Figured out a trick for clearing a stuck helmet valve in a tricky spot

I was doing a bridge inspection down in Charleston last week and my exhaust valve got jammed with some sand and grit. Couldn't clear it with the usual blasts and I was losing air fast around 45 feet down. Then I remembered an old timer telling me to tap the valve cover with my knife handle while exhaling slowly. Tried it and the pressure popped it free on the second try... worked like a charm. Anyone else got a weird fix for a stuck valve that saved a dive?

2 comments

2 Comments

diana15518d ago

Did you try tilting your head sideways when you tapped it?

riley_coleman818d ago

Wait is this actually some kind of life hack or are people really overthinking tapping stuff? I feel like if the thing is broken, tilting your head isn't going to magically fix a loose wire or a dead battery. People act like electronics are run by magic and not actual mechanical parts. Most of the time when something stops working it's just old or gummed up with dust anyway. I'm all for trying the simple stuff first but maybe just plug it in or hit the reset button instead of acting like you're performing surgery on a toaster.