How do you clean your regulators after a sea dive?

[paramedic paul]

Dive in the club pool?




I'm only joking, a damm good rinse in milton solution is my way but then again I don't dive that much in the sea so other advice will be better!!!!!!

[Kirstie]

Originally Posted by PeeBee

Someone once pointed out to me that the dust cap is just that, a DUST cap, no O ring etc, so now I rince my 1st stage carefully, keeping the dust cap pointed down to minimise the risk of water ingression even if it is fresh water, the 2nd stages I rince, slosh around and then let the whole lot hang to dry.

Our dust caps have got tiny o-rings in them. I dunk my regs completely (dust cap and all) and have never (touch wood) had any problems.

[Finless]

Originally Posted by Kirstie

Our dust caps have got tiny o-rings in them. I dunk my regs completely (dust cap and all) and have never (touch wood) had any problems.

That you know of?

[Marky Mark]

Is the spring a part which is normally exposed to salt water, or is it inside the valve? I would expect the latter and wonder where the salt is getting in. I normally hose mine down fitted to the cylinder and under pressure, making sure to flood all of the nooks and crannies. A reg purged when not pressurised can let water in.

Alternatively, a teatime dip in our local muddy puddle Monday or Tuesday after, I'm surprised that place isn't brackish by now as I'm sure I'm not the only person to do this

Good luck

MyM

[AidanS]

Originally Posted by Keith Wood

My usual way to wash my regulator is to leave them in fresh water and then after a while purge the air through while its still underwater.

going by the instructions on my Apeks regulators they say merely dipping them in fresh water is inadequate for cleaning what they suggest is the regs are pressurized to prevent water to migrate into the regulator and then soaked for an hour in fresh water. Granted this is far to much of a hassle really however when i clean my regulators i usually attach them to a pony cylinder, pressurize them and then leave to soak while i clean everything else. if you put them in at the very start they probably get a good half hour soak by the time youre done, keeps them happy

[Kirstie]

Originally Posted by Finless

That you know of?

Well, I've hauled myself, alive, out of the water at the end of every dive so far, so they've been ok up until now.

The one and only 'scenario' I had was when a bit of seaweed got wedged in my reg and caused a very wet breathe (ie all water and no air). Displaying a staggering level of intelligence, I took three or four 'breaths' before I decided to swap to my back-up reg.

[Keith Wood]

It was in the second stage, it was the spring which pushes the purge button back up. They said the 1st stage was fine nothing wrong with it and no salt.

Keith

[Bantam]

I have a couple of groovy DIN delrin screw-on caps which I put on the DIN fittings of my reg, then they get bunged in one of those big yellow rubber buckets full of water for an hour along with my computer, and most accessories for a soak, every so often stirring the water round so it gets in everywhere.

I've always done this and never had any problems with my regs (the T40D is 20 years old this year and still tip-top!).

[scuba g]

Originally Posted by PeeBee

Someone once pointed out to me that the dust cap is just that, a DUST cap, no O ring etc, so now I rince my 1st stage carefully, keeping the dust cap pointed down to minimise the risk of water ingression even if it is fresh water, the 2nd stages I rince, slosh around and then let the whole lot hang to dry.

True with poseidon dust caps, but orings are also important in regard to pressure, tightening an A Clamp dust cap has enough pressure to keep water out, I use DIN regs and the screw on caps have enough pressure to keep water out too. I dont submerge the regs for more than 15 minutes, in 10 years have never had a 1 stage get wet.

[P B]

The thing that I was taught is to purge them dry at the site, and then rinse them when you get home. Rather than wait till the salt dries on them on the way home and then try and dissolve the salt by soaking.

Makes sense to me, I don't know what other people think of his method.

Paul