damage to manifolds

[Kris2]

I dive indies ,but after a discussion at the weekend ,i,m curious to know if there is recorded incidence of a diver banging a manifold hard enough to cause serious gas loss through the damaged manifold. i presume this wouldn,t really be a prob with the sturdier reinforced manifolds but not all manifolds are strengthened or sheilded.

[PeteM]

I dive indies ,but after a discussion at the weekend ,i,m curious to know if there is recorded incidence of a diver banging a manifold hard enough to cause serious gas loss through the damaged manifold. i presume this wouldn,t really be a prob with the sturdier reinforced manifolds but not all manifolds are strengthened or sheilded.

I've seen photo's of a twinset that was dropped where the manifold had a kink in it of about 20 degrees. It was still gas tight.

I've seen them fall off benches and land on one pillar valve and have no damage.

I doubt you are going to be able to break one with much less than a sledge hammer.

(take a guess what I think of the people that say you are going to damage a manifold by using it as a handle)

[DarrenA]

Not the manifold, more likely the first stage(s) take a knock or there is a problem with a hose etc.

Manifold gives you the chance to save the gas in that side.

With Indies you have accepted before you enter the water that half the gas you are carrying is lost if a problem happens.

[Nigel Hewitt]

Even with a manifold we are relying on the fact that we've never heard of a manifold valve falling out of its housing and dumping both cylinders in less time than it takes to soil your suit.

Valves are pretty good these days, it's regs that still cause the adrenaline moments. I've seen some very bent valves but not seen one leak yet.

OK. I have had a pillar seal go once, the other thing a manifold shut down is to save you from, but it was being filled not dived. It was one of those red-hot 300 bar fills you get from a shop on a Saturday night when they just want to get you done so they can go home so I don't really count it.

[Woz]

Seen sets fall off benches and badly bend valves and they still don't leak. Apparently MDE filled twin 15s with water, pressurised it to test pressure and bounced them up and down on the crane with no leaks...