Length of my hose (fnaar fnarr)

[andy2tanx]

Ok here goes (preparing mentally for some criticism) I have decided to invert my independent twins, being a fat slob I cant knock them off at the moment. How long should I get the hoses? I thought 5' and 7' but realised that I would like one a bit longer for donating, correct?
Anyone actually done this and found the lengths that work for them?

TIA
Andy H

[Jay]

How would you recover a dropped 2nd stage? Just curious!

Regards

[darthmoll]

Good question, I have always wondered why divers would want to 'invert' cylinders, above water it makes sense to me but not underwater, that is unless you know that you will have to operate in zero vis. Divers do not have to fight against gravity, and the less hose you have to get tangled up in things the better.

You must remember that length is not everything.

D

[Ammers]

I have to agree, inverting just isn't cricket.

Do some yoga! Get flexible, we expect you to be doing the splits soon

[andy2tanx]

But inverted (right way up) is the recognised way to wear cylinders in industry who are working to H&S guidelines.

Bollox to getting supple, it is not the best way to e able to reach valves.  Why do firemen, Navy divers and other industrial BA users wear cylinders the right way up?

As for picking up a dropped reg, easy.  As with other divers you would merely trace the reg along the hose from the first stage.  And as with the holistic DIR chaps the hose would be traced around the divers torso, and the shorter one bungeed around the neck.  (with breakable string, not a 10 quid yellow necklace)

Come on, flame me.

[andy2tanx]

Correction to that last statement...

the hoses would be routed up between the cylinders from the first stages.  They would then go round to the front as usual.  Recovery of the second stage would then be as normal, by dropping the shoulder etcetera.

[andy2tanx]

BTW Jay would you foxtrot oscar to Gran Canaria lad.  Your so called last post before you went was yesterday I believe.

[Dominic]

Since you're going for long hoses, I'm assuming you intend to donate the reg you're breathing in an OOA situation?
If so, then you should have BOTH regs on equally long hoses, as you're just as likely to donate one as the other.

You don't have to run the hoses up between cylinders either, if you don't want to. In the standard long-hose setup, the hose is run down from the shoulder to the hip. If you've already got the first stage at the hip, why bother routing the hose up just so you can bring it back down again? Doesn't add any value.

Nice to see there are still some people around who are willing to put their cylinders the right way up. So few people are aware that the only reason for valves being at the top is the old twin-hose regs that none of us use any more...

[darthmoll]

[quote]Quote: from andy2tanx on 7:25 am on April 6, 2002
But inverted (right way up) is the recognised way to wear cylinders in industry who are working to H&S guidelines.

That of course depends on the industry.

d

[andy2tanx]

well ok I don't know much about industry but I wear a BA set at work (fire brigade) and it is good enough for us there so its gotta be good enough for divers.  Why struggle to turn valves off at the shoulder when it is so much easier to do it at the hip.

Good point about the hoses from the hip Dom, but routing them up the cylinders will make it easier to do the shoulder sweep thingy wont it?