Why did the knob break off my SCUBA valve?
The handwheel shearing off the valve stem upon a right-angle impact is a design safety feature present on nearly all modern SCUBA valves, in order reduce the risk that the flow of gas could be interrupted or gas could be lost. Without even having to drain the tank, it's a simple process to replace the valve stem. This is a simple equipment maintenance task many divers can do themselves. Watch our YouTube video titled Valve Stem Replacement.