rebuild kits - too old?

[bradlw]

I went digging through my 20+ year old scuba boxes over the weekend to refresh my memory on what I have.
Turns out I have several old rebuild kits...I think one for each name brand kits for my US Diver's SEA 1st and my Micra 2nd....and several other generic after market kits. An even one for my old Sherwood pony tank reg. I still have that reg too, but I remember the piston cylinder was wrecked by corrosion....

Anyway, would you use 20-25 year old kits? They've been in storage, in a Florida garage. Inspect for pliability and cracking and use if they look ok?.... or would you pretty much toss all the elastomer parts?

 

[runsongas]

would not use the orings and diaphragm, but the seats and filters if they look in good condition

 

[DiveGearExpress]

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) publishes ARP5316 (Revision "D" issued 2014) as the recommended practice for the storage of O-rings. It states the shelf life prior to use of PU material O-rings is 5 years, NBR material O-rings is 15 years and the shelf life of FKM material O-rings is "unlimited".

 

[bradlw]

well that's great to know! I have a large kit...basically a small tacklebox full of a bunch of different sizes of o-rings... all viton! They've been stored with the rebuild kits I was asking about away from light (but in a garage that gets a bit warm in the summer)

 

[happy-diver]

If O ring life expectancy in a car engine is apparently 7 years, I would have no hesitancy in using them

have plenty inside and outside regs far older than these it's not space shuttles on a cold morning here

 

[OrcasC205]

If O ring life expectancy in a car engine is apparently 7 years, I would have no hesitancy in using them

have plenty inside and outside regs far older than these it's not space shuttles on a cold morning here

Oof. Even after 37 years (today is the anniversary of the Challenger tragedy), still too soon.