HOG Equipment service class report

[TSandM]

I took the HOG regulator and equipment service class yesterday from our local instructor, Scott Christopher of Sound Aquatics.

The class requires the Scuba Tools Regulator Savvy book, which I didn't have, but Vance Harlow's Airspeed Press regulator book proved to be quite satisfactory as a substitute. I had gone through some of it a while back, when I thought I was going to take the class, and reviewed the material the night before. I had the exam for the class, and with the book, I was able to do about two-thirds or so of the questions with confidence. A few required the experience of actually working on the gear.

I had brought my singles reg, which is almost a year old, so I had one first stage and two second stages to work on. We went through the first of the second stages with Scott talking me through the whole procedure, and then I did the other one, only having to stop and ask him what had gone wrong once. Once you have been talked through it, the second stages are not very complicated, and if nothing else, I'm really happy to know how to adjust them properly.

The first stage has a lot more parts, and the schematic is very useful. Having only done one, I am not very confident that I could do it properly again after weeks or months, and I told Scott I'd like to come over and do them under supervision a time or two.

We also did wing inflators (which I was already doing, anyway) and took apart and serviced a manifold. I really enjoyed this, too, because now I know how those valves are put together and can do some troubleshooting on my own tanks.

The class also includes lights, but again, I don't think there is all that much of the innards of a canister light that I haven't already messed with . . .

In short, this was an extremely useful, interesting, and educational experience. I'm not sure I would recommend doing one's own service to someone owning a single regulator, as the tools I just bought were almost $200 (and I already had a bunch of stuff that's needed). In addition, the first stage is not very simple and there are a lot of very small pieces in it that have to go back in the right places (including two which are translucent and easily misplaced!) But for us, with 19 regulators, it's going to make good sense. And even if I never serviced a reg (and hadn't bought the tools) the class itself would have been worthwhile for a better understanding of how the equipment works and how to troubleshoot simple malfunctions.

[Bubbletrubble]

Having only done one, I am not very confident that I could do it properly again after weeks or months, and I told Scott I'd like to come over and do them under supervision a time or two.

Didn't the instructor provide a reg servicing manual with detailed step-by-step directions to each student taking the class?
A properly written manual should provide enough detail so that the occasional reg tech could confidently perform a straightforward overhaul -- even if it has been weeks, months, or years since the tech has picked up his/her tools.

FWIW, it's my opinion that such a reg servicing manual (with all the legal disclaimers, of course) should be freely downloadable from the manufacturer's website. At a minimum, it would provide a reference for new reg owners on how to assemble and tune their regs.

[TSandM]

Chris is apparently working on one, but it isn't available yet. I have a schematic and some personal notes, though, and I do have access to Scott without particular difficulty.

[Peter_C]

The big plus is once you know how a reg works and how to adjust it, you can keep a dive from being scrubbed because of a simple free flow, or an IP being too high. Learning to check the IP will also prevent failures BEFORE they become an issue.

So far all of Vance's Air Speed Press books that I have used have been excellent.

[Bhtmec2]

Being in PR has made it hard to get to one of these classes. Does anyone know of one in the Miami area in the next months?

[Bubbletrubble]

Chris is apparently working on one, but it isn't available yet. I have a schematic and some personal notes, though, and I do have access to Scott without particular difficulty.

IIRC, I requested this from Chris here on ScubaBoard shortly after the HOG regs appeared on the market (over 2 years ago). Way back then, he said that he didn't have time to put one out yet...but that he was working on it. It doesn't take 2 years to put together an official reg overhaul manual.

I would think that any company serious about giving its customers the proper reference for reg servicing (containing torque specs, list of recommended tools, disassembly/cleaning/reassembly directions, tuning procedure, troubleshooting procedures, detailed schematic of parts/part numbers) would have made a freely downloadable file available by now. Since this hasn't occurred, I can only assume that other factors are at play -- it hasn't been much of a priority, concern for potential liability issues, lack of funding to develop such a manual in-house or an inability/unwillingness to pay someone else to do it.

reefraff is an instructor at Dive Right In Scuba who also teaches a HOG reg repair course. He has developed some sort of paper manual to accompany his class. He has stated that he is loathe to release it without getting fair compensation for it. He has also voiced a concern that, if the manual were made available to people who did not take his class, then they would be at an increased risk of making a mistake during reg servicing. For these reasons, he has prohibited students from sharing the manual with people who haven't taken the class. I'm sure that with minor revisions reefraff's manual could become the "offical" HOG repair manual.

Clearly, there is potential for a financial agreement to be struck between reefraff and Chris. However, there doesn't appear to be any pressure for it to happen, so I don't see this occurring in the near future. If an "official" manual were made freely available on the HOG website, it could cannibalize enrollment in HOG reg repair classes -- something that may not be in the best interests of reg repair instructors (like reefraff) and the manufacturer (indirectly).

I don't mean to be critical of Chris. I realize that he's a busy person, and I do appreciate his ability to offer good quality gear at an affordable price point.

[Mr Carcharodon]

As the tools I just bought were almost $200 (and I already had a bunch of stuff that's needed).

What tools did you have to buy? I have just done piston regulators and the only special things that were needed were a hook spanner and a tube of Cristolube. But the HOGs are diaphragm regs (correct?) so maybe there are some special tools needed.

In the age of digital cameras they really should have a step by step service manual. That could have been done as part of the class.

I also heartily endorse Vance Harlow's regulator book.

[Bubbletrubble]

What tools did you have to buy? I have just done piston regulators and the only special things that were needed were a hook spanner and a tube of Cristolube. But the HOGs are diaphragm regs (correct?) so maybe there are some special tools needed.

Probably just brass & stainless steel o-ring picks, some oxygen-compatible lubricant, i.p. gauge, the appropriately sized pin spanner wrench, a torque wrench, and the adapter fittings for the torque wrench. (Most expensive among these would be a good quality dial torque wrench.)
Optional equipment: inline reg adjuster, first stage handle/spent CO2 cartridge.
Tools already owned but needed for servicing: rubber glove, crescent wrenches, allen wrenches, screwdriver (if no inline adjuster).
Other useful stuff for cleaning: vinegar, water, mild detergent.
I'm basing this on my knowledge of Apeks regs and Garth's excellent videos on HOG reg disassembly/assembly.

In the age of digital cameras they really should have a step by step service manual. That could have been done as part of the class.

I couldn't agree more.

[Jim Lapenta]

There is a manual available to those who have taken the class. I have a copy of it. I am also an instructor for the class and based on what I was taught during my crossover and instructor course at DEMA I question some of Lynne's report. The class as written and taught as a TDI Specialty makes no provision for substituting Vance's book for Reg Savvy. Even though I have it as well and do recommend it to anyone. There is an official list of recommended tools that has already been put up here on the board by DRIS. There are tech cert requirements. And the way I was instructed was to not offer the course until all prereq's were met including verification of ownership of the tools and the book. Under the TDI standards the course was written as, Lynne would not have been permitted to take the class from me or any instructor following them without Reg Savvy at the user level.

I suggest you send Chris and email or PM with your questions and concerns as the more I think about this the more something does not seem quite right.

My manual came from DRIS once all the paperwork was done and course paid for. I sent a PM to Lynne advising her to ask Chris for a copy if her instructor has indeed submitted everything and is fully authorized to teach the class. Now since I took my class officially through DRIS they sent me the manual. I do not know the arrangements reefraff has with Chris to this point and am not going to even get involved in that.

It is something that I need to clear up before I put my class on in the spring though so once I do teach the class I can supply the students with it. We all know that at some point someone will put one out there but it will not be me.

[Bubbletrubble]

There is a manual available to those who have taken the class. I have a copy of it. I am also an instructor for the class and based on what I was taught during my crossover and instructor course at DEMA I question some of Lynne's report. The class as written and taught as a TDI Specialty makes no provision for substituting Vance's book for Reg Savvy. Even though I have it as well and do recommend it to anyone. There is an official list of recommended tools that has already been put up here on the board by DRIS. There are tech cert requirements. And the way I was instructed was to not offer the course until all prereq's were met including verification of ownership of the tools and the book. Under the TDI standards the course was written as, Lynne would not have been permitted to take the class from me or any instructor following them without Reg Savvy at the user level.

In our litigious society, I can understand why scuba instructors would want to dot all the i's and cross all the t's...
But seriously, by TDI standards, someone who did not have a tech certification and did not own an inline adjuster or a copy of Scuba Regulator Savvy would be barred from taking the course.
(I base this on the tool list set forth in a ScubaBoard thread made by Dive Right In Scuba.)
I would argue that none of those things are necessary to do a competent job doing a straightforward overhaul of HOG regs.

If the content of Reg Savvy is so critical, I'm fairly certain that, during the course at least, TSandM was granted access to a copy of the book. Surely her instructor owns a copy.