Inflators

I understand it's a good idea to 'standardise' your inflators so that they
fit both your dry suit and BCD in case of failure in one or the other. How
does this work and is it expensive? Currently have an Apeks valve on the
suit and Halcyon wing.

Thanks

N

"NickR" <nickrobertsat@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
news:hysOb.2688$133.32655610@news-text.cableinet.net...
> I understand it's a good idea to 'standardise' your inflators so that they
> fit both your dry suit and BCD in case of failure in one or the other. How
> does this work and is it expensive? Currently have an Apeks valve on the
> suit and Halcyon wing.

No, it's very cheap - all you need is to go into your LDS and buy yourself a
replacement Din-fitting inflator 'nipple' for your drysuit. Should cost you
no more than about £4! Then all you have to do is to unscrew the old nipple
and then screw in the new one. Obviously you'll need to change your drysuit
inflator hose too...

> I understand it's a good idea to 'standardise' your inflators
> so that they fit both your dry suit and BCD in case of
> failure in one or the other. How does this work and is it
> expensive? Currently have an Apeks valve on the suit and
> Halcyon wing.

It's not expensive at all (couple of quid). You unscrew the metal nipple
from the Apeks valve and screw in the replacement connector, which is a
standard item which should be available at your local dive shop.

Whether it is particularly useful to standardise suit and wing connectors
for air/nitrox, I'm not sure (though I did). It is certainly useful to
standardise drysuit connectors within a trimix team, though, as sooner or
later someone will run out of suit gas at the wrong time!

Iain

"NickR" <nickrobertsat@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
news:hysOb.2688$133.32655610@news-text.cableinet.net...
> I understand it's a good idea to 'standardise' your inflators so that they
> fit both your dry suit and BCD in case of failure in one or the other. How
> does this work and is it expensive? Currently have an Apeks valve on the
> suit and Halcyon wing.
>
> Thanks
>
> N

Hi Nick,

All you should need is a new drysuit inflator hose (variable costs) and a
post for your dry suit - the post should cost you no more than about £4.00.

It's a simple job to replace the post, unscrew the old one and replace with
the new, the whole thing will take about ten minutes to change.

/F

On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 10:38:24 +0000, Iain Smith wrote:

> Whether it is particularly useful to standardise suit and wing
> connectors for air/nitrox, I'm not sure (though I did). It is certainly
> useful to

I'm unconvinced too. With a wing inflator hose that's just the right
length, I don't see how it's going to reach the suit inflator.

Jason

--
See http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for UK diving reports including
trips to Plymouth, Weymouth, Falmouth, Exmouth and Scapa Flow

NH> NickR wrote:
??>> I understand it's a good idea to 'standardise' your inflators so that
??>> they fit both your dry suit and BCD in case of failure in one or the
??>> other. How does this work and is it expensive? Currently have an
??>> Apeks valve on the suit and Halcyon wing.

NH> I understand the idea but I'm unconvinced. If I have a fault at depth
NH> I am on my way up and out so I am dumping not adding gas.

This does not sit too well with me. There are lots of reasons to go
negative at depth and it is very rare I make an ascent without adding gas at
some point. For the cost of a hose and nipple you give yourself a few extra
options.

NH> I can blow up the wing on the surface by blowing into it.

It is amazing how many people forget this when they are stressed out with a
problem.

Not sure how crosspatching the hoses would work with a Halcyon wing. The
inflator hose is likely to be too short to reach the DS valve. Maybe one of
the DIR types could clarify.

Regards
MattS

>
> I'm unconvinced too. With a wing inflator hose that's just the right
> length, I don't see how it's going to reach the suit inflator.
>
>

but the suit inflator would reach the wing. Anyway my hose does seem a
little too long, it's 28'' so should reach.

matts wrote:
> Not sure how crosspatching the hoses would work with a Halcyon wing.
> The inflator hose is likely to be too short to reach the DS valve.

You're probably right. The problem is putting gas in the suit
as the other way you can just blow it up. In my case I have
one of those funny Buddy connectors on the turtle's wing so
it's a non-starter even before you consider the length.

<aside>
I was about to rig the argon suit inflate so I can use it with the
twinset (OC course coming up). Perhaps I should not remove
the current drysuit inflate and just clip it off somewhere.

Which is more nasty/likely: a fault on the extra hose dumping
my gas or a failure to inflate the suit?

I'll have to think about it.
</aside>

nigelH

On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 11:06:24 +0000, Nigel Hewitt wrote:

> I am on my way up and out so I am dumping not adding gas. I can
> blow up the wing on the surface by blowing into it.

You don't have to be on the surface to manually inflate your wing. I've
done a couple of dives like it when I've had to disconnect my inflator at
depth because it's started filling on its own. Only takes a bit of sand in
the wrong place.

Jason

--
http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for Aussie diving reports including
the wrecks of the SS Yongala, Lady Bowen and the HMAS Swan

On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 12:20:11 +0000, Jason
<jason.usenet.nospam@ntlworld.com> wrote:

>On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 10:38:24 +0000, Iain Smith wrote:
>
>> Whether it is particularly useful to standardise suit and wing
>> connectors for air/nitrox, I'm not sure (though I did). It is certainly
>> useful to
>
>I'm unconvinced too. With a wing inflator hose that's just the right
>length, I don't see how it's going to reach the suit inflator.

I struggled but managed it on my old Halcyon wing (one of the shortest
inflators the I am aware of). It was uncomfortable but it got me out
the water.

Laz

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A foolproof method for sculpting an Elephant:
First, get a huge block of marble. Then, chip away
everything that doesn't look like an Elephant.
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