Quote:
(Originally Posted by
Andy Del)
Assuming one is using their rebreather for themselves only - i.e not sharing it with others - why do you need to 'disinfect' something that is not actually 'infected' with a foreign pathogen / substance / poison / lergy?
All the extra goop / lung butter / drool that is added to the loop comes from you and as such is essentially not poisonous to you, unless you are allergic to yourself! Add to that bacteria and viruses are going to have a hard time living through a damp sorb environment it just seems a tad overkill to this zealous virgo. 
I have industriously and at great expense, used H2O to rinse out my counter lungs and hoses and have lived to tell the tale...
So seriously, let's have some data
.
I cant give you any solid data on this but having some limited expierience working with microorganisms (i'm a biology student) i think disinfecting on a regular basis is quite necessary. We all carry some pretty nasty bacteria in our mouths and nasal cavities(nasty stuff like streptococcus) but our bodies tolerate them in the concentrations they are usually found. If you introduce increased numbers of bacteria you throw the system off balance and you could be in trouble. Nothing can actually grow in a loop (no nutrients hence no bacterial growth) but what bacteria are there could survive for quite sometime. Also consider that if you dive after a cold or an infection you carry increased numbers of pathogens and if you dont disinfect you could get sick again at a later period. So disinfecting is highly recommended on a regular basis and if you dive in the tropics or anything got inside your loop (such as mud etc) is obligatory. However i cant comment on the how often part without any data.