Mailing List Archive Mailing List Archive
Randy et al. I don't understand why you Great Lakes folks have such trouble with your SP regs. Is there some quantum singularity hovering over the Great Lakes that only affects Scubapro regs? Perhaps it is the freshwater vs saltwater? Many folks up here in Alaska use Scubapro without any of the problems you folks seem to face. I've never even heard of a SP reg failing on anyone, and winter air and water temperatures in Alaska are every bit as cold as what you face on the Great Lakes in winter. My buddy Rob and I dive MK20s with an assortment of D400, G250, G500, and M50 second stages and we dive on a weekly basis all winter long. In addition, the MK10+/G250 seems to be pretty much the standard issue regulator for the local Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game and NOAA research dive programs and I don't hear about them having any problems with Scubapro regs. In fact, the only regulator that has ever freeflowed on me at depth is my Poseidon Odin which has now been relegated to argon use. We don't dive under the ice but the water temperatures can be just as cold. The lower freezing point of seawater and our 18' tides and swirling currents tends to keep the local fjords ice free most winters. Right now, due to the El Nino, the local water temp is a balmy 38 degrees F. Last year in January I recorded water temps as cold as 31 degrees. The only difference I can think of between our conditions and what you face on the Great Lakes is the fact that you dive in freshwater. Obviously, that shouldn't make any difference for regulators that freeze due to moisture in the tank or hoses. But, it might make a difference for failures due to ice forming in the free-flow chamber of the 1st stage around the piston since freshwater ice forms so much easier than saltwater ice. That's just a theory though. Anyone know if regulators are more likely to freeze/fail in freshwater as compared to saltwater under otherwise identical contitions? Kent Lind Juneau Alaska Randy Sullivan wrote: > > Nancy > > I am glad that you are happy with your SP regs and I do hope they work in > the warm water as well as they perform in cold. <g> > > The experience with SP reg that I pull on is owning & running a charter > operation in W. Fish Bay for 3 years. I have seen many SP regs fail in the > summer time when the reg hits the thermaclien. This winter, here locally, > no one has been able to do ANY diving using a SP reg. You must have the > best SP regs that they ever shipped because I don't perceive them as > dependable regs based on what I have seen. > > BTW I have never even tried a SP reg. Guess what, based on the failure rate > that I have seen, I doubt I ever will. SP regs, do however, rate much > higher on my list of regs that I would use in a pinch than say dacor or > Sherwood. > > This IS after all just my $0.02 > > Randy Sullivan > Sault Ste. Marie, Ont > sulteck@ic*.ne* > -----Original Message----- > From: Nanci LeVake <nlevake@pi*.co*> > To: Randy Sullivan <sulteck@ic*.ne*>; techdiver@aquanaut.com > <techdiver@aquanaut.com> > Date: Thursday, February 19, 1998 9:44 AM > Subject: Re: Cold water performance of Scuba Pro Regs > > > > >Well, I ice dive with my two Scuba Pro regs every weekend, and have _never_ > >had a problem with them. They aren't environmentally sealed or tuned any > >differently than how I like them for Florida springs. Besides that, I've > >also dived them in quarries, in ~40-45F water, down to ~130 or so, and > >never had a problem there, either! I _am_ a little bit worried about how > >they're going to work in 82F water in Cozumel, they've never been warm > >before.... <g> > > > >Nanci > > > > > > > > > >At 06:19 PM 2/18/98 -0500, Randy Sullivan wrote: > >>The problem with SP regs is that they are freeflowing out of the box, > >>period. If this is how SP ship regs where the they are going to be used > in > >>cold water, they SHOULDN'T leave the warehouse in the first place without > >>all the twiking done to the reg prier to shipping. Up here you can't buy > a > >>new car off the lot without a block heater. You shouldn't be able to buy > a > >>reg that isn't cold water ready out of the box. > >> > >>I have seen an Odin's perform at 500'+ @ 38*F water temp with no problem. > >>I own one. I have used my OLD conshelf in the winter @ -15*C surface > temp. > >>with water temp. @ 31*f (yes that is what my computer registered), > >>breathed the reg at the surface and used the same reg for an 8 hour shift > >>fixing a tug, no problem. I own one. > >> > >>The story of making a sows ear into silk purse is a good comparison to > make > >>when trying to use a SP regs. in cold water. I'M NOT saying they aren't > >>good regs. What I am saying is that they are not the best choice of reg > for > >>cold water. > >> > >>Randy Sullivan > >>Sault Ste. Marie, Ont > >>sulteck@ic*.ne* > >> > >>-- > >>Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. > >>Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'. > >> > > > > -- > Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. > Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'. -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
Navigate by Author:
[Previous]
[Next]
[Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject:
[Previous]
[Next]
[Subject Search Index]
[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]
[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]