Have you ever had to clean your second stage underwater?

No, never, but I've had to screw one back together underwater.

i have gotten sick into my regs loadsa times . and i sure did have to clean the chunks out after

but id never take a reg apart under water if thats what your asking

MaryS said:

No, never, but I've had to screw one back together underwater.

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Ah, so a reason to have it fixed on...

James-S said:

Ah, so a reason to have it fixed on...

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or to make sure you've put it back together properly before the dive. ATXs have removable face plates, and mine haven't fallen off in 6+years.

***edit*** I'm not implying that MaryS mucks about with her kit!

I have cleaned grit out underwater. I might have been doing a bit of silt-out digging (bloody timer caps....grumble grumble) and I got a reg full of crap. It didn't cause any issues, but I was worried, so a quick switch to the back-up, face off, diaphragm out and a swoosh, then pop it all back together.

davemanroe said:

***edit*** I'm not implying that MaryS mucks about with her kit!

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I'd have been safer if I had been - I'd have realised it was loose! It was an Oceanic Omega II where the whole of the housing unscrews from the pilot valve inside so I was left with a piece of plastic in my mouth but no internal guts to it

(PS I do muck around with my kit :embarasse)

Yes, diving in Stoney, recovering line blind and got a bunch of mini-mussels in the diaphragm which meant it was breathing wet. Put mask back on, switched to back-up, took face plate off the TX40, cleaned the crap out, put it back on, reg back in gob, and carried on with the line drills.

Regards

Has anyone ever had the need to clean their backup?

Depends on where it is! If it is like a lot of recreational divers I see with Octos dangling, then the answer should be yes because it is dragging in the crap.

Regards

How about around neck?

James-S said:

How about around neck?

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Never done it but the need would be exactly the same, or more so, than the one in your gob as there is no positive airflow through the reg to discourage any silt if you are ratching around.

Have tried removing ?TX faceplates without tools & it ain't easy! How do you do it underwater?

You need to NOT crank them up tight with tools! Once you have them off the first time, just tighten them with the palm of your hand - they then come off in the same way, and you can just get your fingers catching the edge of the pierced holes in the faceplate for extra leverage.

Lou said:

You need to NOT crank them up tight with tools! Once you have them off the first time, just tighten them with the palm of your hand - they then come off in the same way, and you can just get your fingers catching the edge of the pierced holes in the faceplate for extra leverage.

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bingo

So I don't need the Apeks faceplate removal tool then?

Cool!

You removed an apeks faceplate underwater, that was originally tightened up to the required amount, in cold water , underwater, with gloves on??

Yes you can undo them with your hand that is possible, I know that.

N2-UK said:

So I don't need the Apeks faceplate removal tool then?

Cool!

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yes to get them off in the first instance

Try it with a rubber glove on the faceplate first and you may find you don't need the tool at all.

N2-UK said:

So I don't need the Apeks faceplate removal tool then?

Cool!

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I use the edge of a teaspoon handle in one of the slots, once loose, as Lou says, just do it up hand tight.

bubbleless said:

You removed an apeks faceplate underwater, that was originally tightened up to the required amount, in cold water , underwater, with gloves on??

Yes you can undo them with your hand that is possible, I know that.

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Yes.

Although it depends what you think the required amount is. As I explained, it is hand tight. Never has it accidently come undone. Never have I had a problem with the diaphragm mis-seating. So, for me, that is pretty much the required amount.