Do You Service Your Own Regs?

[jeffsterinsf]

Well, one week and nearly a 10% weight loss is pretty severe...

...there are so many better ways to clean, I'll take one of those any day!

 

[Techniciany]

I am a qualified service scuba regulator technican who graduated from a two month program at Diving Technologies in Florida. I do not beleave any one should tinker with there regulator if they havn't been trained correctly. A one day inservice offered by regulator manufactuerers to scuba shop employees does not qualify you as a technician, this in turn is why we have regulator failers at depth after service work done. Play it smart take it to a qualified technician were you can have some recourse if something goes wrong. Remember scuba repair is not an exact science and any regulator can fail even after a complete overhaul has been performed by even a qualified technician.

 

[The Chairman]

The problem is FINDING anyone competent to service my stuffola. Thanks anyway, but instead of a crap shoot, I have learned to do it myself. I know I care enough to get it right the first time... and I have the time to do it too! My LDS does not even have an ultrasonic cleaner or magnahelic guage!

 

[redacted]

Technician once bubbled...
I am a qualified service scuba regulator technican who graduated from a two month program at Diving Technologies in Florida. I do not beleave any one should tinker with there regulator if they havn't been trained correctly. A one day inservice offered by regulator manufactuerers to scuba shop employees does not qualify you as a technician, this in turn is why we have regulator failers at depth after service work done. Play it smart take it to a qualified technician were you can have some recourse if something goes wrong. Remember scuba repair is not an exact science and any regulator can fail even after a complete overhaul has been performed by even a qualified technician.

So what kind of recourse are you talking about? And just what good does that do at 100 feet? I'll do it myself. That way I'm sure that the guy who serviced my regulator was just as interested in my well-being as I am. And once you overcome the scuba manufacturers induced problems associated with obtaining parts and instructions, it really is much easier that doing a brake job or rebuilding a carburetor.

By the way, now that you are retired, what do you do with all that scuba technician training?

 

[Genesis]

When you're willing to sign away your life - and I do mean that literally - when you service my reg, you are welcome to do so.

Since its MY azz down there if something goes wrong, and YOU will do everything in your power to avoid liability for YOUR mistakes if and when you make them, including but not limited to claiming that it was "my fault" when my reg locks up at 110 feet, I see those kinds of statements as the self-serving nonsense that they are.

There is nobody who has more interest in seeing that my reg works correctly than myself.

Absolutely nobody.

Until you "technicians" are willing to put your azz on the line if you screw up, I simply don't trust you as much as I trust myself.

Its not about saving money. If I value my time then the money is irrelavent, since my time costs more than yours (and I'll bet on that one.)

Its about knowing what was done, when it was done, that all the parts that I inspected and deemed unworthy of continued use really DID get replaced, that it was put back together torqued to the right values, and that I personally tested it in a shallow, confined water place before I took it anywhere that my life would depend on it.

You won't guarantee me any of the above, on pain of YOU dying if you're wrong. In fact its ME who dies if you're wrong, and then you and the manufacturer who "certified" you circle the wagons in an attempt to deny responsibility.

No thanks.

(Never mind that at DEMA you can be "certified" to service a particular reg after what - a one or two hour class? Never mind that the manufacturers do their best to keep the parts out of anyone's hands that isn't a paid monkey at said LDS - with or without ANY technical training in compressed gasses. The only "qualification" to take the class is being employed by a LDS! This is some kind of "technical" or "advanced" training? HOGWASH! Regs are simple devices, really - your disinformation campaign is noted and filed where it belongs, just like the rants about not buying regs from LP. The work that I do on my boat is both more technical and demanding than this stuff.)

 

[jeffsterinsf]

CincyBengalsFan once bubbled...
...Yokes need proper torque? How come??? Isn't there an O-ring at the bottom of that sucker that just needs to be resting up againts & inside the 1st stage?

Everything should be set to the proper torque. If you look in any Mech E reference, you'll find full torque charts for every thread out there in more metals than you can imagine. Even different for Grade 2, Grade 5, and Grade 8 hardware. I'm not saying that you need to use a torque wrench all the time on non-critical items if you have a good feel for "how tight is enough." I don't worry about it when I bolt a bumper on a car with a 10mm bolt. I certainly do when the same size bolt is working against a sealing surface. Especially when a compressible gasket or o-ring is present is when my "calibrated" hand fails me. "Proper torque" doesn't mean cranking down on it, it means not too much and not too little!

Sealing gaskets are especially critical -- the gasket needs to be compressed the proper amount. This is either through a torque measurement (typically for harder gaskets) or a physical distance (i.e., "tighten until gasket is contacted and then 1 1/2 turns more")

 

[plongere]

Well I guess I have found another reason to live here in the PNW. Our LDS technician teaches an equipment maintenance class. It is a three day class (spread over a fwe months) that covers tank valves, regulators 1st and 2nd stages, balanced and unbalanced, integrated systems and BC inspection and maintenance, wet suits and dry suits.

At the end of the class we are NOT certified technicians, but we have an excellent understanding of our equipmnet. I have four divers in my family. My wife and I already had Scubapro 16/550's, when the kids got certified we also got them Scbuapro equipment. This way, I was familiar with the systems, and I also purchased a couple of special tools to service the regs.

In addition to the speciality tools, my instructor helped us get small guages to measure IP and brass picks to help in disassembly.

For our final exam, we rebuilt our own regs in the shop. The LDS has first rate test gear so our systems were tested thoroughly before we "passed".

I have had to "service" the kids regs after they dragged them through the sand, and I also was able to detect a blown seat, so I knew not to dive a reg as well.

I guess we are blessed with a great LDS and a great service technician who is willing to teach. If you can find such a combination, I recommend that you take advantage of the situation. The classes were not inexpensive, but very much worth every penny.

Good luck!

:wave:

 

[My-way]

My 2 cents, althought that is only 1.08 cents in USD.

I don't think that servicing a reg is the same as servicing your car.

Btw I do both.

But regulators are not built with rocket science. Some may be intricate and require care, but so does you car... viz the balance on twin SU Carbs.

But to say that only a service tech in a LDS can do it properly is overstating the mark.

I have done a trade the requires the use of delicate hand tools and knowledge of HP gas and air delivery systems as well as general equipment skills. Others with much less experience, hand and eye coordination and general experience are in LDSs here and there servicing equipment.

The only benefit of having gear serviced at an LDS, if you are sucessfully servicing your own gear, is their insurance policy.

But as has been said above, it is my life on the line. I will tripple check the gear before I pack it away after service and only use it after a check out dive to ensure it is operating to spec.

As I said, my 2 cents (1.08 cents USD approx)

 

[Tekkie]

I don't know how to service my own regs, but I would sure like to learn.

Tekkie

 

[rainreg]

Hello I have been watching this post for a while to see what kind of info would be flying around, well some good and well some very questionable.

I just wanted to clear up a few points:

1. Simple Green is a reccommended cleaner for pre-cleaning regulators as well as other items for o2 cleanliness specifications in accordance with the 1330-d cleaning Instruction. It is mainly a de-greaser, should be used full strength when pre-cleaning for o2 specs, but for air service no less than 25% simple green to warm water for best results. although it should not be used on Aluminium parts, to the best of my knowledge there is only one AL reg out there (Scubapro UL) and straight from their engineers they wished they had never produced them.

2. As far as conducting repairs and maintenance on your own regulators I agree that everyone should learn how to maintain their own equipment,but they should get training other than the 1 hour wonder classes at DEMA. as well as ensure they have the specialty tools to conduct the repairs. I feel each individual will take special care in doing these repairs because this equipment is "Life support Equipment" and shuld be treated as such, this is not a scare tactic it is fact, I have done enough body recoverey to confirm this! take the time to learn the proper methods and if you have a question just ask. the process is relatively methodic and slow at first but take your time unless you are in a hurry to die.

I will add more to this post later on when I can get back to the boards.

Rainreg