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View Poll Results: Do you want to service your own regulator?
* Training & practice
* Tools
* Time
* Parts
* a work shop
- heat
- water
- bench with vise
- SCUBA cylinder w/ 3000 PSI
- gauges
* Staying current
Due to the fact that a repair tech doing it himself, is only doing a few regs. the cost per reg is much higher than a SCUBA store.
Also the person's time alone is probably worth much more than what a tech makes in a shop.
What do you make an hour at your job?
The truth:
Except for a an Aqua-Lung poppet tool and an IP gauge (about $45 total), I don't need any special tools to rebuild my Conshelf 14 (or 11 or 12) or my boys' Conshelf 22 or SE. I sit at my kitchen table to work (no special work bench needed) and disassemble my reg, check it over to see if anything is happening that needs attention, clean the parts, lube where needed then reassemble and adjust. It takes just about two hours and it's an enjoyable way to spend some free time.
If I don't need parts, the cost of each service is a few ounces of white vinegar. If I need parts, the price of parts for the first stage and both second stages is about $30. How is this more costly than having a "professional" do it?
Other than the occasional O-ring, I seldom have to replace any parts. I can get 3 or 4 years between parts kits. I disassemble and inspect my regulators after every dive trip as part of the wind-down process. This allows me to catch any problems before they can become an issue. I've never had a regulator failure.
I also carry a US Divers Aqua-Lung Aquarius as a back-up, but I've never had to use it because of a regulator failure. Sometimes, somebody will forget their reg or have a failure of their professionally serviced regulator and I'll loan them the Aquarius. It always works.
On a large pile of smokin' A'a, the most isolated population center on the face of the earth. 2,175 miles to Alaska, 2,390 miles to California; 3,850 miles to Japan; 4,900 miles to China; 5,280 miles to the Philippines.
The tuth: Almost every regulator failure that I have seen occurred just after "professional" service (and I do not mean "Professional Scuba Repair" who are a great company that does a bank-up job). I have never seen a "self-serviced" regulator fail.
I refuse to believe that corporations are people until Texas executes one.
"Too often ... people enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought" - Leapfrog
"They are the McDonalds of diver certification. Quick, inexpensive and tasty. Pardon me for saying so, but I also believe it to be a health hazard." - DCBC
"It truly does boil down to motivation ... if you believe something is hard, or unnecessary to learn, you won't learn it ... even if it's completely within your capability" - Bob (Grateful Diver)
The tuth: Almost every regulator failure that I have seen occurred just after "professional" service (and I do not mean "Professional Scuba Repair" who are a great company that does a bank-up job). I have never seen a "self-serviced" regulator fail.
this should be embarrassing for them but its amazing how much humiliation some one will take when you make this much money. We are not the norm, most divers just pay and go.
The tuth: Almost every regulator failure that I have seen occurred just after "professional" service (and I do not mean "Professional Scuba Repair" who are a great company that does a bank-up job). I have never seen a "self-serviced" regulator fail.
"Self-serviced" regulator do fail but never right after it was being done.
You should be able to service it using the Flathead VI manual. The XP does not have the environmental seal, but should be the same other than that as far as I know.
I sit at my kitchen table to work (no special work bench needed) and disassemble my reg, check it over to see if anything is happening that needs attention, clean the parts, lube where needed then reassemble and adjust. It takes just about two hours
Do you use a " Red SOLO Cup " , you know like in the song!
This topic comes up all the time and the bottom line is that those that want/need to service their own regs usually figure out how to get it done with or without factory help.
I believe that if you have never done a reg, and even if you are about to take a course, the Vance Harlow book is a great read and will put you ahead of the rest of the class when you get there. The advent of the internet has made kits, parts, tools, and manuals readily available.
Having said all that I am curious if all you self tought reg techs and all of you that are thinking about it do, or plan to do your own service on your BC? I never seem to hear anyone saying they want to learn to do that.
Dive Safe.
I forgot to mention: Do not let anyone find out that you do equipment repair/ maintenance. They will either tell you how you are going to die (is there an echo in here?) or want/expect you to do theirs.
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Originally Posted by beaverdivers
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