Last year, MSA issued a User Notice informing customers that an enhanced G1 exhalation valve was available at no charge due to a small number of reports of sticking exhalation valves.  Many customers have taken delivery of this new exhalation valve, and MSA wants to make sure that all customers are aware that this enhanced exhalation valve is an option as stated in the original user notice dated May 22, 2017:

User Notice and Instructions to Receive New Valves 

The enhanced exhalation valve offered an improvement; however MSA has since learned that it did not completely eliminate the possibility for sticking.  For this reason, MSA is hard at work on a more permanent fix to reduce the likelihood of a sticking exhalation valve.

MSA would like to remind customers that cleaning the facepiece remains a critical step in SCBA maintenance, and greatly reduces the possibility of an exhalation valve becoming stuck.  Because of the importance of facepiece cleaning, MSA created an instructional video and poster to show the process step by step.  These additional resources are available at no cost to you:

• Facepiece cleaning video:  https://youtu.be/We9saB_Y2UM
• Facepiece cleaning posters:  Contact MSA Customer Service 1-877-672-3473.

For additional questions, please contact your local sales manager.