Why does water get in my regulator?

[maudiver216]

Hello,

I went diving today with the Rescue a Reef program from the University of Miami to restore the coral reefs off of the coast of Miami. The dive consisted of cleaning the coral nursery, made up of PVC pipe "trees" with coral hanging from them, collecting coral from them, and "planting" them on the seafloor of a different location. While working on the planting phase, at one moment I was oriented nearly vertical, upside down, and I felt water coming into my reg. I dive with an Atomic Z2 with 70+ dives on it and take it in for service on a yearly basis. What gives? Why does water come in to my reg?

Thanks

 

[jgttrey]

The exhaust valve is on the bottom of your second stage. If you're inverted and the exhaust is "on top" water can enter when you exhale, especially if it's light exhalation. It's just a one way flapper. You can easily visualize the issue. It's quite normal for a reg to breathe wet in that orientation.

 

[emoreira]

Several causes for water coming into the 2nd stage :
1) a mouth piece with a crack
2) bent exhaust valve
3) a hole in the diaphragm
Any way, breathing up-side-down usually you get water in your mouth, as the exhaust valve is higher than the mouth piece, so water goes down (gravity is still present) and the lowest point is the mouth piece.

Exhaust valves are tricky. They could bend when getting wet, but go back straight when dry. You could be able to see the bent exhaust valve through the holes of the exhaust ports.

 

[Perryed]

I brought my Atomic T2 in for service mainly because it would breathe very wet sometimes. I handed it to the clerk and she looked at the mouthpiece and pulled on it and it was torn. Felt kinda dumb because that never even occurred to me.

 

[buddhasummer]

Can leak via zip tie if not tight enough, too big a mouthpiece. I've had plastic ones leak via zip tie.

 

[Still Kicking]

Can leak via zip tie if not tight enough, too big a mouthpiece. I've had plastic ones leak via zip tie.

When I encounter that with a Seacure, I remove it and warm up the orifice (but not the bite tabs) in hot water. It usually seals much better when I put it back on the reg. Of course, if it's the wrong size for the reg you can only make it fit so much, hence the reg-specific sizing for Seacure.

 

[Dan]

Can leak via zip tie if not tight enough, too big a mouthpiece. I've had plastic ones leak via zip tie.

This happened to me when a swift current swiped side way off my face. The regulator turned 90 degrees. I started sucking water and my mask was also flooded. Turning away from the current, draining out the water from the mask, and tightening the mask strap solved the problem temporarily. When I was back on land, I replaced the loose zip tie on the mouthpiece. Apparently after sometime the mouthpiece can get deformed, compressed on the regulator and loosening the zip tie.

 

[buddhasummer]

This happened to me when a swift current swiped side way off my face. The regulator turned 90 degrees. I started sucking water and my mask was also flooded. Turning away from the current, draining out the water from the mask, and tightening the mask strap solved the problem temporarily. When I was back on land, I replaced the loose zip tie on the mouthpiece. Apparently after sometime the mouthpiece can get deformed, compressed on the regulator and loosening the zip tie.

Had the exact same with a conshelf I own, at first thought it was the exhaust valve.

 

[Dan]

Had the exact same with a conshelf I own, at first thought it was the exhaust valve.

I carry spare zip tie and mouthpiece on every dive trip since then in my tool kit, including small plier / zip tie cutter, spare dive computer (DC) battery & o-ring and small screwdriver / tool for opening the DC battery compartment.

 

[jgttrey]

Never any harm in checking that stuff, but OP's wet breathing problem is only when inverted. Pretty clear what's causing it. It's normal.