regulator setup

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Soggy

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I'm considering purchasing a new regulator online from leisurepro. I'm assuming it will not be set up. Do I need to bring it to a dive shop to have it all set up (with my drysuit, power inflator, and octo) or is this something that I can easily do myself? On the surface, it appears to me that all I need is a wrench and I can put the hoses on myself. Am I correct or do I need to do something else? I will take the reg into a pool to do some pre-dive testing before I go and hop in 100 ft of water.

...and please leave all debates about online purchasing out of this thread...we'veheard them all.
 
The seal is made with an O-ring, not tightness. The hoses only need to be tight enough so they wont' come loose and the O-ring seats in the groove of the reg body. (Most reg bodies are brass, and brass is a pretty soft metal - its entirely possible to strip it!)

You will need an allen wrench (some regs include it in the box) to remove the port plugs.

The first and primary second will probably come attached. You will have to attach the octo, drysuit inflator, BC inflator and SPG hoses.

(Just make SURE you don't accidentally attach a LP hose to a HP port! With most current regs I've seen its difficult or impossible, because the threads are different sizes, but on some gear it CAN be done with the expected result the first time you turn on the air :boom: )
 
Genesis once bubbled...
The seal is made with an O-ring, not tightness. The hoses only need to be tight enough so they wont' come loose and the O-ring seats in the groove of the reg body. (Most reg bodies are brass, and brass is a pretty soft metal - its entirely possible to strip it!)

So, what is tight enough? Hand tight? A bit more?

From the responses here, it seems like I can put this stuff together myself.

Also, I currently use a SQ AirSource backup reg and would like to use my SP R190 (currently my primary) as the octo on my new reg (which will be a Mk25/S600). What do I need to do for this configuration? My R190 has a bit of a tendency to free flow on my Mk2, so perhaps I should get this part worked on.
 
Just tight enough that the O-ring seats completely and the hose won't come off. Its hard to describe but easy to figure out. Just don't crank on it with full hand force - you WILL strip the regulator body.

The R190 will work fine. Before you go having the 190 checked make sure the IP of the Mk2 is stable - if you have an unstable intermediate pressure any reg will freeflow on you.

If it is, the R190 has a venturi adjustment - to set it, crank it all the way up and hit the purge (out of water). It should freeflow. Slowly back off the venturi until the freeflow JUST stops. That's as far as you can advance it without getting into positive-pressure breathing.

Unfortunately the "proper" venturi setting is interdependant on the lever height and poppet pressure adjustment, and setting those two requires that you know what you're doing. If you're not comfortable playing with those and its breathing hard or otherwise misbehaving take the reg to a tech.
 
Genesis once bubbled...
Just tight enough that the O-ring seats completely and the hose won't come off. Its hard to describe but easy to figure out. Just don't crank on it with full hand force - you WILL strip the regulator body.

I recently (and for the first time) took my hoses off to change the orientation of my first stage. I noticed that although the hoses weren't screwed in that tightly, all the o-rings are fraying. Does this mean that they were over-tightened last time I had them serviced?

I will of course be replacing the o-rings now..
 
It probably means that the wonderful shop you had overhaul the reg last time didn't bother to change the O-rings, and might not have even removed the hoses.

Heh, they're a whole 10 cents each, you know, and you gotta look to know they need replacement

A good question for them might be "what else did you skimp on?" :flame:
 
I also noticed that on the second stage end, some of the chrome plating is rather scufffed, as if they didn't have quite the right sized wrench to loosen them.

They shop was, in theory, an authorised Oceanic service and repair center, but I won't be taking my regs back there again.

Back on topic Aaron, changing the hoses connected to your first stage is not rocket science, but if you don't personally feel comfortable, get your local LDS to do it.
 
This can be accomplished at home. You have to be observant about cleanliness and putting the hoses in the correct ports, HP/high pressure, LP/low pressure, as well as being observant as to which way the 1st stage faces. Also your talking about chrome plated brass, or alloys, DON'T overtighten, and use a wrench that fits so you aren't rounding the shoulders of the nuts on the hoses! If your planning to use NITROX be sure your reg is approved, and O2 cleaned first! Make sure there are the propper " o " rings, Viton! When your done show someone you trust that would confirm your handy work is correct....
Wreck/Tec
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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