Keeping sand out over pressure relief valves

w ripley · 23rd November 2007, 20:29

So, if you are "wiggling' thru a restriction with rock on your back (rubbing your canister) and sand on your belly, how do you keep sand and other nasty stuff out of your counter lung's over pressure relief valve? This happened last week: going into and out of Cow and Madison's Crossunder Tunnel.

Before I go out an make a soft rubber cover that will "blow" off when the valve is activated and is tethered to my rig, I was hoping someone has already found a helpful solution or can point me to a thread (that I can't seem to find).

Regards,

Bill

***ScubaDadMiami*** · 23rd November 2007, 23:36

Great subject. I have been lucky enough not to have a problem with my counterlung OPV so far though I can't say why. On the other hand, I have had problems with my drysuit OPV from the silt getting into it. (You don't even need to be digging through the stuff on your belly for it to work its way into the valves.)

It seems almost to be a luck-of-the-draw type of situation. One time, I will be in the fine stuff for hours without a problem. Another time, it seems like a pretty routine day after which I discover that I have killed the valve.

The only thing I have changed in my habits since having this happen is to make sure that I do not rotate the valve (adjust resistance) until I have done a very thorough rinsing after a dive. I killed the last valve by trying to rinse it while working it in the hope that it would work the sand out of it. Instead, it served to work its way in even more so.

23rd November 2007, 20:29	#1 (permalink)
w ripley Sorta New Member Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other CCR Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Norfolk VA USA Posts: 126	Keeping sand out over pressure relief valves So, if you are "wiggling' thru a restriction with rock on your back (rubbing your canister) and sand on your belly, how do you keep sand and other nasty stuff out of your counter lung's over pressure relief valve? This happened last week: going into and out of Cow and Madison's Crossunder Tunnel. Before I go out an make a soft rubber cover that will "blow" off when the valve is activated and is tethered to my rig, I was hoping someone has already found a helpful solution or can point me to a thread (that I can't seem to find). Regards, Bill
(Online)

23rd November 2007, 23:36	#2 (permalink)
*ScubaDadMiami* Moderator Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Florida, USA Posts: 1,937	Re: Keeping sand out over pressure relief valves Great subject. I have been lucky enough not to have a problem with my counterlung OPV so far though I can't say why. On the other hand, I have had problems with my drysuit OPV from the silt getting into it. (You don't even need to be digging through the stuff on your belly for it to work its way into the valves.) It seems almost to be a luck-of-the-draw type of situation. One time, I will be in the fine stuff for hours without a problem. Another time, it seems like a pretty routine day after which I discover that I have killed the valve. The only thing I have changed in my habits since having this happen is to make sure that I do not rotate the valve (adjust resistance) until I have done a very thorough rinsing after a dive. I killed the last valve by trying to rinse it while working it in the hope that it would work the sand out of it. Instead, it served to work its way in even more so. __________________ Howard Packer IANTD CCR Instructor Miami Beach, Florida CCRDiveTraining.com
(Offline)

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