Stress Fractures in a regulator

[tnstaafl]

I have a ATX 200 Regulator with an oceanic DS7 second stage octo. It is in the shop for a rebuild. I was told by a family member who droped it off that the dive store said "the octo has stress fractures, we are waiting for the glue to dry before we put it together" has anyone ever heard of tearing appart a second stage and getting stress fractures? Glue ? glue is good for plastic, if that is the case then just buy the new plastic parts if at all possible. If they are trying to glue metal well that doesn't work, needs to be welded.... ANYONE ever hear of something like this?

Steve

 

[oxyhacker]

Plastic parts can crack, but when they do, the proper fix is to replace them.

I would be very suspicious of any shop that was gluing them unless they could show me a service bulletin from the manufacturer outlining the procedure and specifying what glue to use. And even then I wouldn't like it.

Is the shop an Oceanic dealer? If not , that might explain why they are trying to fudge instead of replacing the part.

 

[Web Monkey]

Glue has no place in your regulator.

It they're not authorized, go pick up your reg and don't give them a dime. If they are authorized, I'd complain to Oceanic.

Terry

I have a ATX 200 Regulator with an oceanic DS7 second stage octo. It is in the shop for a rebuild. I was told by a family member who droped it off that the dive store said "the octo has stress fractures, we are waiting for the glue to dry before we put it together" has anyone ever heard of tearing appart a second stage and getting stress fractures? Glue ? glue is good for plastic, if that is the case then just buy the new plastic parts if at all possible. If they are trying to glue metal well that doesn't work, needs to be welded.... ANYONE ever hear of something like this?

Steve

 

[rockjock3]

Glue has no place in your regulator.

It they're not authorized, go pick up your reg and don't give them a dime. If they are authorized, I'd complain to Oceanic.

Terry

Sounds like it might be a case of the Garage telling the nice older lady that her blinker doesn't work because the blinker fluid is out and that only costs $50 to refill.:huh:

 

[DA Aquamaster]

That's scary.

Scubapro for example has a dealer cost on new plastic second stage cases ranging from $3.50 to $5.00 and it does not take too much longer (if any longer, depending on the design) during an annual service to remove all the parts and install them in a new case. The low cost of the case also means dealers can afford to stock a few for each model they are likely to see without breaking the bank. So $10.00-$20.00 should cover it and it is well worth the cost.

So in my opinion, there is absolutely no reason to ever put a cracked case back into service. Glue just will not cut it and creates the potential for the case to begin leaking at inopportune times, often with just enough water being aspirated by the diver to start an involuntary coughing/gagging reflex under water - a situation that can make it extremely difficult to switch second stages and one that can quickly lead to panic.

Some cracks form because of age, becasue the reg got banged around, got swung on the end of the hose and impacted the side of the tank, had a tank fall over on it, etc, but others occur when the tech tries to get the inlet fitting loose from the second stage. If you don't hold the inlet fitting securely to prevent it from turning in the case, the torque needed to loosen the fitting will often cause the case to crack in the square corners of the hole for the inlet fitting. If I slip and do that to a case, I'll absorb the cost of the replacement as it's my fault not the customer's.

It could be your LDS does not have access to Oceanic parts. Many parts (low pressure seats, o-rings, etc) in a standard downstream designed second stage are pretty generic and you can often do a quality annual service on a brand that you are not a dealer for, but that is no longer the case in a situation where you need something like a new case or diaphragm. In that situation, the proper response is to advise the customer that you can't do a proper repair and to refer them elsewhere (or sell them a new one if they prefer). Doing a half baked job is just not acceptable.

 

[tnstaafl]

Well I bought the regulator there, so I know he at least was an oceanic dealer at one point. They stock Sea Quest BCD's, isn't that a devision of oceanic? I swore to myself I would never go back to that dive shop, but I bought the atx-200 there and at least wanted to get the first service done there. I think I will take it to another dive shop a little further away, have them look at it and see if everything is looking good inside. The other dive shop is more expensive, a hassle, problematic in their own way... but the quailty of everything they do is top notch... I guess you do get what you pay for.

When the regulator is done, I will have a family member pick it up and deliver it to the new shop. I can't do it because I will be out of town for the next several months.

If anyone has anything to add to this thread please add it. But there will not be much new information for a while.

Steve

 

[aaarnt57]

you would have to post a photo of the reg so I could see the problem, but I would bet the LDS caused the problem

 

[tnstaafl]

I have the regulator back, or I had it back. It has been sent out to Oceanic... Yes the LDS was an authorized Oceanic dealer. I do not take any un-necessary chances with any of my scuba gear, definately not my regulators. I was told by Oceanic because it was serviced at an authorized dealer they will fix any mistakes. I will know more later, but that is all for now.