Posts Tagged ‘Scuba regulators’

K2 How To’s: Cleansing Your Scuba Diving Gear

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Welcome back ROCKSTAR! Good to see you again and grateful for you being a member of the Tribe K2! Have you subscribed to our RSS feed?

We write this stuff/post this stuff for you. Tell us what you like! Ping me at admin (at) K2SCUBA.com and tell me what you would like to see here!

 

Taking care of your 7mm and 3mm scuba wetsuits will add years of life to the wear, warmth, and comfort. Check out the scuba equipment reviews of the most long wearing suits.A single of the extremely critical issues you are able to discover from diving scuba would be to rinse your equipment and products. Its very essential to sustain your own equipment to get highest possible lifetime span and make sure your products performs properly whenever scuba diving.

Washing Station Setup
The easiest technique to organize your own cleansing station is usually to fill a huge bath tub at household that will be filled up with refreshing h2o. If simply no bath tub then the basic garden hose or simply kitchen sink will probably function just like effectively. Several diving outlets or hotels should have a couple containers; one particular container will possibly be normal water for common equipment this sort of as wetsuits and other gear whilst the other will be for specialist products these kinds of as cameras and diver pcs and any other delicate devices.
Exactly where achievable if your equipment has a whole lot of sand on it is to hose it down prior to dunking it in the tub.

Regulator
The 1st issue just before you begin to scrub your regulator is to make certain your dirt cap is safe as any normal water that enters the very first phase will trigger h2o to enter in the inside components and result in damage.
Just before you replace the dust cap you will will need to dried up the dirt cap and the opening of the initial phase. The least complicated way is to use your tank to blow air onto the two elements and this will dry the elements adequately, alternatively you may use a dry cloth to do the job. You can find scuba regulators at absurdly affordable prices at Flipilicious.com.

Once this is carried out you will need to location the regulator in fresh water for 5 minutes, stay away from pressing the purge button as this will let h2o to key in the initial point. It finest to rotate any moving elements to make certain there is no salt which in the prolonged operate will rust. As soon as Its been soaked and cleaned hang it up and dried out.
BCD
Washing a BCD comes in two elements, the inner and exterior of the BCD. The outside is straight forward and can be dunked and soaked in a tub of fresh water to scrub any salt off the BCD.
Step two as described is the inner of the BCD, this will need to have to be completed as tiny quantities of saltwater will enter even though diving, and this will turn to salt crystals which more than time will lead to the values to malfunction and the inner bladder to tear.
So right here is how to do it, Press the deflate button on the BCD and let fresh water to key in to approximate 25%, afterwards shake the BCD and let the h2o the scrub all-around all corners. As soon as you are satisfied you have washed the interior the finest method is to use the exhaust values to empty the normal water which at the very same time will cleanse them too.
Now slight inflate the BCD to guarantee the inner bladder does not stick with each other when drying and hang out to dried out.

Dive Personal computer and Camera
Clean your dive personal computer in cleanse fresh water and not the exact same h2o you have washed your other machines as detergents and sand will injury your delicate gear. Soak this products for a longer time and press all the buttons guarantee there is no salt trapped. If feasible brush the surfaces with a toothbrush to hep cleanse it far better, but don’t use on the sensors or lenses region as it could destruction it.

Wetsuit, Booties, and Gloves
Your scuba wet suits , booties, and gloves need to be washed in freshwater and you may also like to add a wetsuit detergent. Submerge the items in the normal water and turn them within out as well and maintain cleansing right up until clean. Once clean hang out and let to dried out.
Snorkel Fins, Mask, Snorkel, and Other Gear
All other gear ought to be submerged in fresh new normal water, dunked up and down till clean up and hung up to dry.
Ideas: to prolong the existence of your products don’t hang out in direct sunlight as it will make the equipment discolour and minimize the lifestyle span.

Thanks for reading this far. Here are a couple of articles that you might find interesting:

K2 Vacation Ideas: Cruises & Scuba/Snorkel Diving – The Ideal Match

K2 How To’s: Basic Snorkeling Needs & Snorkel Equipment

Follow me on Twitter

  • Share/Bookmark

Scuba Diver: Don’t get spanked by the TSA (Transportation Safety Commission)

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Savvy Dive Travelers and the TSA Rules and Regulations

 

DiverWire senior contributing editor John Flanders  and boss man at Academy of Scuba did some research this week on scuba travel and related challenges. In the first of a three-part series, he looks at TSA restrictions and their impact on divers.

Traveling with Scuba gear offers many challenges.  However, the thought of using rental gear on that “dive trip of a life-time” is enough to make an Open Water Diver cringe.  The good news is you CAN bring scuba gear on-board an aircraft – however a savvy traveler understands the TSA rules and airline baggage restrictions.

First let’s look at the Transportation Security Authority (TSA) rules and restrictions. The TSA has nothing to do with weight considerations, but everything about what you can carry on to an aircraft and what you check in the cargo hold.
Travelers may bring regulators, buoyancy compensators and masks, snorkels and fins as carry-on or checked baggage. In fact, it is quite surprising how easily these items pass through the TSA scanners without a wink of scrutiny from the TSA personnel. As a rule, all traveling divers should carry on their Scuba regulators, computers and submersible pressure gauges.  These items are part of the life support system and shouldn’t be left to possible damage in the airplane’s cargo hold.  If you wouldn’t check your laptop computer, why would you check your dive computer?
For travelers who need their pony bottle, Spare Air™, or rebreather bottles at their destination, there is good news: Compressed Scuba cylinders are allowed in checked baggage or as a carry-on only if the regulator valve is completely disconnected from the cylinder and the cylinder is no longer sealed (i.e. the cylinder has an open end).  The cylinder must have an opening to allow for a visual inspection inside. I tape the end of the Scuba cylinder with “painter’s tape” and attach a note to the TSA security officer to replace it after inspection.  To date, I have not had an issue doing this.
As a rule, TSA Security Officers will not remove the seal or regulator valve from the cylinder at the checkpoint.  If the cylinder is sealed (i.e. the regulator valve is still attached), the cylinder is prohibited and not permitted through the security checkpoint, regardless of the reading on the pressure gauge indicator. TSA Security Officers must visibly ensure that the cylinder is completely empty and that there are no prohibited items inside.

Of course, it is no surprise, that dive tools (a.k.a knives) are prohibited from carry-on luggage. These items should be packed in checked luggage.  If you travel with a small tool pouch or spare parts kit, you should check those items as well. Spear guns are prohibited from carry-on luggage. These items should be packed in checked luggage. A quick tip, knives and spear guns cannot be brought to a security checkpoint. Pack these items in your checked baggage. If you bring these items to a checkpoint, there it is almost guaranteed that the TSA will confiscate them and a fair chance that you may miss your flight while being detained by the TSA.
Like any other baggage, Scuba bags will be scanned and probably hand searched by TSA officials.  Do not pack anything suspicious. As always, safety being the highest priority, the TSA requests that all Scuba divers should sheath or securely wrap any sharp objects you pack in your checked luggage to prevent it from injuring baggage handlers and security officers.

The TSA has gone to great lengths to inform travelers and specifically traveling Scuba divers.  To learn more about TSA rules, information and prohibited items please visit www.tsa.gov.

Follow me on Twitter

  • Share/Bookmark

Scuba Regulators Scuba Regs Diving Regulators: Breathing Underwater 101

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

are what make diving possible. Scuba regs are designed to reduce the high-pressure air from the scuba cylinder to a level where the diver can breathe comfortably and safely. First off, they are divided into piston and diaphragm regulators. As with most modern scuba gear, scuba regulators differ, and the experienced diver can tell you very few are the same or work the same and this is for very good reason. Not all scuba regulators are suitable for Nitrox. However, almost all modern scuba regulators are able to be used for up to 40% Nitrox without any modification. On some scuba regulators are couplings in the line that allows the mouthpiece to swivel. Adjustable scuba regulators are a popular choice among divers looking for long -lasting scuba regulators. Scuba regulators are designed to deliver air to a diver at the same pressure as the surrounding water pressure, at ambient pressure.

Typically, scuba regulators are two-stage, single-hose devices which include a first stage regulator connected to a through an intermediate pressure hose for delivering clean, dry air at ambient pressure to the diver. The second stages on the scuba regulators are located at the hose’s end along with the mouthpiece. Scuba regulators are arguably the most critical part of any diver’s life support system and consequently they deserve more care and attention than perhaps any other piece of equipment. That is why scuba regulators are designed to deliver breathing gas at ambient pressure and why we use proportionally more air the deeper we dive. Diving regulators are probably the most crucial pieces of scuba gear you can buy. Scuba regulators are available from most major scuba equipment manufacturers.

Maintenance of your scuba regulator is very important also. Scuba regulators are vital to a dive’s success, and without it you basically have no dive. Used scuba regulators are just that: used. Scuba regulators are life supporting and should be professionally serviced. Always take great care with your regulator for optimal performance time and time again.

New scuba regulators are the way to go and for many good reasons. If there is one piece of equipment you don’t want to purchase used, it’s a dive regulator. New, modern regulators are all high quality and precision pieces of equipment which, with regular servicing and good owner maintenance can easily last for 10 or more years. Scuba regulators are not Rolex watches – they are rugged pneumatic devices that go underwater and work. Scuba regulators are high-tech life-support equipment that need professional attention right from the start. Scuba regulators are the most important piece of equipment for enjoying diving comfortable and safely.

It’s pretty simple: a quality scuba regulator is crucial.

Follow me on Twitter

  • Share/Bookmark