New Regulator Setup

I bough my first regulator/octopus/spg from an online retailer and I am wondering about the best way to set it up. Since I bought it online, each item came separately and unassembled except for the first and second stages. I will not be using the regulator until February in Bonaire and I've read on this board that new regulators should be set up and tested by a professional because they may need some tuning. Thus my questions:

- Should I have a local LDS set it up and test it or should I carry it unassembled to Bonaire and have the LDS there do it?

- once it's assembled and tested how should I go about traveling? Do people usually disassemble their regulators for travel, or not? If the answer is yes, is it something that I can do on my own before and after traveling?

This is what I bought:

Apeks DST first stage, Apeks ATX40 second stage, Apeks Egress octopus, and Tusa SCA-120 spg.

agilulfo:

I bough my first regulator/octopus/spg from an online retailer and I am wondering about the best way to set it up. Since I bought it online, each item came separately and unassembled except for the first and second stages. I will not be using the regulator until February in Bonaire and I've read on this board that new regulators should be set up and tested by a professional because they may need some tuning. Thus my questions:

- Should I have a local LDS set it up and test it or should I carry it unassembled to Bonaire and have the LDS there do it?

- once it's assembled and tested how should I go about traveling? Do people usually disassemble their regulators for travel, or not? If the answer is yes, is it something that I can do on my own before and after traveling?

This is what I bought:

Apeks DST first stage, Apeks ATX40 second stage, Apeks Egress octopus, and Tusa SCA-120 spg.

Click to expand...

I would return it to the online dealer and have them assemble it and do the pre-delivery testing that every authorized dealer should do before a regulator is shipped. There is nothing wrong with online, but you should get the same level of service that you get from a walk-in store, including the assembly and testing of every regulator.

Phil Ellis

I had the same thing happend when I ordered from leisure Pro 2 years back. Everything was disassembled. I was considering paying my LDS to do it for me and test the setup. But after consulting professionals in the business who are specialists for my gear (in my case Mares reg, octo and SPG), they basically told me that the gear should be properly set for assembly and use straight out of the box (and yes, they are very very reputable, so I had good trust in them). SO I basically bought a tube of silicone loob from my LDS, as well as the appropriate wrenches from a hardware store, and assembled the octo and SPG myself, while following the manufacturers recommendations. I then tested everything on a AL80- out of the water, submerged the whole setup (while connected and under pressure to the AL-80) to check for leaks, and then eventually tested the gear in a pool (4 feet deep). The test went fine, so I re-tested in a deeper pool (12 feet). All was fine, so I decided to give it a go on a real dive (Nitrox course dive). Since, all is well! I've taken in for an annual service and the Reg and gear is working fine. I guess I took a calculated risk, which isn't for everyone. But I got properly informed about it and did things carefully, testing as I went along, and all went well.

This said, I don't know if Apeks regs are considered ready to go out of the box. If I were you, I'd get an expert oppinion on this Question before considering assembling it yourself. If you're not comfortable with this, just take it to a LDS (or return it if it's a reputable dive shop) and pay to have them do it.

Just my 0.02$

If you take your reg to a local authorized dealer, you will likely be lectured and overcharged. You could go back to the reatiler who sold it, but assembly is easier than changing a tire. You will need an allen wrench to remove port plugs and open ent wrenched to install the octo and SPG hoses. You can get away without lube on those connections. Screw them in finger tight and then use a wrench to tighten them just a bit more so they can't come loose. With new o-rings as you have that would be no more than another 1/4 turn.

But I would not go to Bonaire without testing it first. If you can't find a pool you can use (I understand the Hudson may be a bit cool) then get rent a tank and try a bathtub dive. Putt the reg on a tank and, with the valve off, try breathing from each reg to make sure there are no leaks under vacuum. This is a light breath and you should get nothing. If you do get any air, then the rig will probably keak water in during a dive. This should be corrected before you use it. Then pressurize it, listen for leaks, check the SPG, and breath each reg for a basic function test. Now throw it in the tub and look for leaks. It may take a minute or 2 for trapped air to work its way out. Finally, I'd get my face in the water and breath each reg again. You sould not need fins or the camera. If everything checks out, you should be able to take that gear to Bonaire with confidence you will not have to rent a regulator there to save your trip.

And in the unlikely event you do need it looked at while on Bonaire, go see Bruce Bowker at Carib Inn. He has the most complete repair shop on the island.

What I seem to gather from the various replies is that I should have it set up and tested here (either by an LDS or myself) before I travel and then keep it set up (i.e. do not take it apart for travel). I am going to find out if Leisure Pro will to do it for me since I bought it there and they are right across the river from me.

Agi, no, don't take it appart for travelling. If possible, I would recommend a regulator bag to pad it a bit while in your luggage (I take mine cary-on by the way).

I'm sure you can take it to leisure Pro to have them assemble it for you. When I had my misadventure, they offered to do it for me afterwards, but I would have needed to ship it back, which would have been costly... So I did it myself... But if they still do it as they told me they do, they just basically assemble the hoses and plug it onto a tank to test it. No cracking pressure tests, or otherwise. In that case, you can easily do it yourself and do a better job while you are at it. At least, that's what they told me 2 years ago...

Hope this helps!

agilulfo:

What I seem to gather from the various replies is that I should have it set up and tested here (either by an LDS or myself) before I travel and then keep it set up (i.e. do not take it apart for travel). I am going to find out if Leisure Pro will to do it for me since I bought it there and they are right across the river from me.

Click to expand...

You may also want to think about getting a good resource like Vance Harlow's Regulator Repair and Maint. manual. Great tips even if you're not going to do rebuilds.

So, I took the regulators to LP. I walked in and the tech guy had them set up and tested in 15 min, free of charge. Nice!

watch this video at 3:08
YouTube - Brad's helmet cam, scuba regulator