Sherwood Magnum Service

Is there a time limit or dive limit or performance limit that determines it is time for the reg to be serviced? I have a magnum 8 months old with 25 dives on it, should I go another season before service since the unit functions perfectly or bit the bullet and have it serviced? With only 25 dives on the unit it seems a waste to get its innards replaced if they are not worn.
Thanks.

It is reccomened by the factory that the regulator get serviced on an annual basis, whether it has 3 dives or 100 dives. I understand your concern that the regulator might not need the service. But this is the specifications that Sherwood has in place to maintain the warranty.

Sherwood Scuba

so essentially it has nothing to do with the operation of the unit, it just pertains to the warranty? Strange.

Thank you.

Unfortunately, a regulator does not have an odometer like an automobile, that could determine how many hours a regulator has been diving.

There are basically 2 schools of thought on the subject. One (above) is to get it serviced every year, regardless of use if for no other reason than to maintain warranty....which is really only the cost of the rebuild parts. The other school is to dive the reg until it shows signs of needing rebuilding. An inexpensive IP gauge will show most problems long before they become a real hazard. Plus, many of us have experienced more reg problems after a recent service rather than after the reg has been in service for a while. There is also a kind of middle ground where you service the reg every 2 or 3 years. You lose the warranty but save the labor cost of 2, 3 or more rebuilds. Which you choose is up to you. For what it's worth, Sherwood regs - as are many other brands- are very reliable and will take a lot diving before requiring attention.

I agree completely with herman. As I recall, Sherwood has a 2 year warranty, so at most your cost will be about $20.00 (service kits are about $10.00 ea. for both stages) for parts over this 2 year period. The major cost is for the needless service. I dived Sherwoods extensively in the '90's, and, unless there was a minor adjustment needed, I would not even think about servicing them until at least 300 dives. Both seats in a Magnum are simple pucks and can be, and often are simply flipped to use the other side by individuals who service their own Sherwoods.

My g/f is using an Oasis's, and I recently flipped the first stage teflon seat after about 250 dives. It was not really needed, as the IP was solid, but I happened to be in the area because I needed to replace the dry bleed orifice filter, which had become clogged.

Sherwood scuba Rep. is giving you the company line as he is required to do. This is essentially the same approach you will hear from every regulator company.

I recently met a couple in the Caymans who were diving older Sherwood regs. They told me they take 1 or 2 trips a year (about 30 dives), and have since the early 80's. The man's reg developed a slight freeflow during this trip and he had it serviced by the resort shop--had it back in about an hour. Curious, I asked him how long it had been since the last service. He said, "well we got them used in 1987, and they have not been serviced since". Wow.

Keys, Herman.
thank you both for chiming in. that is pretty much what I had figured. I'm from the school of if it aint broke don't fix it. Also I have heard horror stories of perfectly working regs flipping out after service (inept techs). hence my reluctance to get it serviced. I live in NY and do not have anyone I trust to service it, any ideas?
thanks.
jack

Yeah, I am with Herman, of course you still have approx 16 months warranty to run so it may be prudent to have it serviced now and keep the warranty, but afterwards, if its working fine I would just leave it. Sherwood has a sealed first stage, if the bleed valve is operational (its easy to check) there can be no issues from the ingress of foreign matter, and if the IP is steady and you dont have any freeflow issues, the reg is usually good to go.

thus far it has been the most stable, easy breathing and problem free reg ever, hence my loyalty to sherwood. i was going to upgrade to the SR1 but now I think I will settle on a maximus. since it was gifted to me (my bud upgraded and passed it down) I'm not too concerned about warranty. if I could get my hands on the blowup, I would service it myself, how hard could it be (I'm an engineer).

On offence but there is a big difference between an engineer and a mechanic, the regs are simple but you do need a little practical repair knowledge. Many...many...years ago I worked for Singer sewing machine co. I have sold a lot of parts to customers who's husband was an engineer, only to get a box of parts back. If you have done carbs, small engines and the like, you should have no problems. I am a big supporter of DIY, get the manual, buy a couple of reg books and ask questions in the SB DIY section. We have a very good and supportive bunch of DIYers. You will need a few tools, the first of which should be an IP gauge to monitor the health of your reg(s).

I have no idea of a NY shop but if you need/want a good place to ship your reg to I can put you on an excellent repair shop.