Servicing sealed first stages

[Patty]

A query:

I'm wondering if sealed first stages tend to have less corrosion and gunk on servicing? Is there any benefit outside of cold water diving?

 

[in_cavediver]

A query:

I'm wondering if sealed first stages tend to have less corrosion and gunk on servicing? Is there any benefit outside of cold water diving?

My expierence is yes, if the reg is sealed (and remains so) and the diver never blew water through it, the inside will be pristine, just as it was when it was built or last serviced. The outside may be a different story though.

As for an advantage - well it keeps the internal parts of the reg clean. For the record, I own both environmentally sealed regs and non-evironmentally sealed regs, all diaphram types.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

An unsealed ambient chamber is a prime place for salt and silt to deposit and for corrosion to occur. You can always tell the divers who carefully rinse and soak their regs from those who don't during an annual service.

And I would estimate that about 60% of the corroded parts I replace are due to corrosion in the ambient chamber and the remaining 40% are from flooded regs that were not dissasembled, cleaned and dried after the flood.

So in my opinon a fully sealed reg is much easier for the diver to rinse and maintain than an unsealed reg as only the exterior needs to be rinsed.

 

[Patty]

Thanks very much for that, that's just what I wanted to know

 

[h90]

An unsealed ambient chamber is a prime place for salt and silt to deposit and for corrosion to occur. You can always tell the divers who carefully rinse and soak their regs from those who don't during an annual service.

And I would estimate that about 60% of the corroded parts I replace are due to corrosion in the ambient chamber and the remaining 40% are from flooded regs that were not dissasembled, cleaned and dried after the flood.

So in my opinon a fully sealed reg is much easier for the diver to rinse and maintain than an unsealed reg as only the exterior needs to be rinsed.

I have a DIN first stage and I am afraid that some water come inside if I really soak it good. The cap does not look 100 % waterproof.
What shall I do? Different cap, or shall I accept that a little bit clean clear sweat water come inside?
What is the best way?

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I would not let any water inside under any circumstances.

Ideally, rinse the regulator while it is attached to a tank or pony bottle and is pressurized.

Otherwise, I would find a fully sealed DIN cap - one where the DIN inlet o-ring seats against a mating recess in the cap to allow safe rinsing and soaking.

In the event you cannot locate one, either place your thumb very tightly over the inlet while you rinse the reg, or with the possibly leaky cap on, rinse the exterior while taking care not to get water on/in the cap. Soaking is not an option in this case, but the good news is that if the reg is fully sealed, soaking is not nearly as important.

 

[h90]

Will try to find such a cap.....
All dive centers I have been till now, just put the second stages in the sweet water and keep the first out of it, with the air not connected. I never felt very well with that.

That idea with the thumb is good, will do so carefully. I have the Mares Abyss and I can see the spring on the first stage so that means it is not fully sealed, right?

In future I'll try to do it myself (mostly the dive center wanted to clean my things as part of customer service which I don't like much).

I would not let any water inside under any circumstances.

Ideally, rinse the regulator while it is attached to a tank or pony bottle and is pressurized.

Otherwise, I would find a fully sealed DIN cap - one where the DIN inlet o-ring seats against a mating recess in the cap to allow safe rinsing and soaking.

In the event you cannot locate one, either place your thumb very tightly over the inlet while you rinse the reg, or with the possibly leaky cap on, rinse the exterior while taking care not to get water on/in the cap. Soaking is not an option in this case, but the good news is that if the reg is fully sealed, soaking is not nearly as important.

 

[tstonedvr]

I rebuilt a reg this past Sat. that was so loaded with sand that the IP went well past 200 before I shut it down, no way would that reg have worked. If it was up to me all regs would be sealed. I have yet to see any of the inlet sealed regs come in after use but I suspect they are very clean inside. Spend the money to get these sealed regs as they will work better and last longer in the long run.

 

[h90]

Did I understand it right? For example the first stage of the Mares Abyss is not sealed, because I can see the main spring of it. If I install the cold water kit than it is in silicon oil/grease and sealed?
Did I get that right, or do I write complete nonsense and you speak from something different?

I rebuilt a reg this past Sat. that was so loaded with sand that the IP went well past 200 before I shut it down, no way would that reg have worked. If it was up to me all regs would be sealed. I have yet to see any of the inlet sealed regs come in after use but I suspect they are very clean inside. Spend the money to get these sealed regs as they will work better and last longer in the long run.

 

[tstonedvr]

Did I understand it right? For example the first stage of the Mares Abyss is not sealed, because I can see the main spring of it. If I install the cold water kit than it is in silicon oil/grease and sealed?
Did I get that right, or do I write complete nonsense and you speak from something different?

The Abyss is a diaphram reg and would require a add on enviro kit if such is available from Mares...Piston regs use the grease or similar for a sealant. Cold water and enviromentally sealed are the same animal.