scrane
Contributor
As far as I can tell, the biggest threat from standard tank valves is carpal tunnel syndrome.
Tank valve knob lock?
- Thread starter WetSEAL
- Start date
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The biggest threat is not knowing the status of the valve. I've seen multiple cases of people splashing with their valves turned off. Last year, a diver jumped in off a Jersey dive boat with his doubles turned off. He sank like a stone (a hot drop) and almost landed on top of me. I gave him my pony then turned him on. He uses Vindicator valves now. So do I.
The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
We're descending into soft porn, I see.
He said "soft".....tee-hee.
The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
if it was such an issue, these from the 1980's might have caught on....
Blast from the past! What you can't see from this pic, is that the black phenolic piece was spring loaded. You lifted it up about an 1/8" and then you could slide it from open to close or the other way. You could shove it from one side to the other with great force and chipping away the phenolic. There is no way to turn it off and/or on during the dive without taking your BC off.
For single-tank diving, checking that the valve is open before splashing is all you should ever need to do. Because the valve is directly behind your head/neck, it is pretty much shielded against coming into contact with anything else, such as an anchor line or a wreck (which you probably shouldn't be inside anyway). Maybe, maaaybe, if you're diving in a kelp forest, you need to be more aware than the average open water diver about entanglement, and that might include being able to reach your valve (and knife), but that's a special environment.
My wife and I are in the process of becoming proficient diving doubles, and one time while we were at a safety stop she experienced a right-post roll off when the valve contacted a line between the bobbing boat and a safety stop hang bar (which we weren't hanging onto). But that is because the valves on a manifold stick out to the sides of one's head; it would be nearly impossible for that to happen to a single-tank valve that is behind one's head.
My wife's incident was a great learning experience, by the way. She fairly calmly switched to her backup reg, but since the possibility of a right-post roll-off due to a bobbing line hadn't occurred to her--we get our training from the cave people who think more in terms of left-post roll-offs against cave ceilings--she immediately thumbed the dive, surfaced, and said "WTF?!" So now we're aware of this possibility on ocean dives.
My wife and I are in the process of becoming proficient diving doubles, and one time while we were at a safety stop she experienced a right-post roll off when the valve contacted a line between the bobbing boat and a safety stop hang bar (which we weren't hanging onto). But that is because the valves on a manifold stick out to the sides of one's head; it would be nearly impossible for that to happen to a single-tank valve that is behind one's head.
My wife's incident was a great learning experience, by the way. She fairly calmly switched to her backup reg, but since the possibility of a right-post roll-off due to a bobbing line hadn't occurred to her--we get our training from the cave people who think more in terms of left-post roll-offs against cave ceilings--she immediately thumbed the dive, surfaced, and said "WTF?!" So now we're aware of this possibility on ocean dives.
I think it was good for @WetSEAL to ask.
Yes a little frustrating that they won't take the answer for what it's worth.
I'd like to point out though, it's much more important to learn and have the ability to turn your own tank valve on - than some gadget.
I say this - not because of some remote chance of it rolling off, but because the more likely scenario, which happens with an unfortunate regularly is someone rolling in with their gas turned off most often through lack of buddy and self check through complacency, of being disturbed/forgetful while setting kit up.
Personally I know I'm not infallible, and if I'm guiding likely to be disturbed or rushing kitting up. I always but always test breath right before I jump, regardless of having checked (or thought I'd checked before)
Yes there have been a couple of times (thankfully only a couple) where I've had to turn my own gas on at the last moment, but thankfully not while in the water, which has claimed quite a few divers sinking through gas turned off, over weighted, not dropping weights and panic.
SO my suggestion, do not worry about some gadget, but practice being able to turn on your own gas, and get into a routine with equipment and stick to it. If disturbed, check again, and then check once more for good measure
Yes a little frustrating that they won't take the answer for what it's worth.
I'd like to point out though, it's much more important to learn and have the ability to turn your own tank valve on - than some gadget.
I say this - not because of some remote chance of it rolling off, but because the more likely scenario, which happens with an unfortunate regularly is someone rolling in with their gas turned off most often through lack of buddy and self check through complacency, of being disturbed/forgetful while setting kit up.
Personally I know I'm not infallible, and if I'm guiding likely to be disturbed or rushing kitting up. I always but always test breath right before I jump, regardless of having checked (or thought I'd checked before)
Yes there have been a couple of times (thankfully only a couple) where I've had to turn my own gas on at the last moment, but thankfully not while in the water, which has claimed quite a few divers sinking through gas turned off, over weighted, not dropping weights and panic.
SO my suggestion, do not worry about some gadget, but practice being able to turn on your own gas, and get into a routine with equipment and stick to it. If disturbed, check again, and then check once more for good measure
Last edited:
PfcAJ
Contributor
Don't be so sure.
Rred
Contributor
The OP's dilemma sounds like the reason why all the shops tell me that they no longer use J valves, because they could kill someone. Me and NOAA and the USN still prefer J-valves overall, and somehow, my domesticated ones have never threatened me.
I'm guessing the Hollywood nonsense that the OP saw was a problem with a J-Valve, because nothing is going to really rotate a K valve enough to create an issue. (Our one unicorn not being very likely to recur.)
The OP could just wrap some self-adhesive velcro around the knob, and then lay a strip of the mating velcro across the knob and onto the stem, so that the valve was "strapped" open. Or closed.
And look into the "Vindicator" tank knobs. Easily replaces original knob with something that gives you positive confirmation against an even more common problem, of some yoyo playing with your valve while you weren't looking.
I'm guessing the Hollywood nonsense that the OP saw was a problem with a J-Valve, because nothing is going to really rotate a K valve enough to create an issue. (Our one unicorn not being very likely to recur.)
The OP could just wrap some self-adhesive velcro around the knob, and then lay a strip of the mating velcro across the knob and onto the stem, so that the valve was "strapped" open. Or closed.
And look into the "Vindicator" tank knobs. Easily replaces original knob with something that gives you positive confirmation against an even more common problem, of some yoyo playing with your valve while you weren't looking.
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