Annual equipment inspection??? Lots of questions?

LollyO · Aug 25, 2009

Folks are advised to have an annual equipment (gages, bcd,etc) inspection.

Some questions:
(1) local shops charge anywhere from $35.00 to $250.00 for an annual inspection.
(2) why can't I just don everything and test it myself in my friends pool?
(3) is there an official guide or check off list for an inspection?
(4) is there some liability on the paid inspector?
(5) should I expect some certificate or other paperword documenting the inspection?
(6) what % of folks really get an annual inspection?
of the folks I talk to , most of them pee-paw the idea of an annual inspection

Thanks,
Lolly

lmorin · Aug 25, 2009

LollyO:
Folks are advised to have an annual equipment (gages, bcd,etc) inspection.

Some questions:
(1) local shops charge anywhere from $35.00 to $250.00 for an annual inspection.
True.
(2) why can't I just don everything and test it myself in my friends pool?
You can, but that will miss the point of an internal inspection/cleaning/part replacement that, without substantially more training, you cannot do for yourself. Your question demonstrates a lack of understanding about the function of the various pieces of equipment. More diving and discussion of issues here on ScubaBoard will help resolve that. Also, read the warranty documents for your equipment
(3) is there an official guide or check off list for an inspection?
Your question is too broad. There are numerous items that need inspection. Some need inspection before every dive; others need minor inspection; while others need major inspection. The inspection process, for some pieces of equipment, is often necessary to maintain integrity of the warranty. You need to revise your thinking to accommodate the different items needing different kinds of inspections.
(4) is there some liability on the paid inspector?
Probably, but that's for the legal system to decide.
(5) should I expect some certificate or other paperword documenting the inspection?
You should expect a receipt indicating that you paid for certain types of inspections and that they indeed were performed as requested. If parts were replaced, you should also received the old parts. As indicated above, however, you first need to understand what a "paid inspector" should be doing to help you be certain that your gear remains in divable condition.
(6) what % of folks really get an annual inspection?
Don't know, but suspect it is pretty high. As indicated above, absence of yearly maintenance (or a similarly stipulated requirement) will void the warranty of some items made by some companies. I have my regulators professionally serviced yearly by the owner of my LDS. I do all sorts of visual and function tests on all my other equipment much more frequently.
of the folks I talk to , most of them pee-paw the idea of an annual inspection
That's their prerogative.

Thanks,
Lolly

Do what you are comfortable with, while understanding the types of problems you might encounter in the absence of professional servicing. You can do it all yourself. Whether you should or not is another question.

herman · Aug 25, 2009

LollyO:
Folks are advised to have an annual equipment (gages, bcd,etc) inspection.

Some questions:
(1) local shops charge anywhere from $35.00 to $250.00 for an annual inspection.

You have to define what an "annual inspection" is. Typically the cost for a regulator service- it is torn down, cleaned, inspected and worn parts replaced- runs in the $25 to $35 per stage or $75-105 total plus parts. If you add in a computer and BC obviously the price goes up. I personally don't see any need in annuals on BCs or gauges but reg are a different matter.

(2) why can't I just don everything and test it myself in my friends pool?

Because an annual service is a lot more than just testing to see if air comes out of the reg. It involves cleaning and parts replacement plus adjustments. How are you going to check the IP pressure or cracking pressure in the pool..... IF you understand what you are doing, a rough check of regulator performance can be done in a pool but it takes an experienced tech to do so, based the way you ask your question I am assuming you don't have an understanding of how regs work.

(3) is there an official guide or check off list for an inspection?

Each manufacturer has their own and those of us who do our own repair have our own list

(4) is there some liability on the paid inspector?

You bet, screw up a reg and hurt someone, there will be lawyers lined up to sue them

(5) should I expect some certificate or other paperword documenting the inspection?

Depends on the shop, a good one will

(6) what % of folks really get an annual inspection?
of the folks I talk to , most of them pee-paw the idea of an annual inspection

It varies widely. For the average diver I suspect it's a good idea, most have no clue that their reg is sick until the problem becomes obvious. Hopefully the annual service will head off major problems before someone gets hurt. For the diver who understands their reg and how it functions, many/most only service the reg when it actually needs it.

Hope that helps

Jim Lapenta · Aug 25, 2009

This is all explained in your OW class or should be.

Kevin Carlisle · Aug 25, 2009

I look at it this way. My gear takes care of me so I take care of it.

Damselfish · Aug 25, 2009

I usually get regs inspected or serviced annually, which I think is fairly common but far from universal. I see little reason to get any other equipment such as BCs or gauges "inspected", it's easy to keep an eye on these things yourself and mostly either they work or they don't. I could maybe see getting a power inflator checked out every few years if you're not inclined to do that yourself.

muddiver · Aug 25, 2009

SCUBA diving is equipment intensive. Most of that equipment is life support equipment. If you are not an engineer and/or mechanically inclined, you will be taking your gear to a shop for service and it is a good idea to do so annually as most agencies and manufacturer reccomend.

I have been diving for a little while, AND I just happen to be an engineer/commercial diver, so I know what every peice of equipment I carry does and I have a prety good idea how it all works. Because of this I do service a lot of my own equipment, with the exception of the tool intensive and complicated stuff like my first stage regulators. I inspect them before every dive, but I do not overhaul them myself.

There are some good books on regulator and SCUBA gear maintainance, at Airspeed Press Homepage - Books For Serious Divers that have a lot of really indepth information on overhaul and maintainance.

You can probably take care of your BC, exposure suit and dive computer yourself by reading the manuals that come with them and refrencing your SCUBA certification manuals. You should probably leave the regulators to the pros at the dive shop.

Scubadam · Aug 25, 2009

JimLap:
This is all explained in your OW class or should be.

This is true, atleast when I went through my classroom time, there was a whole section of my book dedicated to equipment maintance.

netdiver · Aug 25, 2009

My opinion on this has started to shift. I'm in my 3rd year of diving and pretty much bought everything within 6 mos. of getting certified. For the first 2 anniversaries of purchase, I got my reg serviced at the LDS. It cost me approx. $80 for each.

I am fanatical about taking care of my gear. For regs that boils down to proper cleaning after use and annual maintenance. I beg, borrow, and pester the dive shop or a neighbor building for a rinse hose when I get off the dive boat. Worst case I use the tub after I get back to the hotel room. When I get home I soak in warm water in the tub, use a mild detergent meant for gear, and rinse thoroughly. During storage and transport I'm also careful how it's treated and avoid having others setup/breakdown my gear for me.

So the reg cost me $400 and a new one would cost about the same. Based on my conversations with experienced divers, reading posts, reading magazines, reading books (yes!! i love to read about diving!) it seems that the advances in regulators have made them reliable devices with increased life expectancy.

Even if with proper care and annual maintenance, the risk of failure of the reg (or any device) will increase with time and use.

So if I keep my reg for 5 years at $80/yr in maintenance, I'll have spent $400 in maintenance. That means I could buy a new one with that investment. If I sell my old one, which is my current plan, then I can invest that money towards the new reg at 4 years and break even as compared to annual maintenance. If something shiny catches my eye in year 3, I can choose to spend the "extra" $80 and have a new one sooner. This is pretty likely as I like gear and gadgets, love diving, and am fortunate to have discretionary funds to spend on leisure purchases.

So now I'm thinking that my dollars are better spent buying a new reg every 3-5 years rather than spending for annual maintenance.

Of course some would point of that with annual maintenance, my risk of failure, say in year 3 , is higher than if I had gotten annual maintenance and so this is a threat to my life. True. But the failure rates of regs that are well maintained don't seem high within 3-5 years. (of course I can't mathematically quantify that) Then combined with the facts that I have a fully redundant second stage and I always dive with buddy are sufficient risk mitigating factors for me to offset that. If it weren't, I'd be diving with a pony and another reg. A first stage failure could be more dangerous and catastrophic but most failures don't occur there given the design. Oh... And I have that dive buddy. If my trust level with my dive buddy is low such as on trip, then I also keep me and my dive buddy near the dive master during the dive.

I do carry standard safety gear like a knife, wetnotes, SMB, strobe, compass, etc. , but I'm not one to try and reduce every possible risk. From the larger perspective of managing risk in life, reducing the chance of an accident while diving by .9% is pointless since I get in a car on the highway everyday with a thousand idiots, drive 70 mph, and trust them with my life.

It's also worth noting I don't do any tech diving, solo diving, etc. If I were, that would probably affect my current stance on this.

mark01 · Aug 25, 2009

The last weekend of May this year on Lake Michigan, we were diving on the Milwaukee Car Ferry. A father and his daughter were at about 100' and half way down the wreck when his reg, which he had not serviced for a couple of years free flowed. This guy made it to the upline, was still at 100' and was TOTALLY out of air. My buddy saw what was happening and went to his aid, saving this dude's bacon.

Aside from the fact that this guy and his daughter had no business on this dive as evidenced by other things going on with them before this dive and his daughter/buddy was of no assistance during the emerency, the tipping factor here seemed to be the unserviced and malfunctioning reg in cold water on a deep dive.

If I had any reservations about yearly servicing of my gear, this incident resolved those questions.

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