Service or sell a Regulator

[Jim Lapenta]

Sherwood's are even easier than HOG's.

 

[LowDrag]

Learning to service your own reg is the best way to go regardless of what reg you chose. Many will tell you that it is life support so it should be done by a pro but it is not just life support, it is MY life support so I will do at least as good a job if not better. I have never worked on a Sherwood or Hog but regs have not changed much in decades so once you learn you can work on just about any reg. I use older Scubapro regs as they are very solid and easy to work on.

I have been thinking about this very same subject for a while now and have a couple of questions about costs vs value. I just looked up both of the books mentioned here and find that on Amazon, used books are going to be about $500-$600. I consider that to be pretty pricey for a pair of books. I have two sets of reg's, one for me & one for my wife plus another set I have plans on using for a pony rig in the future. So here is my question...where does the value of spending ~$500 on books and another $200 on tools balance out in this eqation? Does it really makes sense to start rebuilding your own reg's not including the thought of it being my own as stated above. I am pretty OCD about taking care of my gear so I completely get that statement. Where does the balance come in? I can do a lot of diving for $800. I am very interested in reading the responses of divers that do their reg's and reg tech's.

 

[redacted]

I have been thinking about this very same subject for a while now and have a couple of questions about costs vs value. I just looked up both of the books mentioned here and find that on Amazon, used books are going to be about $500-$600. I consider that to be pretty pricey for a pair of books. I have two sets of reg's, one for me & one for my wife plus another set I have plans on using for a pony rig in the future. So here is my question...where does the value of spending ~$500 on books and another $200 on tools balance out in this eqation? Does it really makes sense to start rebuilding your own reg's not including the thought of it being my own as stated above. I am pretty OCD about taking care of my gear so I completely get that statement. Where does the balance come in? I can do a lot of diving for $800. I am very interested in reading the responses of divers that do their reg's and reg tech's.

The good news is the books will not cost near that much. In fact, you may be able to do just fine with only one book (SCUBA REGULATOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR by Vance Harlow) and free online documentation.

You will spend some $$$ on tools but there are many work arounds so it is largely up to you on how much, depending on what you already have.

The bad new is it may cost much more in other ways. Once you are able to DIY, there will be some great buys on used regs that are just too hard to pass up. But that is entirely up to you. You will save a bunch once you stop paying someone else some fairly steep prices to perform unnecessary service on perfectly adequate regs that often only need a little cleaning and adjustment, if that.

Read the reviews on this book on Amazon. Looks like someone is trying to take advantage of Amazon's reputation and folks who don't do a bit more research.

 

[Rich Keller]

I have been thinking about this very same subject for a while now and have a couple of questions about costs vs value. I just looked up both of the books mentioned here and find that on Amazon, used books are going to be about $500-$600. I consider that to be pretty pricey for a pair of books. I have two sets of reg's, one for me & one for my wife plus another set I have plans on using for a pony rig in the future. So here is my question...where does the value of spending ~$500 on books and another $200 on tools balance out in this eqation? Does it really makes sense to start rebuilding your own reg's not including the thought of it being my own as stated above. I am pretty OCD about taking care of my gear so I completely get that statement. Where does the balance come in? I can do a lot of diving for $800. I am very interested in reading the responses of divers that do their reg's and reg tech's.

I have no idea about the books you are referring to but you can download complete service manuals for most regs from multiple sites on line like Frogkick for example. http://www.frogkick.dk/manuals/ These manuals will provide you with all the information you need to service your reg for free rather then buying a book. The only tool you will need other then normal hand tools is an intermediate pressure gauge for about $25. Beyond that scuba manufactures make their regs in such a way as to require special tools to prevent you from doing your own service but as awap said you can work around these obstacles. Doing my own service saves me money but the main reason I do it is that I am ultimately responsible for my own safety and do not choose to delegate that to someone else. I have been doing my own service for decades so I have no idea what they charge now but from what I hear from others on SB I think the savings are substantial.

 

[LowDrag]

I have no idea about the books you are referring to but you can download complete service manuals for most regs from multiple sites on line like Frogkick for example. http://www.frogkick.dk/manuals/ These manuals will provide you with all the information you need to service your reg for free rather then buying a book. The only tool you will need other then normal hand tools is an intermediate pressure gauge for about $25. Beyond that scuba manufactures make their regs in such a way as to require special tools to prevent you from doing your own service but as awap said you can work around these obstacles. Doing my own service saves me money but the main reason I do it is that I am ultimately responsible for my own safety and do not choose to delegate that to someone else.

Thank you!!! That is EXACTLY the response I was hoping for. I know I can do the servicing myself it is just a matter of learning how to do it properly and getting the parts of course...

Next question...I went to the frogkick site to check it out. The owner is limiting downloads to 5 per IP address. Is that per day or total? I have two different types of first and second stages (ScubaPro Mk11/C300 & ScubaPro Mk25/S600) and would like to get the manuals for both?

 

[Rich Keller]

Thank you!!! That is EXACTLY the response I was hoping for. I know I can do the servicing myself it is just a matter of learning how to do it properly and getting the parts of course...

There is a DIY section on SB where you will find all the help you need from people who do their own service and may be familiar with the type of reg you own.

 

[Nemrod]

I have been thinking about this very same subject for a while now and have a couple of questions about costs vs value. I just looked up both of the books mentioned here and find that on Amazon, used books are going to be about $500-$600. I consider that to be pretty pricey for a pair of books. I have two sets of reg's, one for me & one for my wife plus another set I have plans on using for a pony rig in the future. So here is my question...where does the value of spending ~$500 on books and another $200 on tools balance out in this eqation? Does it really makes sense to start rebuilding your own reg's not including the thought of it being my own as stated above. I am pretty OCD about taking care of my gear so I completely get that statement. Where does the balance come in? I can do a lot of diving for $800. I am very interested in reading the responses of divers that do their reg's and reg tech's.

Some people play the piano and some can balance equations and some people can take anything apart and fix it. I cannot play the piano, I think I recall getting through enough calculus to graduate, but I can fix anything. Kids for miles around bring me their busted skateboards and bicycles and please Mr. Nemrod can you fix _____________?

As to books, there are quite a few around here who need no books and likely could write a book. Tools, never a bad investment. My boss, my (wife) boss, my neighbors, ask why not just rent the tool or borrow the tool, well, mostly because sometimes I may not have any idea what I might do with the tool, until the day I do. This could explain why I am sitting here typing on scuba board while looking over the top of my computer at $200 of ball joint and pitman arm R&R tools-------- so here comes the answer to your question:

The answer is because I can do it BETTER than anyone else and I hate paying people to ruin things and do inferior work so I have learned to just do it myself because I end up undoing their BS and doing it over again and that cost more and falls under this observation of human behavoir:

Some people will go to any EXPENSE to save a DOLLAR.

N

 

[Bob DBF]

I have been thinking about this very same subject for a while now and have a couple of questions about costs vs value. I just looked up both of the books mentioned here and find that on Amazon, used books are going to be about $500-$600. I consider that to be pretty pricey for a pair of books. I have two sets of reg's, one for me & one for my wife plus another set I have plans on using for a pony rig in the future. So here is my question...where does the value of spending ~$500 on books and another $200 on tools balance out in this eqation? Does it really makes sense to start rebuilding your own reg's not including the thought of it being my own as stated above. I am pretty OCD about taking care of my gear so I completely get that statement. Where does the balance come in? I can do a lot of diving for $800. I am very interested in reading the responses of divers that do their reg's and reg tech's.

I gave a source for a free download for the Sherwood (and others), I'd talk to Jim Lapenta about the Hog. There is a lot of DIY reg techs on this board and others, so it would be a matter of time before you could find the information for little or nothing.

With some machanical inclination, patience, basic tools, and the desire to to service your own reg, I believe most divers that want to, can learn to service their own regs. If you have to buy a toolkit because you have no tools, you are probably not a good canidate. There are a lot of special tools and instruments that are available, however a lot of them just make things easier, only a few are actually necessary to do the job on certain regs.

I started successfully repairing some old regs without a manual. I've been a mechanic on a variety of equipment over the years, so I have tools and background to work on what shows up so I have a head start. With frogkick.dk, and the advice from other Scubaboard regulars, I find repairing regs much easier now.

Over the years, I have spent a a few hundred on special tools, but it was when I had the $ and couldn't make the tool myself, or my DIY tool needed an upgrade.

If you want to service your own gear you will find a way, if not then don't. That is the balance. Just tossing money at an issue rarely solves anything.



Bob
----------------
I may be old, but I'm not dead yet.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Thank you!!! That is EXACTLY the response I was hoping for. I know I can do the servicing myself it is just a matter of learning how to do it properly and getting the parts of course...

Next question...I went to the frogkick site to check it out. The owner is limiting downloads to 5 per IP address. Is that per day or total? I have two different types of first and second stages (ScubaPro Mk11/C300 & ScubaPro Mk25/S600) and would like to get the manuals for both?

I think frogkick is just trying to protect bandwidth... which I fully understand. But you should have no problem getting the manuals you need.

If you have problems getting manuals, have questions about a particular regulator, or need advice on servicing your regulators, stroll on over to the regulator and DIY sections of ScubaBoard. Your questions will get a lot more views by the DIY guys, and you'll get help.

My experience with this motley crew of DIY guys is that they are all amazingly generous in sharing hard-earned knowledge and will really try to help if you have a problem.

If you have the mechanical inclination and the interest, learning to service your own regulators is probably the single best investment of time and money you can make as a diver. It does not require that you be a master mechanic. Just the ability to work carefully and pay attention to detail. That is all. Regulators are simple mechanical devices.

Best wishes.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

If someone is charging 500-600 for the books they are seriously full goose bozo nutjobs. You can order the Reg Savy book from Scubatools for 35.00 - Regulator Savvy (Spiral Bound)
The Airspeed press one by Vance is only 50.00 direct from them- SCUBA REGULATOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR by Vance Harlow . People sell used books on amazon for crazy prices hoping to nab some sucker.