Manifold question

[divindoubles]

Has anybody ever had an isolator valve leak (or maybe the o-ring in the isolator itself?) I personally like to tilt the valve out a little away from my head. It makes it easier to reach and it doesn't poke me in the head when I look up. This is fine for big open caves, but what about tight places where you can get a roll off? Seems like if your left post can roll off then an isolator valve could get snapped off as well. Thoughts, suggestions, rhetoric?

[andrebasso]

I've never had a blown manifold but I've heard it can happen and has in the past to a few people on this forum.

Here's my solution. Try turning the isolator valve in towards your neck at a 45 degree angle. Not straight down to the floor but pointed towards the base of your neck. I think I'm the only one who does this... It has major advantages. 1. You can tilt your head all the way back and you suddenly have a full field of vision. 2. The isolator is completely protected from the cave walls and less prone to bumping, jarring, stress, etc... 3. With the isolator tilted inward, it is even closer to your hands and therefore even easier to twist. 4. You can use one or two fingers to grab the post for support while the other fingers rotate the valve. 5. The valve direction is not reversed and therefore the left-loose/right-tight rule applies. Good for when you might be in a panic situation. With the normal upward position, you have turn left to tighten and right to open which is counter intuitive.

The only disadvantage is that it might not be easy to twist with thick gloves. Member of the JJ cult don't like this though, as it is harder for your buddy to twist your valve. IMO, if you need a buddy to help with your valves, you should not be cave diving.
.
.

[jbdvr]

i tilt mine about 25 degrees. some people leave the isolator section a bit loose so it will move or spin a small amount if struck. joe

[Alan Garrett]

I have been tilting my isolator at about 45 degrees as well, but upward instead of downward. I have just always done this because it seemed "right". I have never had any trouble reaching it or having it impact against anything during the dive, including the back of my head. I also used to leave it just loose enough to rotate if struck with any real force, but I have since stopped doing this. I figure that the chances of my whacking the crossover hard enough to damage it are far less than the chances of me weakening my O-rings by having the crossover moving around. Just my opinion! -Alan

[Genesis]

I tilt mine forward 45 degrees - on the Sea Elites the "flats" are square this way.

It doesn't hit me in the head, its easy to grab if I need to, and it makes the valve part reasonably-well protected (you SHOULD whack the TANKS before you hit the valve body.

I too don't leave mine loose. My theory on that is that the O-rings are not intended to be dynamic and that there's more risk of a failure occasioned by a whack that rotates the isolator than hitting it hard enough to shear it off. A failure of the O-rings is one of those "you're in deep kimchee" events, and is to be avoided if at all possible. Even scootering I'm not sure I could impact anything that hard without making a mess out of my body in the process.

[Line Squirrel]

i tilt mine about 25 degrees. some people leave the isolator section a bit loose so it will move or spin a small amount if struck. joe

Ditto (leaving it loose)...at least when I used to dive banded doubles, now 95% sidemount so it's a non-issue

[sdalcher]

It is a streamlined profile and very easy to reach.

[JE]

If one side rolls off, you either brushed up against something {walls/ceilings}or the knob is too loose. If you knock the isolater valve itself against something & damaged it or turned it off, than it is protuding too far, & or your skills need to be honed-!
I was advised by a competent cave explorer to turn any center valve {isolater or otherwise}upside down, so that in no way will the valve itself ever be harmed-! If it is turned on, than it will remain on......If it is turned off, than you've mis-judged your set-up in the first place-!
DIR or otherwise-!

JE