Water in First Stage

[rktman26]

I screwed up.

In my haste to get my gear broken down, I didn't install the dustcover on my first stage. When I got home, I soaked my regs, and didn't notice it for about an hour, so I'm pretty certain I ended up with water in the first stage.

It's a Sherwood Brut, and this was the second dive after the annual service.

What should I do?

Thanks for any advice.

[awap]

Because this is a flow-by piston, the end cap needs to be removed to dry that area out. It is not that big a job but might be better left to your tech.

Basically, it's a matter of removing all hoses and then put it on a tank and blow it out. That should dry the 1st stage except for inside the end cap. Then, remove the end cap and dry that. Finally, blow out the hoses as necessary as you reassemble. If there is water in the HP hose, you need to remove the SPG and blow it out so it is not allowed to get inside the SPG.

I wouldn't expect the tech to charge more than about $20.

[cummings66]

I say how you do it depends on if it was salt or fresh water. Salt water is hard on dive gear and you really need to get it cleaned out of there where fresh water is pretty benign and you can get away with things.

If you doubt your skills, take it to the shop.

[rktman26]

The dive was in salt water. When I got back to the house, I hosed the gear off lightly and soaked it in a bin (fresh water) until I finished washing the boat (about an hour). I found the dust cap off when I went to rinse the gear, so the only salt water woul be residual (salt that came off the gear and ended up in the fresh water).

I don't have my own tank, so it looks like I'll be taking it to the shop.

I kinda figured that would be the answer, but I was hoping to save the few bucks.
Thanks for all the info.

[Rainer]

Most of us have done this. Take it in just to be sure. If you're anything like me, you'll probably be more vigilant next time.

[rktman26]

I can't believe I did it this time.
I had a lot going on for this dive. My buddy and I fished in the morning out of my boat until about noon. We went back to the docks and got our dive gear and went to the spot we normally shore dive from, beached the boat and had a great dive. By the time we came up, I had been out on the water or in it for about seven hours.
I then had to get the boat back on the trailer, take the tanks back to the dive shop, drop off my buddy, drive an hour to the house, wash the boat and clean my gear.

Hopefully, it won't be too expensive of a mistake.

[Rainer]

It shouldn't be too pricey. Chalk it up as a lesson learned, and know you'll likely be more vigilant in the future. About all you can do at this point...

[caroln]

I did this on my first dive after I owned my own reg--well kinda--I stuck the cap back on full of salt water and left it closed til I was back in my room later and had that sudden 'duh' moment and realized it. I brought it into the shop on the way home, and they changed out a filter (which they gave back to me as a reminder not to do it again). I still have that filter, and have never forgotten again. It's a pain, but not the end of the world. The tech at my shop gave me a good ribbing for it, but didn't charge me to fix it. It was well worth the peace of mind to know it had been properly taken care of even if I had to pay though.

[thesmoothdome]

It happens more often than folks admit. My rule of thumb is that if I do something to my gear that I know shouldn't be done, ie soaking the first stage, I'm going to tell the tech about it and have him overhaul the reg. Better safe than sorry. I dive an Aqualung Legend XL which used the ACD system which eliminates water coming into the first stage in the event the dust cap isn't replaced before exposing it to water. Nice safety feature IMHO and one great breathing regulator to boot!

[rktman26]

I dropped it off last night. We'll see how long it takes to get back and how much it costs. I'll post the results here.

I almost decided not to take it in, but my wife hit me with the- "I don't want you to die on your next dive" (she's not a diver). So I took it in.

Thanks for all the advice.

By the way, that was dive number 25 for me.