Do tank O rings need grease?

[davieeeee]

I know this is a really silly question, but I just wanted to know as I have just bought my first tank.. Do the o-rings need to be greased before putting them on? I am referring to the o ring that is visible when looking at the valve, and this is for a yoke set up, if that makes any difference. Also, I've already had two O rings give way on me (out of the water luckily). How common is it for o rings to bust? Am I just very unlucky?
Thanks for helping out a noob =)

[paintsnow]

do you have regulators already?
if not i would suggest getting a DIN fitting and changing your valves.
its inexpensive and the o ring is much more secure.

and the o rings should not be greased. the reason for this is that if they are greased they will attract and hold lint, dust, sand and any other particles, which could very well prevent a good seal.

with a DIN valve there is no o ring present on the tank, which is the one piece of equipment that usually gets the most abuse and is usually stored in the worst environments for o rings. instead the o ring is on the regulator, which most people take care of much better.

if you already have a yoke reg you can find out about converting it to DIN if you are interested.

also DIN has the ability to be used on any valve on any scuba tank.
some places overseas use only DIN valves, so you would have to rent regs if you own yoke, other places use only yoke, in which case you screw on your DIN to yoke adapter and you have yourself a yoke reg in 3 seconds.

[keyshunter]

Originally Posted by davieeeee

I know this is a really silly question, but I just wanted to know as I have just bought my first tank.. Do the o-rings need to be greased before putting them on? I am referring to the o ring that is visible when looking at the valve, and this is for a yoke set up, if that makes any difference. Also, I've already had two O rings give way on me (out of the water luckily). How common is it for o rings to bust? Am I just very unlucky?
Thanks for helping out a noob =)

It is not necessary to grease the yoke valve o-ring. It is not really common for properly sized, new o-rings to blow. There are two different thicknesses (at least) of o-rings that will fit a standard K valve. Perhaps you need the other one. Or, there could be a problem with your new valve's face, or for that matter, your reg's.

[keyshunter]

Paintsnow,
You are wise beyond your years.

When I taught at the college level, I usually told my students before a bluebook (essay) exam: "If you don't know the answer to the question, tell me what you do know about the subject. Maybe I will give you partial credit."

[FishFood]

Make sure you let all the pressure out of the regs after turning off the air in the tank. That seems to be a common mistake that will easily blow an oring.

[mm_dm]

Originally Posted by FishFood

Make sure you let all the pressure out of the regs after turning off the air in the tank. That seems to be a common mistake that will easily blow an oring.

Good point. Be sure to inspect the o-ring before you hook up the regulator and see if the o-ring was damaged during the fill.

[thesmoothdome]

As was already said, no you don't need to grease the o-ring on the valve. You should inspect the o-ring before you hook you're reg up to it thoiugh. If it seems frayed or compressed, replace it before the problem occurs. Everyone should carry a save-a-dive kit complete with tank o-rings. IMHO, switching all your gear to DIN because of the higher possibility of blowing an o-ring is overkill. It's akin to being so germ-a-phobic that you live your life in a plastic bubble to avoid the common cold. Blown o-rings happen occassionally, but if you inspect them and change them when need be, it's not very likely.

[TxHockeyGuy]

I was having the same problem with o-rings blowing on me. Only I had one blow at depth, an experience I didn't care for. Nothing appeared to be wrong with the regulator, the o-rings I was using, or the valve. I was tired of having them go out on me (4 in 8 dives) and went with the shotgun approach. I changed o-rings and replaced the valve on the one tank that kept losing the o-rings, so far so good.

Are you constantly losing them on the same tank? Has the tank ever been tipped over with the reg still on it hitting the ground? There might be a scratch or the yoke may have been slightly bent not fully capturing that o-ring. Just some thoughts.

[paintsnow]

Originally Posted by thesmoothdome

As was already said, no you don't need to grease the o-ring on the valve. You should inspect the o-ring before you hook you're reg up to it thoiugh. If it seems frayed or compressed, replace it before the problem occurs. Everyone should carry a save-a-dive kit complete with tank o-rings. IMHO, switching all your gear to DIN because of the higher possibility of blowing an o-ring is overkill. It's akin to being so germ-a-phobic that you live your life in a plastic bubble to avoid the common cold. Blown o-rings happen occassionally, but if you inspect them and change them when need be, it's not very likely.

it might be overkill in some cases but to me its peace of mind.

also, thank you keyshuner, im obsessed with scuba and its all i can think about
XD

[davieeeee]

Thanks for the informative reply guys!

"Make sure you let all the pressure out of the regs after turning off the air in the tank. That seems to be a common mistake that will easily blow an oring."

Thats an interesting comment and one that I might be guilty of.

My current procedure is to.
a. Close the tank valve complete.
b. Purge both regs.
c. Dissassemble reg from tank

Am I doing this incorrectly?