Why service working regs?

[into_the_plane]

If you have a working regulator and you are comfortable with how it breathes, but you haven't taken it in to be serviced the recommended once per year, should you? If it works isn't that the most important thing?

Now I know that having it serviced it more of a preventative measure but if you take in a working regulator aren't putting it at risk for becoming broken? Human error, new possibly faulty parts from the manufacturer?

Now I am not advocating not servicing regs, I am just throwing this out there for discussion. But if you think about it, what is the worst case scenario for a malfunctioning regulator? Free flow? That's not necessarily a dangerous scenario, we've all learned what to do in that situation. Not to mention as long as you're following good rec diving safety, you should have spare air and/or a buddy's air to breathe from.

Is it possible for regulators to stop working completely? Obviously that is a serious situation, but again you should always have your buddy's air and/or spare air.

Are there any other risks associated with not servicing a regulator? Can some sort of carcinogen or bacteria build up on certain internal parts if one hasn't been used in a while?

Any thoughts?

 

[HatchetJoe]

I like this thread already and I look forward to hearing the various responses.

 

[Hank49]

Having it inspected by a good technician yearly or every two years is the best option. In most cases he/she won't have to do anything but routine replacement of o rings, filter screen, hp seat and lube it etc. It's no guarantee that it'll be 100% bullet proof after servicing but the odds are in your favor.
You're right about it not being life threatening in most cases but it would be a bit inconvenient if something went wrong on a 1 week dive trip (hp seat, o rings, hoses) due to no maintenance.

 

[robint]

If you have a working regulator and you are comfortable with how it breathes, but you haven't taken it in to be serviced the recommended once per year, should you? If it works isn't that the most important thing?

Now I know that having it serviced it more of a preventative measure but if you take in a working regulator aren't putting it at risk for becoming broken? Human error, new possibly faulty parts from the manufacturer?

Now I am not advocating not servicing regs, I am just throwing this out there for discussion. But if you think about it, what is the worst case scenario for a malfunctioning regulator? Free flow? That's not necessarily a dangerous scenario, we've all learned what to do in that situation. Not to mention as long as you're following good rec diving safety, you should have spare air and/or a buddy's air to breathe from.

Is it possible for regulators to stop working completely? Obviously that is a serious situation, but again you should always have your buddy's air and/or spare air.

Are there any other risks associated with not servicing a regulator? Can some sort of carcinogen or bacteria build up on certain internal parts if one hasn't been used in a while?

Any thoughts?

yes, having worked at a dive shop, and listening to divers stories returning from trips and gear failures.... broken parts on regs, octos that don't work, etc.

1. Biggy here: Are there any other risks associated with not servicing a regulator? Can some sort of carcinogen or bacteria build up on certain internal parts if one hasn't been used in a while? Nasty, nasty, nasty. People don't treat their gear well and think they do. I have seen foaming green stuff oozing out of a reg - the owner said he rinsed it and put it away for a year, only one trip per year -so it sat for a year in a closet breeding ocean sludge. Just like my feelings about using rental gear (I have seen regs returned with puke encrusted in them!) We don't live in a humid climate - I can only imagine what regs must look like inside after a few months in a closet in Florida, etc. I have seen bacteria, and smelled bacteria... nuff said.

2. Do you change the oil in your car on a regular basis even if the car seems to be working correctly? Why? Same thing goes for parts like your "LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM". Regs need to be taken apart, cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner (what we did), and o-rings and other parts are replaced as required by the individual manufacturer.

3. Biggest reason to service your regulator - it is your Life Suport System!!!!!!!!!. My life is worth the $100 cost of service. In fact, my reg is under warranty and I get it checked before every dive trip. Our LDS puts it on a machine that simulates the breathing effort, then makes any adjustments as needed. For $25 they do this Bench Test.

Just my 2 cents.
robin

 

[redacted]

Having it inspected by a good technician yearly or every two years is the best option. In most cases he/she won't have to do anything but routine replacement of o rings, filter screen, hp seat and lube it etc. It's no guarantee that it'll be 100% bullet proof after servicing but the odds are in your favor.
You're right about it not being life threatening in most cases but it would be a bit inconvenient if something went wrong on a 1 week dive trip (hp seat, o rings, hoses) due to no maintenance.

Or better yet, learn to inspect it yourself. Quarterly is not a bad interval plus before each major dive trip. The only special tool you need is an IP gauge which will run $20 to $30. Then, to cover you in case of a sudden problem (which can occur regardless of how often you service) get a backup set of regulators. The greatest risk of a regulator problem is immediately after service. Avoid taking a freshly serviced reg on a dive trip.

yes, having worked at a dive shop, and listening to divers stories returning from trips and gear failures.... broken parts on regs, octos that don't work, etc.

1. Biggy here: .... I have seen bacteria, and smelled bacteria... nuff said.

2. Do you change the oil in your car on a regular basis even if the car seems to be working correctly? Why? Same thing goes for parts like your "LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM". Regs need to be taken apart, cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner (what we did), and o-rings and other parts are replaced as required by the individual manufacturer.

3. Biggest reason to service your regulator - it is your Life Suport System!!!!!!!!!. My life is worth the $100 cost of service. In fact, my reg is under warranty and I get it checked before every dive trip. Our LDS puts it on a machine that simulates the breathing effort, then makes any adjustments as needed. For $25 they do this Bench Test.

Just my 2 cents.
robin

Annual service is not designed to protect against contaminants which could threaten your health. User care and cleaning needs to do that.

Servicing regs is not like changing oil. The life of engine oil is pretty well understood and is reflected in the auto mfgrs service recommendations. Lubes in regulators are very long lived. And they are not protecting expensive metal parts from wear. They protect threads and critical metal surfaces from corrosion and very cheap o-rings from wear that will result, initially, in small leaks (one warning of service need). Many o-rings are not changed in an annual service. These are generally the static o-ring which do not wear and may last more than 10 years.

The "LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM" cry is usually sounded by someone who is profiting from annual services or someone who has bought into that line of BS. I got tired of paying someone $50 (it was a while ago) to screw up my regulators. With good periodic inspections, you can be fairly confident that your regulator will never become a threat to your well being due to a lack of service. And, with a good backup reg, you should never miss much diving due to regulator problems.

I too have seen my share of regulator problems. All too often, they seem to be with regulators that were just serviced by a professional regulator technician.

 

[Land Locked]

My only major failure of a reg was directly after a rebuild, or should I say, the second dive on a recently re-built regulator.

NEVER take a recently serviced regulator on a trip......without getting a few dives on it.

 

[DandyDon]

I get my main reg serviced annually, but I carry a pony reg and a backup reg on trips. I've been alternating the other two: service one, test the other - even tho I hardly ever use either other than for test breathing. Sounds like I could spend a little less just testing the pony & backup regs.

 

[do it easy]

I often find myself at odds with this question. I have 8 tanks and 8 regs, so the cost and time of rebuilding and cleaning them adds up quickly.

For me, I think it boils down to piece of mind. When I jump in the water, I expect my gear to work. I don't want to spend the dive thinking about when the last time I serviced it was.

For most of my diving, I have plenty of redundancy, so the life support argument is out the window. A single reg failure would be only be inconvenient. For the other times when I don't have as much redundancy as I like, I have a good buddy.

I have let my regs go 2 years between services to see how they would hold up. They were fine for the most part. They did seem a bit noisier and I had to adjust the IP pressure on a few of them, but no serious issues.

We all draw the line between safety and danger a little differently. I dive in freshwater, and I'm OK with 2 year intervals, unless I have a reason to rebuild them. I also check and retune them every few months.

 

[String]

I service my gear when it breaks/gets hard to breathe.
100% of all reg failures ive seen have been regs straight out of service.

 

[PhilEllis]

I too have seen my share of regulator problems. All too often, they seem to be with regulators that were just serviced by a professional regulator technician.

I would have to disagree with this. It is often after they were just serviced by someone POSING as a professional regulator technician.

In the past year, we have serviced dozens and dozens and dozens of regulators. I think less than 2 have been returned for any type of "post service" adjustment. When done properly by a skilled regulator technician, regulators perform correctly almost every time.

Now, trying to determine who is the real deal or who is a poser is a little difficult, I will admit.

Phil Ellis