lessphp fatal error: load error: failed to find /home4/undersea/public_html/blog/wp-content/themes/Underseas/style.less{"id":139,"date":"2015-07-25T05:41:51","date_gmt":"2015-07-25T10:41:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/underseas.com\/blog\/?p=139"},"modified":"2015-07-25T05:43:03","modified_gmt":"2015-07-25T10:43:03","slug":"how-to-choose-the-right-regulator-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.underseas.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-the-right-regulator-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Choose the Right Regulator – Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now that we've explored and defined the basic parts and functioning of a scuba regulator, let's explore the various types of regulators and their features.<\/p>\n

The regulator lowdown:<\/h2>\n
\n
First Stage scuba regulators can be separated into two basic groups: diaphragm regulators<\/a> and piston regulators.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
$\"Aqualung$ <\/a>Diaphragm Regulators<\/h4>\n
Diaphragm refers to a thick piece of plastic rubber within the first stage that is basically pushed open and closed by metal springs on either side of it. \u00a0Diaphragm regulators do have more moving parts than piston regulators, but\u00a0does not make much difference to the recreational diver. \u00a0Diaphragm regulators are also \"environmentally sealed<\/a>,\" meaning that no water enters into the inner workings of the first stage, making this the preferred choice for both cold water divers and those diving in contaminated waters.<\/p>\n
$\"Inside$ <\/a>Piston Regulators<\/h4>\n
Piston refers to a piston inside of the first stage of the regulator that moves up and down against a heavy tensioned spring. \u00a0Once the IP (Intermediate Pressure) is reached inside the first stage, airflow into the regulator from the tank stops. \u00a0When\u00a0the diver\u00a0takes a breath and the IP drops, the spring opens up the piston and allows air to flow back into the regulator. \u00a0Water is allowed to flow inside of a piston first stage so divers must be more diligent in rinsing this regulator after diving.<\/p>\n
Within both of the main two scuba regulator groups (diaphragm and piston) the regulator can now either be \"balanced\" or \"over-balanced.\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Balanced Regulators<\/h4>\nA Balanced First Stage<\/a> is when the intermediate pressure stays consistent even when reaching great depths. \u00a0It also ensures that the IP stays true\u00a0even when the\u00a0tank pressure is getting low.<\/p>\n
Overbalanced Regulators<\/h4>\n
Overbalanced<\/a> regulators allow the inter-stage pressure in the hose to increase more than a balanced regulator at depth. \u00a0This compensates for the increased density of the air at depth, therefore, allowing larger volumes of air to pass to the diver. \u00a0This gives better breathing performance to the diver.<\/p>\n
Once you've decided on a piston or diaphragm regulator, and whether you want it to be balanced or over-balanced, the rest of your decision will be based on how many \"bells-and-whistles\" you want it to have. Obviously, the more features you want you your regulator, the higher the price you will pay for them; it's just like buying a car. \u00a0These are the most common features, and what they can do for you:<\/p>\n
\u00a0Venturi Valve<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
An adjustment valve on the second stage of many regulators that allows the diver to fine tune the effort needed to take a breath from their regulator.<\/p>\n
Master Breathing System<\/a><\/h4>\n
Found on Aqua Lung Legend Luxe and Legend LX Regulator models. \u00a0A control knob that combines the Venturi and fine adjustment knob into one easy to use control\u00a0knob minimizing regulator free flow at the surface and fine tuning inhalation effort during your dive.<\/p>\n
Auto Closure Device<\/a><\/h4>\n
Found on Aqua Lung regulators, seals off the regulator's first stage, keeping water and other contaminants from entering. \u00a0Also makes the regulator safer for higher percentages of oxygen use.<\/p>\n
Pneumatically Balanced Second Stage<\/a><\/h4>\n
Eases the exertion effort needed by the diver to take in a breath of air, increasing the ease of breathing during all stages of diving from shallow to deep.<\/p>\n
Automatic Flow Control<\/a><\/h4>\n
Found in Atomic regulators, this design actually eliminates the need for a venturi valve on the second stage by placing a computer-designed air foil inside of the mouthpiece connected to pressure sensing diaphragm, allowing the airfoil to adjust automatically as your depth changes.<\/p>\n
Now that you can throw down technical regulator terms with the best of them, you can make a list of features you want and feel confident walking into your dive store<\/a> and discussing with the sales associate about which regulator is best for you. \u00a0Now get out there and blow some bubbles!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Now that we've explored and defined the basic parts and functioning of a scuba regulator, let's explore the various types of regulators and their features. The regulator lowdown: First Stage scuba regulators can be separated into two basic groups: diaphragm regulators and piston regulators. Diaphragm Regulators Diaphragm refers to a thick piece of plastic rubber within the first stage that Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":154,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-equipment","cat-3-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.underseas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.underseas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.underseas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.underseas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.underseas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.underseas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":160,"href":"https:\/\/www.underseas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139\/revisions\/160"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.underseas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.underseas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.underseas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.underseas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}