DESCO AIR HAT

Products which work for a long time with low maintenance requirements are better for the ecology. Replacing worn out equipment in relatively short cycles uses more resources. The longer a product will reliably perform reduces time and material demands and lowers costs. Also products made from recyclable materials reduces raw material demand and saves energy.

The Air Hat is used in some of the worst contaminated environments imaginable. Maintaining sewerage treatment facilities, Nuclear power stations, oil tanks, chemical facilities, and performing disaster recovery work in contaminated water all contribute to a better environment. It sees service in food processing plants and paper mills keeping those facilities operating at peak efficiency.

DESCO Air Hat # 482

Manufactured in July 1977

This DESCO Air Hat recently returned to us for installation of a double air inlet elbow to bring it up to current standards. The owner opted to keep the single exhaust valve and original valve handle. The only part changes were the gaskets, window screws, air distributor, and headpiece liner. A new Green paint job and it was ready for another 33 years of service. Simple straightforward maintenance and upgrading keeps current Air Hats on the job and making positive contributions to a cleaner and healthier environment.

Contributing to more efficient operations, helping to protect the environment, demanding less in materials, and major components made of recyclable metals the DESCO Air Hat contributes to a GREEN world.

About the DESCO Air Hat

The DESCO Air Hat was designed in 1968 by Thomas Fifield, and has continually evolved to meet the requirements of the commercial diving industry. The design was developed when a Gulf Coast DESCO dealer requested a helmet to compete in the new low volume market. Utilizing the company's expertise in Copper and Brass helmet production the Air Hat is a worthy successor to the Sponge, Commercial, and Navy helmets it descends from.

In its original configuration the Air Hat used an adjustable version of the exhaust valve from the Browne Commercial Mask. It also used the air inlet elbow from the Pool mask. Using off the shelf parts kept the production cost low, hence the price low for the Air Hat. All good designs are adaptable to meet changing needs of the marketplace. Major upgrades to the Air Hat over the years were designed so they could be retrofitted to older helmets, thus increasing their service life. Time and experience showed that a double exhaust valve was preferable in most situations and later bail out capability became an industry requirement. Designing features that can be upgrades to old Air Hats does cut into new helmet sales but is true to the goal of providing the best possible helmet while providing the greatest value to our customers. DESCO's Air Hat maximizes safety, durability, and reliability, while requiring simple routine maintenance and care.

The DESCO Air Hat conforms to all current regulations of the ADC Consensus Standards, and U.S. Federal Regulations administered by OSHA and the U.S. Coast Guard. The Air Hat has been awarded certification by the European Community for use in EC member countries and carries the CE # stamped on the tail.

The DESCO Air Hat is a "free flow" helmet of contemporary design, using time proven techniques and materials in its construction, similar to the heavy gear helmets of the past. Brass castings are deep soldered to a 1/16" thick spun copper shell. The Air Hat is remarkable both for its ruggedness and its simplicity of design. It can be disassembled and reassembled using only a screwdriver and wrench. It can easily be donned or removed by the diver without assistance from the tender. Using the adjustable exhaust valve the Air Hat can be adjusted to either side of neutral buoyancy underwater with ease. With its low center of gravity and excellent fore and aft balance it rest comfortably on the divers head. The interior headliner is adjustable for size and the foam pads are covered in leather for comfort.

The DESCO Air Hat is the preferred helmet for working in hazardous environments where contamination of the diver is a concern. The "free flow" or “overpressure” design allows for a constant positive pressure to be maintained in the Air Hat. The standard double exhaust incorporates two separate successive seals to restrict the possibility of leak back.

The DESCO Air Hat comes standard with a neck dam for sealing at the neck. Leading dry suit manufacturers offer a DESCO yoke to directly mate the helmet to the dress in place of the neck dam. Installation of the insert ring to the dry suit is quick and easy, and does not require tools. Sealing of the Air Hat at the neck is achieved with two independent but complementary seals which are air and watertight. The Air Hat is shipped with the neck ring insert, a size 15 neck dam (unless another size is requested at time of ordering), and a adjustable jock strap. Approximate shipping weight is 34lbs.

Standard Features of the DESCO Air Hat

Double air inlet valve with non returns (bail out non return threaded for SCUBA whip).
Adjustable double exhaust valve.
Stainless steel air control valve rated at 6000 psig.
Two video/light blocks.
Communications housing fitted with two binding posts, with a communication plug connection option.
Two wire communications transceiver.
Tin plated finish.
Brass parts have high polish finish.
Size 15 neck dam is standard (other sizes can be substituted by request).
Adjustable safety jock strap.

Also standard, is a double air inlet elbow equipped with two non return valves. The lower inlet is for the surface air supply line, while the upper Bail-out Non-Return is machined to accept a SCUBA whip. The upper inlet is supplied with a dust cap to protect the threads and prevent dirt entry while not in use. Threading on the non-return valve accepts a standard 9/16"-18 Oxygen fitting.

On top of the snout are two blocks for mounting of lights or video cameras. The air control valve handle has been redesigned to reduce the possibility of snagging.

Communications: The DESCO Air Hat now comes equipped with a side communications cup with integrated binding posts. The new configuration moves the transceiver out of the airflow path and closer to the divers ear. The standard configuration is two wire communications through the binding posts. The Air hat can also be ordered with a Marsh Marine style two wire or four wire Male communications pigtail from the factory.

Standard two wire configuration Optional male pigtail configuration

The pigtail can also be installed by the customer later on in the port provided (see Optional Features below).

Optional Features for the DESCO Air Hat

Painted finish (standard DuPont Imron® colors).
Two wire or Four-wire Marsh Marine type communications plug assembly.
Welding Shield

Painted Finish for DESCO Air Hat

The DESCO Air Hat can be ordered painted in lieu of Tin plating. The helmet can be painted with standard colors from the DuPont Imron color chart. Custom colors may be ordered for an additional charge.

Male Communications Pigtail Plug Assembly (Two Wire or Four Wire) for DESCO Air Hat

Cat. No.61228

The DESCO Air Hat can be ordered with either a two wire or a four wire Male Marsh Marine type plug installed in the helmet. The four wire plug allows for use of a four wire intercom telephone. The assembly includes the bulkhead fitting and Nylon ferrules.

Two Wire Male Plug Four Wire Male Plug Female Plug Bulkhead Fitting

See the DESCO Commercial Diving Equipment Pricelist for part numbers of individual components. The choice of two wire or four wire communications should be specified at the time of ordering.

NOTE:

With the telephone options and wiring options available it is impossible to make a "standard' connection setup. Since DESCO will not know the specifics of each customer's communications system the helmet will be shipped without the pigtail being attached to the speaker. The customer will be responsible for determining the proper wiring by matching the pigtail wiring to the umbilical, and then making the proper microphone & speaker connections.

DESCO does not provide the microphone. The customer must choose a microphone suited to the telephone system he/she is using, and determine the best place to locate it inside the helmet.

We stock the matching Female Marsh Marine Type two and four wire pigtails for attachment to the umbilical line.

Welding Shield for DESCO Air Hat

Cat. No.61001

The welding shield is made of 3/32" sheet Brass. It comes with a 4 1/2" x 5 1/4" Shade 9 welding lens. The welding shield is attached to the Air Hat with two Stainless Steel screws which replace the two Brass top window screws. The welding shield is hinged with a continuous Brass Piano hinge which allows for flipping the shield up and out of the way when not needed. Shipping weight 1lb 6oz.

DESCO Neoprene Breastplate

Cat. No. 61300

The Neoprene Breastplate was introduced to mate the Air Hat to a commercial collar diving dress. In the late 1960's the heavy gear dresses were still in wide use and this breastplate was a stop gap measure. Today a drysuit can be ordered from any major manufacturer with a DESCO, KM, or Gorski yoke with no problem.

From the catalog:

DESCO Neoprene

Breastplate

Cat. No. 61300

This is a special breastplate which permits the DESCO Diving Hat to be used with a conventional commercial diving dress.

It is made of laminated neoprene and fits on a brass support with commercial studs. The dress can then be mated to it by means of brailes and wing nuts.

The stretchable rubber collar, or "yoke", can be attached to a neck-ring insert so as to permit the latter to make a water-tight seal inside the neck-ring of the hat. It thereupon serves all of the functions of a conventional breastplate.

Air Hat Upgrades

DESCO makes every effort to keep the Air Hat current with industry standards and practices. Whenever possible changes are made which can be applied to older Air Hats bringing them up to current standards, effectively extending the service life.

The DESCO Air Hat has evolved to meet the changing demands modern diving places upon it. Several upgrades are available for the Air Hat. These upgrades are done in our shop. Turn around time is dependent upon number of repairs/retrofits to the helmet and production schedule. Rush and emergency repairs and retrofits are possible. Shipping and handling in the price refers to shipping the helmet to DESCO and returning it to the customer. Additional costs may be required for disassembly/reassembly, preparation time, and any necessary repairs. A complete evaluation of the helmet will be done before any work commences. We will make recommendations for additional work based on the evaluation and environment the helmet is used in. All work will be approved by the customer before started.

The following upgrades must be factory installed as there is soldering involved. DESCO cannot warranty any of these upgrades done outside of our facility.

Double Exhaust Retrofit

Cat. No. 60231 (specify retrofit)

The Double Exhaust Retrofit replaces the original square single exhaust valve with the round double exhaust valve. The double exhaust is highly recommended for any contaminated diving. The replacement requires the factory removal of the old square base and the installation of a new round base.

Double Air Inlet Elbow Retrofit w/Non Return Valves

Cat. No. 60002 (specify retrofit)

The Double Air Intake Elbow allows for a Bail-out Bottle to be attached to the helmet. Both inlets come equipped with Non-Return Valves. The upper Bail-out Non-Return is machined to accept a SCUBA whip. The Bail-out Non-Return also is fitted with a cap to protect the threading when not in use. The replacement requires factory removal of the old elbow and installation of the new elbow.

Video/Light Mounting Blocks

Cat. No. 61115

Two blocks are inset and soldered to the top of the snout. The bolt size is 3/8"-16.

Requires factory installation as the snout has recesses milled in to accept the blocks.

Note: The Noise Canceling Speaker Assembly Retrofit Cat. No. 61224 has been discontinued. This retrofit will supersede that one.

The noise canceling speaker is still available with this retrofit.

New Style Communications Cup Retrofit

Cat. No. 61222R

DESCO is now offering the new style communications cup as a retrofit to existing Air Hats. The location of the cup is further back on the helmet than on a new helmet due to the need to cover the opening left by removing the binding post block. The new cup is modified by Silver soldering a tab on it to cover a small portion of the binding post opening the cup does not cover. The height of the cup is critical so as not to interfere with manipulation of the neck ring clamp.

Four Wire Communications Elbow Retrofit w/Pigtail

Cat. No. 61218

The Four Wire Communications Elbow Retrofit allows the use of a separate speaker and microphone inside the helmet. A low profile elbow is attached to the helmet behind the Binding Post Block and has a four wire Marsh Marine male plug installed. The plug is wired to the existing transceiver in a two wire configuration. Four wire operation can be achieved with a customer installed microphone. Retrofit requires factory installation.

The features described above, together with its reasonable cost make it the hat of choice for divers working at depths where the diver can be supplied with air. When used with a dry suit it provides the diver with maximum protection in contaminated water.

NEW 09/09/09

Spring Loaded Lock Conversion Kit

Cat. No. 61041

This conversion kit was developed for DESCO Air Hats which will be used in an environment where significant snagging hazards exist.

The kit contains all necessary parts to retrofit a standard Air Hat.

2- Long lock bolts

2- Offset Locks

2- Nylon Spacer Bushings

2- Stainless Steel Springs

2- Nylon Clamp & Lock Washers

2- Self Locking Nuts

Note: The spring lock conversion kit is a new product developed in response to a specific customer request. While the design should perform as required no field testing or use experience has yet been compiled. DESCO recommends that this adaptation of the Air Hat locking system be used for now only in dives where a serious snagging possibility exists, or where the potential danger from contaminated water makes using all available safeguards necessary. For the short term the springs should be checked pre dive and post dive for signs of fatigue, which will reduce their holding force. Once sufficient field experience with the conversion is accumulated a normalized inspection and maintenance term can be recommended.

New Air Hat Air Control Valve Handle

We are changing the air control valve handle on the DESCO Air Hat. The inventory of Air Hat air control valve handles diminished to where we needed to place an order. Ric decided to have our supplier quote on a handle similar to the one used on the Browne Commercial helmet ACV. They came back with a price that warranted making the change.

Since these handles are cut from billet stock the smaller size uses less Brass, so the handle is less expensive. The smaller size also presents less of a snag hazard. It is lighter in weight so reduces the diver's neck load.

The new handle Cat. No. 61133S will be $53.00 as opposed to $58.00 for the larger handle. When we introduced the larger handle in 1997 we assigned the Cat. No. 61133N (new) to it, as the cast handle was 61133. The N was dropped over time but with the new handle and the need to keep replacements for the old handles in inventory we are reinstating the N to that part number. As of now the original cast ACV handle is Cat. No. 61133C, the large machined ACV handle is Cat. No. 61133N, and the new small machined ACV handle is Cat. No. 61133S.

61133C 61133N 61133S

Chrome plating on parts of the DESCO Air Hat.

This was originally announced on the News Page on 04/01/10.

DESCO has discontinued Chrome plating the non-return valves and exhaust valves on the Air Hat. We determined that the aesthetic value was overshadowed by the rising cost of plating. Secondly there was a issue of bad plating on some exhaust parts in the last batch which required stripping and replating of the parts. Thirdly over the years divers have mentioned that when welding underwater the plating is being attacked and becomes very pitted and rough. It was decided that we would high polish the parts in lieu of plating.

Air Hat Maintenance

Overview

The Air Hat differs from other low volume helmets on the market in that it does not have a demand system. The free flow design makes field repair and maintenance practical. The helmet can be disassembled with a couple of wrenches and a screwdriver. Hard parts normally will wear slowly and can be repaired and maintained during annual inspections. Soft parts like gaskets and flapper disks should be checked often. These parts are relatively inexpensive and should be replaced as part of routine maintenance. DESCO cannot offer a specific timeline for part replacement as helmets will see a wide range of use and conditions. A regular maintenance program should be instituted to ensure the Air Hat is always ready for service and will perform satisfactorily.

Maintenance Documentation

The information you need to maintain your Air Hat is available for download on this website. Go to the Downloads Page for manuals and guides. Technical specifications are available on the Technical Page.

DESCO in factory Maintenance Services

DESCO offers annual inspection and maintenance service for the Air Hat. When a Air Hat is returned to us we evaluate it and provide a report with an estimate for repairs we believe to be necessary or advisable. The customer will be consulted before any repair work is commenced. Some disassembly of the Air Hat will occur during evaluation. Once authorization is obtained the helmet will undergo full disassembly and cleanup. If any additional items of concern are found the work will stop until the customer is consulted. At this time we can also make any upgrades. Air Hats can also be repainted or retinned. A few customers have sent helmets requesting all work necessary be done to bring the Air Hat back up to peak condition. This effectively give DESCO carte blanche on repairs. We appreciate this trust in us but we will still consult with the customer on any large or expensive repairs before undertaking them. After completion of the work an inspection report is made out. A copy of the report is sent with the helmet for the customer's files. We also retain a copy of the evaluation and inspection reports.

Here are before and after photos of a Air Hat we recently did maintenance on. All rubber parts were replaced, worn hard parts were replaced. All valves were inspected and tested. All parts were cleaned and the helmet shell was media blasted and repainted. Per the customer's request any parts not sent in with the helmet were replaced, these included the neck ring insert assembly and safety rope assembly.

Safety Notice

CAUTION - DIVING IN COLD WATER CONDITIONS.

Any air (pneumatic) system given the right combination of temperature and/or airflow has a propensity to freeze up. It is prudent therefore to check for moisture regularly and install a secondary in-line dryer system if necessary. If moisture freeze up problems persist contact your compressor dealer for recommendations to suit your particular needs.

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