Spare Air Regulator

[H2O 70]

Thanks guys, no I dont plan on running out of air, actually I dont plan on even taking it on dives.. I just got it as a "toy" I do alot of boating and swimming too.. thought it would be fun for free dives or just having extra time to "hide" or get away from the kids while swimming.. maybe quick boat repairs/ dropped item retrieval.. etc.. this is not a dive tool for me. and wow.. 60 bucks was too much? I tried to win one on ebay first and they all go for around $150.. some dont even have the fill adapter included.. I thought i got a steal..If anyone would like to sell one for less than $60 I will buy all you have ;o)

There is just a lot in your statement that sounds like it has the potential to go wrong and someone get hurt.

You're a certified diver, you know, hopefully, the dangers of a free diver breathing compressed air at depth. It is not a 'toy'. In theory it is a piece of life saving equipment.

Seriously, what if someone on your boat who isn't a certified diver grabs the thing and dives down and starts breathing off it to be cool or joke? Hopefully you carry O2 of the boat as well.

I'm just saying.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Save it for when it was really meant to be used. When you have to water ditch your helicopter and need a few extra seconds to get clear. Otherwise they make dandy paper weights.

 

[paxtang]

Sorry, looks like this thread has gotten out of control. I dont plan to use this thing as a life saving device or dive to 80ft with it.. Im talking goofin around at shallow depths. by shallow depths I mean no deeper than I would go with no air source at all. Sure it wasnt intended for that, but how many of us has used a wrench for a hammer or a screwdriver as a prybar? I was just curious if there was anything I could do to make it breathe a little easier.

 

[driftwood]

Sorry, looks like this thread has gotten out of control. I dont plan to use this thing as a life saving device or dive to 80ft with it.. Im talking goofin around at shallow depths. by shallow depths I mean no deeper than I would go with no air source at all. Sure it wasnt intended for that, but how many of us has used a wrench for a hammer or a screwdriver as a prybar? I was just curious if there was anything I could do to make it breathe a little easier.

This is "spare air" light compared to most other threads on the subject.

For a quick look under a boat and the depths you are talking about you can get a minute or two. Best use of Spare Air I can think of.

At $60, you didn't do too bad. The refill adapter should fetch you $20-25 on Ebay and there are always people like me. My wife insisted that I should get one when I was first certified. Bought it used, sold it when she got her cert card. We made a couple of dollars off the deal and at $60 for a complete kit you should be able to do the same.

 

[Adi]

Spare Air to hide from the kids... Have we actually have found a use for the abused Spare Air Bottle??

 

[paxtang]

Lol.. yea should be fun.. im part fish anyway and can easily hold my breath for about two and a half minutes so I should be able to stay under for 10 minutes with this thing..lol.. I can be a half mile from them before surfacing.. but back to the original question I take nobody knows anything about the reg unless it is just harder breathing than im used to..

 

[driftwood]

I think you have your answer. "Toy" pretty much sums up Spare Air. Enjoy it and don't let anyone not certified play with it.

 

[widget]

My guess is a poppet or purge valve spring was either corroded or stuck in position and broke free. They aint great breathers, but either way, it seems like it will need some mechanical attention.

Its a simple reg. system, if you have a basic sense of mechanics, work methodically and carefully, there is no reason why you couldnt overhaul it yourself easily in 45 minutes tops!. Of course it gos without saying, if you have doubts, rather take it to a repair facility and have it professionally looked at, there are no real external adjustments you can make to the regulator portion of the instrument to improve its air flow or cracking resistance.

 

[halocline]

Try searching around for someone who has posted a schematic or manual for them. I don't know anything about the regulator mechanics of those things, but now I'm kind of curious. On the spare air website it says balanced single stage regulator.

 

[DCBC]

...The reg seems to be a tad stuck.. the first couple breaths were very had to extract and thne when in broke loose there was a loud vibrating noise..
after a few of those the noise stopped but its still hard to breathe..Seems to be loosening up a bit but is there anything I can do to adjust or clean it for smooth operation? Thanks alot.

1. Empty the cylinder of air
2. Remove the retention ring off the top of the regulator
3. Remove the plastic top piece, by using a wooden dowel
4. Remove the diaphram
5. Examine the lever height and adjust it accordingly (this can be unscrewed from the case and adjusted up or down with a small headed screwdriver that matches the screw head)
6. Once this assembly is removed, beware not to lose the burst disc that lies underneath it.
7. Once readjusted, reassemble, refill and check the operation
8. Repeat as necessary.

This should fix the problem you're experiencing, unless a part requires replacement.

Wayne