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**luxrok** · 6th March 2008, 13:31

So how have I broken my unit?

1. When I first got my unit, I didn't realize I couldn't use the O2 QD as a leverage point when removing the head. After a couple of days of diving it loosened up and I got a slow leak. So, I had to pull it apart and tighten it back up.

2. The manual gas valves on the CL stick after some time. Mine stuck on my O2. This was resolved by pulling the nipple off, putting some Christo in there, assembling it and blowing some gas through it.

3. I dropped the head to my unit on my tile floor. It bounced. I inspected it and fired it up. Everything seemed fine. A couple of days of diving later, when I put it on the can I felt a clunk. I thought, "Hmmm... that is strange. I don't remember it clunking before." And I went for a dive. Two days later I put it on again and the clunk was pronounced and I inspected the head again. One of the battery compartments had broken a tab off in the fall and was attached by the other tab and the cable. The second tab's screw had loosened and the clunking was the battery compartment rattling around. So I opened it up, inspected the battery. Everything looked good, so I tightened up the remaining screw, closed up the compartment's lid and went for a nice 3 hour cave dive. The next day I went to do my predive and my secondary handset didn't come on. Hmmm.....I thought f*ck I killed it. This is gonna cost me a fortune. So I opened up the broken battery compartment and there was water in it. The water had killed the 'Patrick' circuit. I am still not sure how the water got in there. Whether it was condensation from the wet air we have here or if I hadn't closed it up properly. I called ISC, they overnighted a new compartment to my Mom in the states and she muled it down for me. The whole ordeal has cost me about $150+shipping. I think. And I have been without my unit for almost a month. However, that is my fault being in a PITA place for shipping. ISC shipped the part right away.

4. Left the batteries on and didn't check'm at home before leaving for a dive. Also left my tool box and home with spares. And left my keg of sorb. This day was the cluster f*ck of my diving career. I had forgotten everything and keep finding ways to get through each hurtle. In the end there was just too many blunders for me to allow myself to go diving. I sat it out on the shore and enjoyed the sun. Ug... lesson... sometimes I am the broken part of my CCR system. Sometimes I will be the direct cause of having to sit out a dive.

[Start Off Topic Rant]
Your new to CCR, so this is a worthwhile rant. Plus I need to hear it myself. This is a good case for being able to go back on OC and do all the same diving. Sometimes the unit will break. Sometimes parts will be hard to come by. Sometimes I will want to still dive 3-4 days a week when my unit is busted. I guess the lesson that got hammered home was that my CCR isn't the best tool all the time here in Q. Roo. It is just cheaper, more convenient and more effective to go on OC sometimes. I am a little more willing to go either OC or CCR, depending on the situation now that I have enjoyed the simplicity of OC again. I had forgotten the joy of tossing two regs on a set of doubles and going diving with someone. No bailout, no scrubber, no CCR pre-dive, no CCR post dive. My wife only really wants to do 90 minute run times anyway, so why go through the hassle of prepping and cleaning my unit for a 90 minute cave dive in 30ffw water?

One of the first lessons I got out of the CCR experience I did, was that I needed to be prepared to call a dive on account of my rebreather or my mental state not being in perfect condition. So, in either event, I have other options. I don't really care if I am on my CCR or on OC, I just want to go diving. I dive enough today that if I need to sit one out, it isn't a big deal. I want to have a long diving career.
[End of off topic rant.]

In about an hour, I am going to put the new battery compartment on my head and prep my unit for a nice dive at Chac Mol this afternoon. Happy diving.

Hans

6th March 2008, 13:31	#13 (permalink)
luxrok Supporting Member Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Playa del Carmen Posts: 71	Re: how did you break it?? So how have I broken my unit? 1. When I first got my unit, I didn't realize I couldn't use the O2 QD as a leverage point when removing the head. After a couple of days of diving it loosened up and I got a slow leak. So, I had to pull it apart and tighten it back up. 2. The manual gas valves on the CL stick after some time. Mine stuck on my O2. This was resolved by pulling the nipple off, putting some Christo in there, assembling it and blowing some gas through it. 3. I dropped the head to my unit on my tile floor. It bounced. I inspected it and fired it up. Everything seemed fine. A couple of days of diving later, when I put it on the can I felt a clunk. I thought, "Hmmm... that is strange. I don't remember it clunking before." And I went for a dive. Two days later I put it on again and the clunk was pronounced and I inspected the head again. One of the battery compartments had broken a tab off in the fall and was attached by the other tab and the cable. The second tab's screw had loosened and the clunking was the battery compartment rattling around. So I opened it up, inspected the battery. Everything looked good, so I tightened up the remaining screw, closed up the compartment's lid and went for a nice 3 hour cave dive. The next day I went to do my predive and my secondary handset didn't come on. Hmmm.....I thought fck I killed it. This is gonna cost me a fortune. So I opened up the broken battery compartment and there was water in it. The water had killed the 'Patrick' circuit. I am still not sure how the water got in there. Whether it was condensation from the wet air we have here or if I hadn't closed it up properly. I called ISC, they overnighted a new compartment to my Mom in the states and she muled it down for me. The whole ordeal has cost me about $150+shipping. I think. And I have been without my unit for almost a month. However, that is my fault being in a PITA place for shipping. ISC shipped the part right away. 4. Left the batteries on and didn't check'm at home before leaving for a dive. Also left my tool box and home with spares. And left my keg of sorb. This day was the cluster fck of my diving career. I had forgotten everything and keep finding ways to get through each hurtle. In the end there was just too many blunders for me to allow myself to go diving. I sat it out on the shore and enjoyed the sun. Ug... lesson... sometimes I am the broken part of my CCR system. Sometimes I will be the direct cause of having to sit out a dive. [Start Off Topic Rant] Your new to CCR, so this is a worthwhile rant. Plus I need to hear it myself. This is a good case for being able to go back on OC and do all the same diving. Sometimes the unit will break. Sometimes parts will be hard to come by. Sometimes I will want to still dive 3-4 days a week when my unit is busted. I guess the lesson that got hammered home was that my CCR isn't the best tool all the time here in Q. Roo. It is just cheaper, more convenient and more effective to go on OC sometimes. I am a little more willing to go either OC or CCR, depending on the situation now that I have enjoyed the simplicity of OC again. I had forgotten the joy of tossing two regs on a set of doubles and going diving with someone. No bailout, no scrubber, no CCR pre-dive, no CCR post dive. My wife only really wants to do 90 minute run times anyway, so why go through the hassle of prepping and cleaning my unit for a 90 minute cave dive in 30ffw water? One of the first lessons I got out of the CCR experience I did, was that I needed to be prepared to call a dive on account of my rebreather or my mental state not being in perfect condition. So, in either event, I have other options. I don't really care if I am on my CCR or on OC, I just want to go diving. I dive enough today that if I need to sit one out, it isn't a big deal. I want to have a long diving career. [End of off topic rant.] In about an hour, I am going to put the new battery compartment on my head and prep my unit for a nice dive at Chac Mol this afternoon. Happy diving. Hans __________________ Quiet Diver: A Cave Diving Blog Close Circuit Rebreather Apparel The whole business of authority is to interfere in other people's business. Last edited by luxrok : 6th March 2008 at 13:36.
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