SS1 free flow

[cocoajoe]

I have an Atomic Z2 reg with Atomic SS1 second purchased new about 4-1/2 years ago. Reg has always been good with no problems. SS1, not so much.
Towards the end of 2nd year, SS1 free flowed....fortunately I was at a shallow depth. Didn't freak me out too bad as I was close to the 2 year semi-annual service. Got it serviced and no problems. Fast forward 2 more years and serviced again. 1st dive after service, SS1 free flow while assembling gear....couldn't get it to stop. Blew the dive and whole day (dive was at BHB where you have a 1 hour window) Had shop to adjust it....watched what the tech did, did some research and added a 3/16" allen wrench to save-a dive kit....just in case it happened again.
After I got back home, I asked shop (where I had service done) what happened? Guy replied, sometimes something or other doesn't seat and it should be OK now.
A couple of dives later...SS1 free flowed (this time on a boat wreck dive no less... while setting up gear). broke out allen wrench and fixed problem.
Everytime this has happened, I've been either shallow, on a boat or dry land. I really don't want to deal with this at 80 or 100 ft

What gives?

 

[djtimmy77]

Have your first stage checked for IP creep.

 

[cocoajoe]

Have your first stage checked for IP creep.

Thanks

 

[rsingler]

Have your first stage checked for IP creep.

For other readers, this cryptic reply deserves a little explanation.
The SSI is as simple a downstream valve as it can get:

So a repeated freeflow stems only from a leak between the orifice and the seat. How can this arise?
1) a grain of sand catching between the seat and orifice
2) a change in the dynamic seal between those two parts. How? increased supply pressure overcoming the spring tension that held it sealed under a previous adjustment, OR a change in the sealing surface (normal indenting of a new regulator seat).
With a reg sitting unused on the BCD, freeflow from 1) is unlikely.
However, a leak from the first stage HP side can gradually cause an increased supply pressure to the LP hoses (IP creep) that eventually overcomes an unbalanced second's spring tension. IP creep would NOT normally be noticed during a dive, because it takes 5-120 seconds to become apparent, depending upon the leak rate. Normal breathing drops the IP intermittently, and the 1st stage is reset to its starting pressure.

But the OP's story is that freeflows occurred on assembly of gear except for first occurrence.
So to me, there are two possibilities:
The first occurrence may have been a grain of sand, but should have cleared with a good bang and a purge. Alternatively, the reg just came out of adjustment as the seat took a deeper indentation from the orifice knife edge, to the point where it could not maintain a seal. Or the IP indeed rose due to a 1st stage problem (dangerous).
However, the subsequent occurrences happened after recent service. One would hope that the 1st stage had been serviced as well, which makes repeated freeflows due to IP creep hard to buy.
But when a new LP seat is placed in a second stage, it's perfectly flat and can seal with the lightest of pressures from a good knife edge. After a few days, it's very common for cracking effort to drop substantially as the seat takes an impression from the orifice and the effective pressure on the seat decreases.

It's possible that both the subsequent freeflows occurred because the tech did not detune the regulator to account for the new seat. He/she may have wanted to provide a regulator that demonstrated best possible performance. Problem is, the dynamic changed as the flat seat became indented. There is no "seat-saver" feature on the SSI. The increased sealing pressure provided with that 3/16" wrench in the field may have corrected for a too-light initial tuning, and there may be nothing wrong with the 1st stage. Still, very worthwhile having the IP checked for creep. $17 and the checklist on the regulator forum, and every diver can do this for him/herself.

A good reason to get your service done a week/month ahead of time, so you can check possible cracking effort changes from service before you leave on your trip.
A good reason to buy an IP gauge and do the checklist on the Regulator forum before you leave for a trip.

 

[wideangle]

Interesting thread. My dive buddy and I each have titanium SS1s. Both of them free flowed at one time or another during our most recent two week dive trip. Thankfully - long story short - I was able to disassemble mine and reassemble it, learning how to adjust it to resolve the free flow.

The adjustment consisted of rotating the inlet tube - the one that connects it to the first stage - until it stopped. After that, when my buddy's SS1 free flowed, it was simple and quick to stop it.

When I had mine apart, it seemed there was nothing to prevent the inner part of the valve from rotating, so over time, plugging it onto the hose and unplugging it seemed to cause it to free flow. Rotating the connection resolved the problem, at least until the end of the dive trip.

I have now replaced both of them with Scubapro safe seconds which seem to work fine.

I was going to send them back to Atomic but so far filling out their online form and calling them have got zero response. I guess I'll throw them out and switch to Scubapro...

Anyone know if they are still in the regulator business?

 

[grantwiscour]

I'm thinking they are still in business...maybe lacking in customer service skills. I recommend the guys at Scubatoys. I have an Atomic reg that I have them service for me. Headed there in the next few days to drop it off.

 

[Atomic Aquatics]

Hi Wideangle/Scubaboard!

We are still around and growing quite rapidly. Wideangle, would love to help with any issues in regards to your regulators. I have not personally seen any inquiries in our sales inbox and I have a few of our customer service representatives responding to our consumer inbox on a daily basis. I apologize if we have missed something. Do you know which address/phone number you attempted to contact?

Feel free to contact us at 888-270-8595 we would love to help fix the issues you are having with your SS1s. You can ask for me, my name is Ryan, and I would be more than happy to help you with any questions you may have.