Draeger Ray Bypass Freeflowing

voets · 26th September 2006, 14:58

The 50% bypass on my Ray suddenly started freeflowing. During the checks it was a normal 8 liters/minute, but after 3 heavy breaths at start of dive (bypass was opening) it suddenly went crazy.

Flow is now of the scale , so in 30+ liters /minute

Has anyone had the same problem? Is there a way to fix it?
Any help would be appreciated

jaap · 26th September 2006, 15:14

Quote: (Originally Posted by voets)

The 50% bypass on my Ray suddenly started freeflowing. During the checks it was a normal 8 liters/minute, but after 3 heavy breaths at start of dive (bypass was opening) it suddenly went crazy.

Flow is now of the scale , so in 30+ liters /minute

Has anyone had the same problem? Is there a way to fix it?
Any help would be appreciated

I'm _not_ a service technician so don't imagine my advice are correct.

Have you made sure that membrane is not stuck? Sounds like it is, or that the lever is out of tune making is flow.

Do you know how to unscrew the top and take the membrane out? If you do that you can manually operate the lever and estimate if the flow is more like it should be.

I have tuned the lever by turning the feed part that goes into the part with the lever. No idea if it is the correct procedure.

RebreatherNut · 26th September 2006, 15:42

Well, I also would recomend to open up the bypass, unscrew the top and take a look inside. I have never encountered that problem, nor have I heard of it, this is a first. But I think once you take a look at it, you may see something.

- Maybes some dirt where it does not belong.

- The lever bent

- Or if all seems to look ok, make sure to get it checked out and serviced by someone who can do that.

my 2 cents,

RBN

PS: When you find out what the cause was, let us know. Thanks!

voets · 26th September 2006, 18:19

I did the check without the top and membrane, still freeflowing. Although it will even flow a bit harder when I push down the lever. The bypass was used for 25 dives at most, never in salt water, so I have a hard time believing it is dirt. Now the challenge begins to find a service center in the netherlands

johnv · 26th September 2006, 18:35

I strongly suspect is is dirt on the sealing surface. It's easy to take apart the bypass and you can the clean the seat and blow through the hoze.

These seem to be very sensitive to small grains of sand or similar.

John

voets · 27th September 2006, 21:15

I took John's advice and unscrewed the metal parts of the bypass from the plastic housing.
There was some metal mesh stuck on the sealing surface, when I removed it the flow was back to normal.
I'm a happy diver again

26th September 2006, 14:58	#1 (permalink)
voets New Member Current Rebreather/s: Other SCR Other Rebreather/s: Other SCR Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Netherlands Posts: 11	Draeger Ray Bypass Freeflowing The 50% bypass on my Ray suddenly started freeflowing. During the checks it was a normal 8 liters/minute, but after 3 heavy breaths at start of dive (bypass was opening) it suddenly went crazy. Flow is now of the scale , so in 30+ liters /minute Has anyone had the same problem? Is there a way to fix it? Any help would be appreciated
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26th September 2006, 15:14	#2 (permalink)
jaap Normal people worry me Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other CCR RB80 / Clone Ray Other SCR Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Other CCR RB80 / Clone Ray Other SCR Home Build Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Stockholm Sweden Posts: 438	Re: Draeger Ray Bypass Freeflowing Quote: (Originally Posted by voets) The 50% bypass on my Ray suddenly started freeflowing. During the checks it was a normal 8 liters/minute, but after 3 heavy breaths at start of dive (bypass was opening) it suddenly went crazy. Flow is now of the scale , so in 30+ liters /minute Has anyone had the same problem? Is there a way to fix it? Any help would be appreciated I'm _not_ a service technician so don't imagine my advice are correct. Have you made sure that membrane is not stuck? Sounds like it is, or that the lever is out of tune making is flow. Do you know how to unscrew the top and take the membrane out? If you do that you can manually operate the lever and estimate if the flow is more like it should be. I have tuned the lever by turning the feed part that goes into the part with the lever. No idea if it is the correct procedure.
(Offline)

26th September 2006, 15:42	#3 (permalink)
RebreatherNut Rebreather World Greeter Current Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss Ray Other Rebreather/s: Ray Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Bremerton, WA Posts: 676	Re: Draeger Ray Bypass Freeflowing Well, I also would recomend to open up the bypass, unscrew the top and take a look inside. I have never encountered that problem, nor have I heard of it, this is a first. But I think once you take a look at it, you may see something. - Maybes some dirt where it does not belong. - The lever bent - Or if all seems to look ok, make sure to get it checked out and serviced by someone who can do that. my 2 cents, RBN PS: When you find out what the cause was, let us know. Thanks! __________________ "One minute to go, Luck-meister! Then I'll be down on you like a buzzard on a gut wagon." - ALF
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26th September 2006, 18:19	#4 (permalink)
voets New Member Current Rebreather/s: Other SCR Other Rebreather/s: Other SCR Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Netherlands Posts: 11	Re: Draeger Ray Bypass Freeflowing I did the check without the top and membrane, still freeflowing. Although it will even flow a bit harder when I push down the lever. The bypass was used for 25 dives at most, never in salt water, so I have a hard time believing it is dirt. Now the challenge begins to find a service center in the netherlands
(Offline)

26th September 2006, 18:35	#5 (permalink)
johnv Custom Title Allowed! Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Other CCR Home Build Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: UK Posts: 125	Re: Draeger Ray Bypass Freeflowing I strongly suspect is is dirt on the sealing surface. It's easy to take apart the bypass and you can the clean the seat and blow through the hoze. These seem to be very sensitive to small grains of sand or similar. John
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27th September 2006, 21:15	#6 (permalink)
voets New Member Current Rebreather/s: Other SCR Other Rebreather/s: Other SCR Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Netherlands Posts: 11	Fixed it I took John's advice and unscrewed the metal parts of the bypass from the plastic housing. There was some metal mesh stuck on the sealing surface, when I removed it the flow was back to normal. I'm a happy diver again
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