Air Regulator
Sunday, May 8th, 2011 |
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Scuba diving equipment – what is a regulator?
Scuba diving equipment – what is a regulator?
One of the key pieces of dive equipment for a scuba diver is a regulator but, just what is a regulator?
It all begins with the air in the tank and that you will be breathing underwater. To allow you to have sufficient air to stay down for an hour or more (precise depth times depend on depth and your personal air consumption) the air in the tank is pressurised to squeeze lots in. The working pressure in steel tanks is @2400psi and aluminium tanks @3000psi.
The first function of a regulator is to reduce this pressure down to the ambient pressure that you are underwater plus a predetermined amount so that you can breathe. This is done via a chunky, often chromed brass and termed a ‘first stage'. This is also the piece of equipment that you attach your other air related equipment to e.g. BCD air inflator and gauges.
The piece of equipment that you put into your mouth is referred to as the ‘second stage' and this completes the process of reducing the pressure to the ambient pressure. As long as you keep the regulator in your mouth and inhale it feeds you air. The second stage works via what is termed as a ‘demand regulator' and simply by inhaling a lever moves inside the mouthpiece and allows air down the hose from the first stage attached to the tank and into your mouth. Stopping breathing (never to be done under water) or exhaling causes the lever to close and stop the feed of air.
When you exhale the lever closes, air is prevented from entering the mouthpiece and the exhaled air is vented out of either the side of the regulator.
Modern scuba diving recommends and most training agencies e.g. PADI insist that for safety reasons you also attach a second regulator to your tank so that a dive buddy can breathe from your tank should they run out of air or their equipment malfunction. The arrangements can be different for technical or commercial diving.
Since this equipment enables the diver to breathe safely underwater it is often the first piece of equipment that divers will be recommended to buy as your life quite literally depends on the safe working of this piece of equipment. Your dive centre will be able to recommend good quality manufacturers and set up the equipment for you.
About the Author
Bruce Sawyer
This article is written by Bruce Sawyer a diver and underwater photographer for 15+ years and the author of the site http://addictedtoscubadiving.com/
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