Regulator Service?

[scubadada]

Do you want to perform your own regulator service and is that option important to you in your next regulator purchase?

[j2s]

I'm a long time Apeks user and have always sent my gear back to the manufacture for service/repair [LDS's are a joke !!!] even though I've known how to repair/rebuild [and have the tools/test equipment] for years....But I'll be transitioning to HOG [have bought, tried three HOG set-ups and really like the product] because I can get parts, they really aren't designed much differently and are ALOT less.....Apeks [Aqualung as usual] makes it nearly impossible to get parts or self-service their gear and I find that kind of monopolistic practice offensive......For those reasons they have lost a long time customer......I'd tell Aqualung to "GET THE HINT" but considering their ignorant handling [TOTAL lack of] over Sunnto's 'D' series computer straps, their 'Trade Restriction' policies and 'back-door' dealings w/Scubapro, I know it'll be ignored........Kinda reminds me of Bush, Enron and Madoff all rolled into one Company, LOL & ROFl :O !!!!!......

[Blue Sparkle]

Do you want to perform your own regulator service?

I would very much like to know how to service my own regulator. I may or may not choose to service it/them at different times in my diving career depending on various factors.

...and is that option important to you in your next regulator purchase?

It was already important to me when I bought my first regulator (last year). There was no regulator that I could find that offered a servicing-class option to me as an OW diver, so I made what I felt was the best choice of those available: I bought a regulator for which I could (and did) easily download a full service manual and also buy parts. That way I figured that I could either find/take a regulator service class, or perhaps find a mentor, and I would have the facts, figures, and parts I needed.

As of yet, my regs don't need service, so I just perform the regulator checklist that is a sticky here on Scubaboard. I keep notes on the IP and cracking pressure so that I can see if or how things are changing.

Blue Sparkle

[evad]

I bought a regulator for which I could (and did) easily download a full service manual and also buy parts.

Blue Sparkle

Was that a Zeagle, or a DiveRite?

[Blue Sparkle]

It's a Zeagle Flathead VI

[Hydreliox]

I wouldn't want any one other than myself servicing my regs. If I'm breathing from it then I want to know that its done correctly, and frankly I don't trust any one else to provide that service to me. Luckily I can get hold of service kits quite easily and have all the equipment for doing it at my disposal.

[TSandM]

We have 19 regulators. At $100 a pop, service is beyond painful. Being able to service my own regulators has gone from a nice idea to a financial imperative.

[PfcAJ]

I have a bunch of regulators, too. And I'd rather spend $100 to have a trusted, experienced, and skilled (key words there) tech work on my regs. In reality, I would only be working on a handful of regs per year, and I question if that's enough frequency to be truly competent at it.

[TSandM]

You know, after doing the class yesterday, it ain't rocket science. It's a matter of replacing some o-rings and other small parts carefully and in the right order, and adjusting things properly according to manufacturer's specs. If I can repair an aortic aneurysm or reroute a portal vein, I can by gosh certainly put a few metal and plastic parts in the right place. I'm at least as smart as the guy who is doing it at the shop is.

[Bubbletrubble]

I've always enjoyed learning about how things work...

From the first time that I experienced a reg issue which threatened cancellation of one of my dives, I realized the value of knowing how a reg works and how to do some simple on-the-spot troubleshooting. When I began shopping around for my first reg, in the back of my mind I had the thought that one day I wanted to go down the DIY-servicing route. Since then, one of the factors that I always consider in a reg purchase is how easy the reg is to service. I currently service my own regs. I didn't mind investing time and money into learning how to service my regs because, even if I never picked up another reg tool, I would be in a better position to double-check the work of the reg tech I paid to do the job.

Someone in the DIY forum remarked that, when it comes to regulator servicing, a talented child could do it. While that perhaps overstates the simplicity of the task, it's not very far from the truth.

I think that all regulator owners, as part of the reg purchase at their LDS, should have the opportunity to learn: (1) how to do a comprehensive functional reg check, (2) how to tune their 2nd stages, and (3) how to check the i.p. on the first stage periodically. Basic OW instructors aren't teaching divers how to do proper reg checks, so I would hope that divers could learn it somewhere. Regs purchased online (a more common occurrence in recent years) should come with detailed instructions on how to do all of these things. Divers shouldn't treat their regs as magical "black boxes" that deliver breathing gas.

In many ways, DIY reg servicing can be viewed as a natural path for an assertive diver interested in making the sport safer.

I say all of this knowing that there are lots of divers out there who lack the interest/time/temperament necessary for DIY reg servicing. That's perfectly OK, too. This just means they'll have to rely heavily on a local reg tech and may have to sit out a dive or two at some point. Not a big deal really.