Nothing stops The KRAKEN

[Bryan]

Customer sent in Kraken 14-xxx so it was one of the original series in 2014. Wanted me to install the can protectors and service it while it was there. Pretty standard stuff, nothing new to report. Before I started on it I hooked it up to the bench jig, IP was fine, no leaks evident and it breathed fine but from looking down the intake horn I could see a problem.....After I got it open I sent and E-mail to the customer asking how it performed the last time he dove it...Customer says it worked fantastic and has never missed a beat.

I'm sure there is not a part of it that did not have saltwater corrosion on it. Nevertheless I'm setting it up today (with a lot of new parts) and overall it's none the worse for wear and will be diving again soon.

NOTHING stops The Kraken

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[swimjim]

Looks really vintage!!!

[Fibonacci]

NOTHING stops The Kraken

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They really ARE bulletproof!
Out of interest to someone on a steep learning curve for regulator servicing what do you think caused such heavy corrosion?
Leaky diaphragm to case seal?
Water entry via filter?
Condensation from not removing hoses for cleaning and drying?

[Bryan]

EXACTLY what happened will never be known. Getting it in the first stage could be water under the cap when it was put on or water dumped on it while the cap was off....Inside the cans could be through the hose loop or the clamps not tight or various other ways. Folks expect the hose loop to be 100% water tight 100% of the time and that's just not the case. You have flexible valves in the mouthpiece and exhaust can and depending on position, airflow, freeflow etc a little water gets in from time to time. The case/diaphragm design of the Kraken eliminates any possibility of water entering between the two parts though.

Proper after dive care would have prevented most of it.

I just finished a Conshelf that was worse and it turned out fine.

[Fibonacci]

EXACTLY what happened will never be known.

<snip>

Proper after dive care would have prevented most of it.

Thanks for the detailed explanation... I will go and re-read all the posts on Kraken care and maintenance!!

[Bryan]

EXACTLY what happened will never be known.

<snip>

Proper after dive care would have prevented most of it.

Thanks for the detailed explanation... I will go and re-read all the posts on Kraken care and maintenance!!

There is a care and maintenance guide on the website homepage.

Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk

[Herman]

The corrosion inside the cans is simply not rinsing the reg properly after dives.
The corrosion inside of the reg is a different matter and judging how much it was distributed, it appears to have come via the filter. One cause of this that is often missed is on dive boats. Many do not cover the valves of the tanks and spray from the boat can fill the opening of the tank valve with a good bit of water. Unless you blow it out BEFORE installing the reg, It gets pumped directly into the reg.

[ScubaLawyer]

Agree with Herman on issue of sea water entering through filter. It's not just spray and wet valves, although that has happened to me many times. Between wet wetsuits, dripping masks and gloves, water coming off the reg itself, putting on the wet dust cap that just tagged along on your dive, or forgetting to dry and put on your dust cap while waiting for a fill, there is all manner of ways for water to get through the filter and into the 1st stage. Seen it many times on different regs no matter how careful I think I'm being. My 2 psi. Mark.

[lexvil]

Another example of the Kraken toughness;
Last Saturday went out to Monterey for a few Dives, dove the Kraken as usual and did two great dives, one trying out the Reg with a Transpack, like the way the Reg sits on my back but most of my diving is in coldish water in a drysuit using a DSS stainless plate with weight plates.
After the second dive I took off the rig and left it on the tailgate of my BAT {big ass truck} I had inflated the wing to do a leak test because it was leaking earlier at the big hose. I was walking away when I heard a collective OH SHIT, anyway something happened like a weigh pouch slipping {?} off the edge and it drug the rig into a measured 40" drop, right on the Kraken! Dry weight of my rig is over 80 pounds
This is what happened




All pics are under water in my pool after my drive home, did a 20 minute dive in the pool, amazingly all works as designed, I doubt any of my single hose Regs would have survived this fall.
I'll check with Bryan about buying a exhaust can half when he gets going again.

[ScubaLawyer]

The real question is whether Bryan lashed a Kraken to a palm tree and had it ride out the storm. Nothing like being able to advertise your product is hurricane-proof.

[lexvil]

A follow up,
Took it out for a dive on the 16th, worked fine. Took the cans apart for a rinse and closer look for hidden damage and found none. No crackin' inside the Kraken, I have pics of the inside, can't resize them on my iPad to post them, won't be home until next week to use the computer but will post pics then.

[couv]

Hey Lex,

Is that nail polish you used to index your hoses and horns? Does it hold up well? I wanted to mark mine, so I just dug out my old Dacor equipment marker, but it has solidified over the years. Cheap crap didn't even last 45 years.....no wonder they went out of business.

Couv

[lexvil]

Hi Robert,
It's the trident marker paint, it's holding pretty well but it's only 10 years old
It's holds up well on the hoses and the cans even if some gets knocked off ive always had enough left to realign things.

[Herman]

I use the "I don't like the color any longer" half used bottle of fingernail polish.

[Bryan]

A silver sharpie works on EPDM hoses and the cans....