Regulator care

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JimmyboyAAA

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Messages
15
Reaction score
5
Location
Las Vegas
# of dives
200 - 499
I have been diving for a few years now and have done about 250 dives but I can't figure out how often I should service my regulator. I have a 10 year old Genesis regulator that has been rebuilt a few times and works great. The last rebuild was about 50 to 75 dives ago and am looking for general thoughts on how often it's reasonable to get it serviced. I dive salt water and most dives are nitrox. I know the regulator is a vital piece of equipment and the cost isn't an issue since it's so vital but I also hear stories of malfunctions after service so how do you balance the two? I saw a book advertised concerning regulator rebuilding and I may buy it to better understand regulator basics and testing. Any thoughts?
 
My philosophy is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". I have US divers kits from the seventies all the way up to the latest kits. I use the US divers regulators on stage tanks and or multiple tanks back and side mounted. Always have a spare or 2. Out of all these regs, I guess I have rebuilt 5 times between all them. Seats and o-rings will eventually take a set and leak. Cold water more so. It is your gear, so you have been doing post dive rinsing and cleaning, pre-dive checks. If you start seeing issues like creep or free-flow or signs of corrosion... time to clean and rebuild.
 
I soak mine under pressure for several hours to overnight in a tub of warm, fresh water immediately after use. Usually I'll take the cover and diaphram off the 2nds and swish them around to get any grit/salt out, too. Beyond that, I check the IP regularly and dive the Hell out of them until I notice a change. For my Atomics, many are going on several years and several hundred dives now without showing signs of needing any attention.
 
If you do the checks suggested in the sticky at the top of the regulator forum you may be able to go a long time between formal servicing. More importantly if you do those checks you will have a indication if your regulator looks good at the beginning of each diving day. Of course not every one wants to spend their time doing that, and if that is your case having a shop look at it may be a better option. Really service is very very simple. Vance Harlow's regulator book from Airspeed Press is a good place to start. In the end you will likely take better care of your gear than shops will.
 
Regulator Savvy by Pete Wolfinger (DRIS) is a great book on regs and making adjustments. My HOGs are supposed to be good for 2 years/200 dives or so before a recommended service. The kits are not expensive and pretty easy to service.
 
Thanks for the responses, I appreciate the feed back. I read the sticky at the top of the regulator forum and found it to be informative. I think I will buy an IP gauge as well. Thank you guys!
 
Hi JimmyboyAAA,
The best option is to follow the manufacturers guidelines for servicing and this is also a condition of your warranty. With your usage, Genesis recommend a service once a year, and you should seek a consult with your service technician anytime something concerns you.

I think there's more risk in under-servicing a vital piece of equipment than getting it serviced in line with recommendations.
 
I think there's more risk in under-servicing a vital piece of equipment than getting it serviced in line with recommendations.
The high incidence of regulator failure immediately after service may suggest otherwise. Frequent checking of the IP will go a long way to indentifying problems.
 
High failure rates after service can only really be technician error.
+1 for following manufacturer guidelines, I service my gear every 100 dives.

The high incidence of regulator failure immediately after service may suggest otherwise. Frequent checking of the IP will go a long way to indentifying problems.
 
I do about 150 dives a year, all in the ocean. I have my regs serviced every two years. I think that even if you only do 50 or so dives a year, I would not necessarily push past two years. I certainly see no value or need to service every year, even if it is a "condition of warranty". Most of these warranties (like free parts) are not worth the expense of paying for the labor. Of our membership of about 200 in our club, I doubt that anyone gets their regs serviced every year.

By the way, I have never had one of my regs fail (only one I borrowed once) in the 25 years I have been diving.
 

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