Posted :
June 30, 2007
Wing configuration: I dived my TCW dual bladder wing for the first time today. For a first dive with one it felt ok.
Any tips on hose routing or what to do with the inflators with regard stowage?
The right inflator comes from slightly behind the bladder so comes up a little short. It kept dropping behind me only for me to fish it out. Also, another diver has told me not to connect the secondary bladder, only connect it if you require the redundancy, is this true?
So basically all i'm after really is some advice with regard stowage of the dangly bits, hose routing and any other tips to make less snag hazards. Cheers Andrew,
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Posted :
June 30, 2007
Ah yes, I know what you mean, I use the sleeves and Bungie my righthand inflator to the rig at about the clavical bone point so it is always there for you.. THIS IS MY PRIMARY INFLATOR.. the pull dump for this bladder is sensibly on top of the wing next to the twinset when you are swimming.
I then use the backup bladder and hose to come across my front which i hook the dump/inflator assembly under my chest strap for the wing so it doesn't flop and the hose runs down this sleeve and is either disconnected or is connected to my drysuit - same Sytech/Schrader nipple.
So basically the right hand cylinder valve Reg Set has two hoses on it a 1.5m long hose and a single 70cm LPI hose to PRIMARY BLADDER - nothing else. Left hand cylinder valve Reg Set has three hoses, standard 70cm hose with Reg, 70cm hose with LPI hose to SECONDARY BLADDER (discon) or DRYSUIT and HP hose 70cm with single guage with rubber boot (cut to expose swivel pin hut assembly).
The HP hose comes along side not underneath the SECONDARY BLADDER sleeving and has a bungie loop on your chest strap so you just look down to see the contents of your rig. Root the 1.5m hose down on the inside of your wing (sort of behind your right arm hole) into the groove between the plate and the wing. Put two figure of eight bungies about a hand span apart on the edge of the backplate so one is by your kidneys and other about nipple height. Make the outer loop of the figure of eight about the size of a 2p piece. The other end of the figure of 8 loop just needs to be secure to the backplate. so you will have two bungies secure to the plate with a spare loop each that a 2p will fit through.. good. now carefully fold the 1.5m hose so it has three loops that go around an egg cup and the long bits between them pass through these loops - in a sort of rectangular clockwise pig tail.
The end result needs to be so the hose comes from the Reg over the wing and down the back (on the inside edge) through the top loop, through the bottom loop then turns around (not a nasty kink) and goes back up through the loop on the back outside edge of the backplate through the top loop, turns around again and down through the top loop this time above the original feed hose, through the bottom loop and then turn and go up on the outside edge now above the earlier upward hose, through the second loop and then around your shoulder to your mouth as PRIMARY REG. If you get the hose folds like this it is very very easy to deploy, it deploys right and looks very very neat. In water you just have to do a hogarthian wrap until you are back on the boat if you deploy in water.
Be meticulous to always store the hose this way and it will safely deploy when pulled and will not cut off supply of gas. I have seen other ways work - but i like the ease with which this one works and doesn't harm the hose.
cheers and thanks Andrew.
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Posted :
July 1, 2007 by - ImmersionMan
O.K Andew, that's is a lot to take in all in one go. Let me see if I can syntesise your answer with a few additional questions tacked on the end.
1.The primary inflator is the right hand one. Place a bungie around the right hand side of the chest strap. Bungie in place your right hand inflator
2.The left hand inflator is the secondary. Tuck the left hand inflator under the left hand side of your chest strap
3.Your dry suit hose runs from the left hand first stage through the sleeve of the left hand inflator and connects to the chest inlet valve of your dry suit. In the event of a bladder switch, disconnect the dry suit and connect the left hand bladder.
4.On the right hand first stage, connect a 1.5m LP hose to connect to your primary regulator (Mares MR22 Abyss). Connect another LP hose to the primary bladder bungied onto the chest strap
5.On the left hand first stage, a) connect a standard length LP hose to the back up regulator hung around your neck by a yellow octoguard (Poseidon Metal Cyklon). b) Dry suit hose threaded through left hand inflator sleeve tucked under chest strap. c) Connect a HP hose to a single SPG with boot cut so as to expose the thread so as a leak can be detected immediately.
6.Thread the HP hose to single SPG along side the left hand inflator that is connected to the chest strap so as can be seen while swimming by looking down.
7.Primary regulator hose routing – From the right hand first stage run the hose down the right hand side of the wing between the plate and wing. Place two bungie loops, one at kidney and one at nipple height. Loop the hose back and forth between these bungie loops.
Questions –
1)Why not connect a secondary SPG to the right hand first stage in the event of an isolation shut down you can read the contents of the right hand cylinder?
2)Do you run the HP hose to the SPG inside the left hand inflator sleeve or simply bungied to it?
3)Is it best to purchase Custom Diver integral weight pouches so as to connect to the rig?
Thanks
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Posted :
July 1, 2007 by - ADM Diving
Hi there,
Yep nearly....
[1] and [4] need a slight tweek. The LPI hose goes inside the sleeve. The primary inflator (RIGHT HAND ONE) gets bungied to the shoulder strap not chest strap, by your - about in line with the front of your neck (i.e. about clavical bone)
The rest sounds about right - email me a pic when you've done and i'll see (go to my site for the address).
The left hand HP hose runs free outside of the sleeve.
The logic being in the rare event of needing to take that reg out of the valve post to put onto a deco stage will not be prevented from doing so as the reg is around your neck, the HP hose is free other than the guage bungie, and the LPI hose is down a sleeve that will easily come free or you cut the sleeve.
HP hose and Gauge gives you five points of failure - O ring at 1st stage end, hose, Swivel pin Hose end O ring, swivel pin Guage end o ring and the gauge. We can debate if there are more - but they fall largely into these 5 failure points.
If you close the central isolator - you are aborting that dive at that point NO DEBATE. Most likely failure will be main or alternate reg; Failure is very very often on the side you are breathing - so statistically speaking having the gauge were it is makes sense.
Is it worth the risk having one gauge both sides - no. You can see if you have left the central valve closed in a dive as the gauge never moves...
Statistics show the next most likely failure is HP...
Use the one gauge and secure it with a small bungie loop to your chest strap so it is in you field of view.
Urm the CD weight pockets.. i don't both with i use 4Kg (yep) and these go on my webbing belt of the wing on the right hand side behind a secure strap so they can't be released. In Technical Diving you just wouldn't release them - deco ceilings and all that.
cheers Andrew
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