Sand in everywhere...

[Scoobidoo]

I managed to get sand in every valve after a shore dive. The purge buttons on the 2nd stages are blocked, as well as the dump valve on the my BC, inflator button and Dive Alert button. First stage hopefully is alright.

Tried rinsing it out, no luck, I'm guessing there are bigger granules of sand lodged in gaps are aren't rinse-able. Since I don't know what else I can do, I've sent both my regs and wing to my LDS for a full service. I think they want to pull everything apart and clean it, I hope they can "fix the problem".

Has anyone got sand in their gear before and managed to fix it yourself? Do you need special tools to open up valves or inflator buttons?
Well, not that I'm going to leave things on sand EVER again! But it'll be great to know how to clean out small debris later in life.

[NitroWill]

The best thing to do is to pressurize your regulators and let them soak in a warm water tub. Swish them around every so often and give them a couple bangs to dislodge all the sand particles. The longer you soak and more you repeat this the better.

I think you know realize why it is important to always have a large tarp or towel when shore diving

[Scoobidoo]

Originally Posted by NitroWill

...I think you know realize why it is important to always have a large tarp or towel when shore diving

Yea, no one told me about this before!

[CompuDude]

Yup. Sand and regs are a lousy combination.

Sand and everything (except the beach itself) is a lousy combination, now that I think about it.

[cummings66]

Not only sand, but mud tends to collect if you're not careful. I make sure to clip the regs off and do not ever let them touch the ground, before I get out of the water I'll swish it around and purge it a few times. It seems to help.

[RoadRacer1978]

I just use a 6' X 6' blue tarp I bought at Wallyworld. It works great, easy to clean and the sand and dirt slide right off if it isn't wet. If I can drive right to the dive site I usually just use the back of my pickup. Everything stays real clean there and I take off my booties before climbing in the back to take off my gear. What ever method you decide to use, just be careful not to track a bunch of sand or dirt onto the surface your are puting your gear on.

[Scoobidoo]

Originally Posted by RoadRacer1978

I just use a 6' X 6' blue tarp I bought at Wallyworld...

You bet! I'll be carrying one of these on every shore dive from now on.

[Puffer Fish]

Originally Posted by Scoobidoo

You bet! I'll be carrying one of these on every shore dive from now on.

The second stage and the inflator are very easy to take apart (well, limited doing so), so if the sand is just in the outside stuff, you can easily clean it without effect the adjustments.

The inflator uses a car tire valve.. the exact same one actually. You can take it apart completely, just be careful about where the springs go.

The second stage should only be taken down to the point of removing the diaphram... there are several methods that the purge is attached to the body, so it may screw off, or have some sort of retainer method, but if you remove that (or unscrew), then the purge comes off and the diaphram comes off.

You can then clean everything easily. With the reg on a tank, the lever that allows air to enter can also be moved (but be careful not to push it with sand around and not under pressure).

Anything more, it would be best to take to a dive shop.

You should know these basic concepts anyway.

[ReefHound]

It's impossible to go to the beach without getting sand on things but with experience you learn to minimize it. Lay things out on a tarp and keep things clipped off so they don't drag bottom on entry and exit.

[namabiru]

Yeah, but here we find sand still gets everywhere, even with a tarp. The wind kicks up and the sand goes flying. Just late last night, when I was going home from work, the blowing sand almost looked like drifting snow... that and it was so freezing cold it was like a snowstorm... like so



Anyhoo, yeah. Get a partial cylinder (your LDS might lend you one, or hire it for a few dollars, or you might have one now) and hook your reg up. If you're using a large rubbish bin for your fresh water rinse, dump the whole unit in (or at least the reg). Soak, purge, repeat.

To help alleviate this problem in the future, take water cans filled with fresh water and a temporary rinse bin. After each dive swirl your regs in this water-- you can even leave them in. Or after the last dive of the day rinse *everything*--your bcd, your regs, your booties-- and put it directly into the big bin you use to carry stuff. Don't have a bin? Plastic clothes basket works every bit as well.