Alec I have lived in Uzbekistan for the last 4 years, have had virtually no opportunity for diving, except for a couple of pretty bad experiences in Turkey. Finally, we are off to Hurghada on the Red Sea for 3 weeks...can not wait to get some dives in. Thank you for all your work, it has certainly helped to keep me connected with diving!
Awesome. I fixed my own leaking valve in 10 seconds. Must have been grain of sand or salt. Thanks. Beats hauling it all the way to the local shop, waiting 2 weeks, and paying a hundred bucks....
Hey Alec maybe you can give us some info on diving with a dry hood for cold water and maybe if you havnt done it yet servicing drysuit inflator valve. Thanks a ton!
At the 3:53 point you say you don't always want to use silicone grease. I've watched most of your Tech Tips and I don't recall you saying that you shouldn't put silicone grease on something (that isn't made of rubber or silicone that makes some sort of seal). Could you please make a video about places where silicone grease should not be used and what should be used in its place? Thank you!
Yep! I can do that Nerd. Anything that moves and rubs against another part is the basic criteria. That means O-Rings (only dynamic O-Rings - not static) and threads (lightly). Note that if the moving part is supported by an O-Ring, you lubricate the O-Ring only - not the part too. The places where you do NOT want grease are usually the seats in either stage or any diaphragms. Greasy diaphragms can squeeze out under pressure. Even the 2nd stage diaphragm should not be greased along the edges where it is gripped by the body clamp. With a hard inhalation, it could pull out - very upsetting at 10' much less 100'! I have opened some regulators that look great on the outside only to find the inside looking like the wheel bearing of an old fishing boat trailer - caked-on dirt and dried-out grease. The diver complains about hard breathing - the parts can't move!!! I'll see about a video. Alec
Alec, Have you or will you do one on servicing the PIV, or is that best left to the pros? Is using the special tool enough to prevent problems? The PIV on my BCD got stuck closed once and had to be serviced. Had to call a dive because of it. I love your videos and have learned a lot. Thanks for all you do.
I thought I did that but can't be sure. Maybe Kevin will know. I can do another one though that is in more detail. The wash out adapter for cleaning your PIV will almost completely eliminate any problems. It blows fresh water through the entire PIV. The PIV generally only fails when it corrodes from salt water. Take care. Alec
The one time I had a slowly self-inflating BCD, I only realised what was happening when about 10 minutes into the dive, my buoyancy control was so off, I could hardly descend with any air in my lungs. Since I was in trim position and fighting to stay under, using the 'butt dump' was a convenient way to get the air out of the BC. I had to do it about 8 times over the hour, since I was trying this BC after the last one would slowly deflate at the surface, I then decided I'd rather have a deflating BC over an inflating one.
New divers are taught about this unlikely but possible danger. They learn to recognize it and to disconnect the inflator hose. It's a good skill to try and to practice, as you've learned. Take care. Alec
@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter I remember being taught this in the pool, I guess that when I was trying to complete the survey dive, I was preoccupied with just getting things done without slowing the other surveyors down. It had been about 4 weeks of diving since I learned how to do it and to be fair, it would've saved me a bit of air (not that we were urgent in conserving it - we only surveyed as deep as 9 meters!)
some dump valves are not a simple big unscrew. On mine it has 2 small screw I have to take out, then it's a 90 deg counter rotation to open the valve mechanism (I couldn't find any service info on it an ended up prying it open and thankfully not break it and put it back correctly - almost looked like it was welded plastic so I wasn't sure how to open). Was leaking small amount, so a cleanup of the mushroom and bit of silicon did the trick.
In my videos when I say most, I mean most. There's always a few pieces of gear that were designed to frustrate and you seem to have one. I know the valve you mean and it's a pain. The screws are small and get lost or strip the plastic. Plus it comes apart with a careful twist and pull but often gets marked when people use a screwdriver or knife. Fortunately you don't have to service them often. A good hard rinse with a garden hose and some silicon spray will keep them good for years. Take care Alain. Alec
So you suggest using some silicone grease on the rubber seal on the rear OPV/pull dump? On a different BCD with a slightly different design I was advised against it as over time dirt can get stuck to the rubber seal/stopper which it would be less likely to do if it was not greased. On one BCD I fixed the tiny leak in the OPV by adding grease and on the other one I made it leak by adding grease, so I reassembled it after cleaning all the grease off with the same result but the good valve was now bad and bad valve now good lol.
Just a very thin coating to lubricate the threads, not like lubing the ball joints on a old car. Same for o-rings, a small dab on a finger, work it around your fingers then coat the threads. No sand or dirt will get into the threads (or big trouble). No need to lube the seal in the OPV as water and gunk will get into the BC bladder. Just the threads is fine. Hope this was clear in the video. If not , blame Kevin.
Hi Alec. Many thanks for all your informative videos. I have an Aqualung Seaquest Pro QD BC. I cannot open/unscrew the dump on top of the PIV. Is this a sealed unit that cannot be opened or am I doing something wrong? Thanks
It can be opened but you risk breaking it. The older Pro QD opened like any normal PIV. The newer ones are different. This is where establishing a good relationship with your LDS service guy becomes really valuable. He ought to be willing to show you. Otherwise, send me a picture of the mount and I'll try to help. seahunter@vintagescuba.com Good luck. Alec
Lots of yucky stuff will grow inside a BC bladder. It's wet, warm, has salt and ocean/lake water so it needs to be rinsed and dried between dive trips. Watch one of my first videos on BCD care, S01E06, Blow Me Up for tips on cleaning. A.
A drysuit dump valve may leak if it's dirty or hasn't been serviced for a long time but most commonly leaks are the result of the diver not using it properly. Be sure you hold it up so the valve is the highest point of the drysuit when you are dumping air. And try to avoid dumping all of the air. As the last bit of air comes out the dump, water will come in. So long as you have a bit of air in the suit, the pressure of that air inside will keep water out. If you must dump all the air to adjust your buoyancy, put on an extra 2 pound weight. That way you'll be able to leave a little bit of air in the suit. If it is the valve itself that's leaking, you're best to take it for service. Disassembly and reassembly of a drysuit valve is not the easiest job to tackle. Let me know how you make out. Alec
Alec Peirce Scuba I've let the dump valve soak in soapy vinegar water the suit has had over 550 dives my personal feeling is that it needs either complete overhaul or a new valve
Generally speaking, springs are not considered service parts for a BCD as they are not required to be changed. Your dive shop should have a replacement for a few dollars to get it back to 100% dive ready. A.
Hi Alec, after cleaning my BCD in and out with some light detergent the rubber seal on the bottom dump valve (spring type) fell off during the drying process. It seems it was only fixed with silicone grease to hold on. Is it normal that this seal comes off rather easy or is that something I should fix with some additional glue? I am kind of worried that the seal will come loose at depths due to the air pressure pushing against it when I use the valve and would rather prevent such a situation if that is something to worry about. Thanks a lot!
That seal is usually NOT fastened in place except for a tiny dab of silicon adhesive. In operation it moves only a small amount and will not fall or even shift out of place. However, if the valve is disassembled, it can easily come off. Clean it, dry it, put a small dab of silicon on it and re-insert it in the cup. Reassemble the valve and you're all set.
Hey Alec, since I am currently in the market for a BCD I've had my eye on some of the second hand Buddy Commando ones (now AP Diving I believe) with either the yellow, orange or blue pockets however I was told by one of the experienced divers at the scuba club I am a part of to avoid these due to them being an older model then they won't be serviceable. I was therefore wondering what your input is on this in terms of how serviceable older style BCDs are? Cheers.
Not very. Your diver friend was right. Any BCD with a double shell (inner bladder and outer cover) can not be serviced. And many power inflate valves are obsolete too. Buy a used BCD with caution. Always check with your LDS before laying out money to be sure it can be serviced. Take care. Alec
Hi Alec. I was taking the opportunity to clean my BCD. I found a very leak on the nylon cloth outer layer, a small pin hole leak. Is there a good way to patch the blabber?
If you have small bubbles coming out of the BCD, the air bladder inside has a puncture. Recommend taking it to your local dive shop to find where the hole is and depending on the style: jacket vs wing, they may be able to apply a bladder seal. Don't dive with it until repaired as holes only get bigger as the bcd is filled at depth. Be safe, get it serviced by a pro. Alec
After every dive! And rinse some water through the PIV too. That's the Power Inflate Valve. It's the most common failure point on the BCD. Hold it underwater in fresh water, push both the inflate and deflate button as you shake it around vigorously. There is a special hose for cleaning the PIV that hooks to a garden hose or water tap. It's well worth $20! Take care. Alec
Yep! In normal operation of a BCD water will enter the air cell. A valve in the dump stops some of it but if you use it a lot some will get in. That's why it's so important to fill the BCD with fresh water, preferably twice, after every dive and blow it up to dry. And try to avoid using the dump any more than necessary. Take care. Alec
