Sherwood regs...servicing regulators (can) cause them to fail?

slackercruster · Aug 22, 2006

In another thread it was stated "Servicing regulators causes them to fail." Like all things human, work done by humans is not always perfect.

My question is how often should I rebuild my regs? I got cheapie Sherwood regs and pretty much just dive in fresh water springs or the pool. No corrosion anyplace I can see, I take good care of them as far as recreational diver can. Should I rebuild every 5 years? Or just wait until they act up? The other component of this formula is redundancy. I dive with main reg, an octopus and a redundant pony with its own reg....3 regs on each dive.

Also is it better to learn to rebuild yourself, then you can't blame anyone other than yourself for shoddy work? Can you buy the parts?

Thanks

slackercruster · Aug 27, 2006

Anyone have some feedback on my post?

ReefGuy · Aug 27, 2006

Servicing a regulator is only as good as the tech who services it, with any brand of regualtor. Some are better than others. Fortunately, work sent me to training to service my work regulators, which I service semi-annually (more often when necessary).

My work regs are Sherwoods, and I love them. They're simple to service, and bulletproof. I can rebuild them quickly on site, if necessary. A couple of things you can do with Sherwoods to gauge their condition is to pop off the purge cap and have a good look at the diaphram. Stretch it slightly from the middle to the edge and look carefully for pinholes (I do this after every dive). With the diaphram out, look around the demand lever for any corrosion or discoloration (this is also a good time to run the regulator under the sink for a good rinsing). Take off the exaust tee and pinch the exhaust valve in half (give it a good pinch on the edges). It should rebound back without any marks. If you have a Sherwood first stage, with the dry air bleed system, it should constantly leak a small stream of bubbles. This should be between 13 and 27 ccm per minute (measure with a graduated cyllindar). Also, pick up an intermediate pressure gauge (one that fits on your hose where the second stage would go) and measure the pressure. It should be between 135 and 140 psi without any creep. If you have problems in any of these areas, take the reg in for servicing.

For my personal regulators, I have them serviced yearly. I don't use them very often anymore (my job actually encourages us to use theirs for personal), but I still want them looked at on a yearly basis. I do, however, trust the person who rebuilds regs at that shop, he's a very knowlegable and thorough person. There are parts that just wear over time, and I want to be sure that they are in good condition.

All that being said, my recommendation would be to have them serviced on an annual basis. When you get your regs back, schedule a quickie, shallow dive near you (use a pool if necessary) and test the regs before you use them somewhere significant.

Jim Lapenta · Aug 27, 2006

Did you buy them from an authorized dealer? If so they should be serviced every year to keep the warranty in effect. This should be done by an authorized tech. If you do not care about the warranty, have access to parts, can do the work, and have good life insurance to take care of your family should they fail, then maybe you can do them every five years yourself.(NOT!) This all should have been covered in your ow class. The majority of manufacturers recommend an annual service every year or 100 dives or so. With a complete overhaul every 2. If you only do 10 or so dives a year they definitely should be looked at since time out of water can be harder on regs that are used every other weekend. It is not rocket science to service a reg granted. But I'll feel much better after I take the factory course that is being set up to do my regs. Not only can I then service them at the shop but I'll know that I'm doing what needs to be done the right way. BTW Sherwood regs are by no means "cheapie" regs. As reefguy stated, they are rugged, reliable, and bulletproof. I use a brut on my pony because I know I can depend on it and I got a blizzard for my son. I would not trust my kids life to "cheapie" anything. My primary regs are oceanic and I'll put the sherwoods up against them any day. I went with oceanics because I got a good deal and my lds carries them. We also carry sherwood but i like the oceanics adjustable second stages.

sk8rpj · Aug 27, 2006

JimLap:
Did you buy them from an authorized dealer? If so they should be serviced every year to keep the warranty in effect.

With Sherwood regulators they don't have to be serviced every year to maintain their warranty. Sherwoods warranty covers your parts for two services. They have little colored rings on the hose protector that when overhauled the technician removes one and that covers your parts. It doesnt matter if you have it done two years consecutively or if you have it done once every 5 years for two overhauls.

slackercruster · Sep 21, 2006

ReefGuy:
Servicing a regulator is only as good as the tech who services it, with any brand of regualtor. Some are better than others. Fortunately, work sent me to training to service my work regulators, which I service semi-annually (more often when necessary).

My work regs are Sherwoods, and I love them. They're simple to service, and bulletproof. I can rebuild them quickly on site, if necessary. A couple of things you can do with Sherwoods to gauge their condition is to pop off the purge cap and have a good look at the diaphram. Stretch it slightly from the middle to the edge and look carefully for pinholes (I do this after every dive). With the diaphram out, look around the demand lever for any corrosion or discoloration (this is also a good time to run the regulator under the sink for a good rinsing). Take off the exaust tee and pinch the exhaust valve in half (give it a good pinch on the edges). It should rebound back without any marks. If you have a Sherwood first stage, with the dry air bleed system, it should constantly leak a small stream of bubbles. This should be between 13 and 27 ccm per minute (measure with a graduated cyllindar). Also, pick up an intermediate pressure gauge (one that fits on your hose where the second stage would go) and measure the pressure. It should be between 135 and 140 psi without any creep. If you have problems in any of these areas, take the reg in for servicing.

For my personal regulators, I have them serviced yearly. I don't use them very often anymore (my job actually encourages us to use theirs for personal), but I still want them looked at on a yearly basis. I do, however, trust the person who rebuilds regs at that shop, he's a very knowlegable and thorough person. There are parts that just wear over time, and I want to be sure that they are in good condition.

All that being said, my recommendation would be to have them serviced on an annual basis. When you get your regs back, schedule a quickie, shallow dive near you (use a pool if necessary) and test the regs before you use them somewhere significant.

Thanks for all the help, I appreciate everyone's reply.

Yes, I have the 2 rings on each of my 3 regs, but the dive shop told me I have to use the rings in the first two years of their sale or they are no good for parts thereafter?? Scare tactics?

In any case, my concern is to balance the money with safety. I have a bunch of tanks, ponies, regs and all that stuff eats up money with inspections, hydros, servicing, etc., so try to keep my costs down as am on a budget.

spectrum · Sep 22, 2006

sk8rpj:
With Sherwood regulators they don't have to be serviced every year to maintain their warranty. Sherwoods warranty covers your parts for two services. They have little colored rings on the hose protector that when overhauled the technician removes one and that covers your parts. It doesnt matter if you have it done two years consecutively or if you have it done once every 5 years for two overhauls.

According to my 2005 Blizzard manual the warranty rings must be used within 30 days+- of the purchase anniversay. Otherwise the warranty is terminated.

That's not to say that some shops don't allow some float. My former LDS used to just collect the rings and send them in as a batch like tokens for more kits. The redemtion of the rings was not tied to specific serial numbers and dates.

Pete

matt_unique · Sep 23, 2006

A regulator used after service is much more likely to fail than prior to the service. This is a fact, and you should do a few conservative dives after reg servicing. The only time I have ever had any problem with a reg was post service.

You should get it done once a year.

--Matt

pdoege · Sep 24, 2006

I'd be tempted to dive them until they show signs of needing service, and then servicing them.

The only time I've had problems with my regs has been after a tech butchered them.

YMMV.

Peter

Sherwood regs...servicing regulators (can) cause them to fail?

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