second stage lever height

[finflipper49]

I put a new service kit in my (new to me) US Divers metal second stage and adjusted the lever but it is above flush by about 1/8'' or so. If I loosen the nut, the lever becomes loose. It breaths well as long as I don't need to take a DEEP breath as it gets harder to breathe. To be safe, I brought it in to be serviced and when I got it back the lever height is still the same( high) and breathes the same. This is the first time I have used this dive shop and just want to make sure the tech that serviced my reg knows what he is doing. Does anyone have the lever height above flush? or would there be a reason for it? Thanks

 

[Fishpie]

If the lever is loose and rattles it would indicate that it is adjusted too low and might well not open the valve enough to get a full flow leading to possible harder breathing.
Best action is to loosen the nut until it doesn't rattle and doesn't leak when you put on the diaphragm and cover.
I wouldn't be too worried about the exact lever height.....unless it it has been bent.
On a side note, I very rarely swap out the nut, in fact I very rarely change the seats on USD 2nd stages.....they can last a good 30+ years.

 

[Nemrod]

One thing to check for is that the lever has not been bent.

The lever may "rattle" slightly when pressurized. You have to balance lever height against cracking effort.

Check that you have a new low pressure seat installed and that IP is correct or about 135 psi.

It is true that the old seats can last a long time but I get a better result when I start with a new seat. The new "blue" LP seats from vdh do not seem to indent nearly as much and are very nice. I also make my own from a secret material I found a roll of, beats the hXXX out of me what it is but it makes a good LP seat.

N

 

[Paladin]

Check/adjust the lever height with the regulator pressurized. The lever will behave differently between the pressurized and unpressurized states. The lever should be the same height as the rim when the reg is pressurized. That said, it usually doesn't hurt if it rides a bit higher, it just makes the reg a little more sensitive.

 

[idive2]

I have a conshelf XI that when set to breathe properly the lever was above flush. The first stage intermediate
pressure can affect the final lever height because you would need to turn the nut further one way or the
other to get the proper opening pressure. I think flush may be a starting point. If the lever is to low you will
not get a good purge when you depress the button. I would get the intermediate pressure where you think it should be,
then adjust the cracking pressure to where it should be. A bent or incorrect lever may also have an effect on the
free play when all else is adjusted properly. I'm not a regulator technician but have done some tinkering with some
of my second stages. First stages still a bit of a mystery for me...

 

[Paladin]

idive2,

Download the Conshelf XIV service manual off the web and read it. It is really a simple, straight forward reg to service and service kits can be bought from various sources on the web. All the Conshelfs are the same inside and use the same service kit as the pre-2009 Titans.

I set the IP on most of my Connies to 140 PSI and the lever on all the second stages set nice and flush to the rim except one Conshelf XI that I keep the IP set at 135. That one sets a little above the rim.

 

[Nemrod]

Many of the levers have bent over time for various reasons, none of them usually good. Unless you know it has not been bent then you cannot be sure in the case of an odd acting regulator unless you can compare the lever to one that is correct (as in new in the bag).

N