 

[Wibble]

As you said, other rebreathers may fit the bill better for lightweight travel rebreathers. Just curious if someone's "lightened" a Revo before to make it more travel friendly.

In my (limited) experience, luggage weights are 23kg/50lbs for standard baggage, 26kg/57lbs for "extra" on low cost airlines, and 32kg/70lbs for the long-haul max weight.

My Revo in a Pelicase is minimum of 26kg/57lbs which adds a fair amount of money for the tickets -- frequently the luggage is more than the passenger ticket.

Of course I could swap the Pelicase for a cheapo lightweight case, but it's the right tool for the job.

 

[cathal]

Most people I know will just disable the ADV and put Air in their on-board Dil tank for the wing inflate and then run their Trimix off board lean bailout into the off board port on the MAV. I've done this a few times in the past as well.

You don't need to reconfigure anything on the unit and you achieve the goal (at least as I understand what you are trying to do) of using cheap gas (Air) for the wing and Trimix for the diluent.

- brett

Just curious, can I ask from where would you inflate youor drysuit with this configuration? Tks

 

[beldridg]

Just curious, can I ask from where would you inflate youor drysuit with this configuration? Tks

Personally, I generally use a dedicated 6cf tank for my drysuit. I know others who "split" their wing hose so they can inflate both their drysuit and their wing from the Dil tank with Air.

I just spent 10 days diving in the Solomons and used the method of Air in the onboard diluent tank and Trimix off board from my bailout. I was diving wet so I didn't have to worry about a drysuit gas.

It also really helped when we did a deep dive in the morning and then a shallower dive in the afternoon. I would off board in the morning and then just use the Air diluent from the inboard for the afternoon dive.

I don't know how much I saved in Helium, but I'm guessing it was a lot. Both from my wing inflation and from not using a Helium rich gas for my afternoon dive.

- brett