How often do you get your regs serviced?

[Adventure-Ocean]

Clearly divers have their own opinion about servicing their equipment. Personally, I didn't have my regulator checked unless I had a problem with it.
At the university where I worked we required all divers (including me) to have their regs overhauled once a year. Since there are clear liability issues the university had many conservative rules and regulations. Adventure-Ocean

 

[redacted]

Clearly divers have their own opinion about servicing their equipment. Personally, I didn't have my regulator checked unless I had a problem with it.
At the university where I worked we required all divers (including me) to have their regs overhauled once a year. Since there are clear liability issues the university had many conservative rules and regulations. Adventure-Ocean

There can be a big difference between well reasoned policies backed by sound data and policies that evolve from a group of pseudo-experts whose primary motivation is CYA. If this annual service requirement were in the former category, don't you think it would be a fairly common requirement among most dive operations?

 

[PinkInkScuba]

I service mine once every 3 years unless I notice a problem with them before that. I do dive my regs regularly though.

 

[Nemrod]

My main issue is that the "techs" do not have any real schooling or training. A manufacturer seminar does not make a tech. Some people (guys) have the gift of tools and some do not. Not everybody is a mechanic anymore than we are all concert pianist. There is no industry standard or official license as there is in aviation (are airplanes life support equipment?) and there is no way I will allow most nimcompoots I see working at retail dive stores to ever touch my gear with their extensive tool set consisting of a pair of channel locks and a flat screw driver.

The service every years is foolishness. The same people who service their regulators every year because "their instructor told them too" are the same people who text while driving and have not had their brakes serviced in ten years and their tires are bald (are cars life support equipment?).

Bah humbug.

N

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

As with most of the previous posters, I'm also an "as needed" guy.

I do check and inspect my regs pretty carefully pre-dive and post-cleaning, and periodically test their IP's. If I detect changes in performance, then I'll service what needs servicing.

Some of my 2nd stages may need a "tweak" or light service from time to time. My first stages, mainly diaphragm 1sts, do well for many years without needing to be touched. But as mentioned above I do watch their IP's, and will service if they begin to creep.

The hardest part for me is refraining from unnecessarily tearing down my regulators: I find rebuilding regs to be a relaxing and enjoyable experience... my solution when I can no longer restrain myself has been to just buy more old regs on ebay that need fixin', so that I don't "molest" a regulator I currently own that does not "need" it

Best wishes.

 

[Peter69_56]

Mine get serviced now when they show signs of an issue. The few times I was proactive in having them serviced, they either always free flowed on first use, or on one occasion, fell apart during a dive.

I have seen what happens with the so called "free parts" annual service offered by some manufacturers. Primary/Secondary reg cost is around $90 (no parts). Very little was done for the $90, checked operation, checked intermediate pressure, checked hoses. 5 min work and a nice $90.

I have only had a few issues in all the time I have been diving, free flow due to bad manufacture of primary reg, minor free flow due to age (5 yrs before service), minor free flow after service, part of reg fell apart after service. Had all my regs serviced once before a major trip and then readjusted some secondaries to prevent free flow after service. Haven't touched them since and they all work fine.

I would suggest that if regs were so finicky that they required servicing every year or there was a good chance they failed, it would indicate poor product. I have 10 sets primary regs and maybe 12 secondary regs and all work as designed. Had them from 3-10 years and non have been annually serviced, and get serviced as required. No catastrophic failures to date, one free flow on deco reg.

In saying that I do check my gear (mouthpieces, diaphragms, hoses). Particularly before an overseas trip. Signs of wear may indicate a future problem, but I don't believe that it means you have to disassemble them yearly. It does however make the LDS that much richer. I am very particular now where I get my gear serviced. After some very disappointing efforts from so called LDS experts, I carefully chose who plays with my gear.

---------- Post added March 2nd, 2014 at 07:32 AM ----------

I find it offensive that some LDS owners crow on about annual servicing to ensure they drain the maximum amount of money from unsuspecting new divers, and then happily rabbit on about how little they had to do (did) for the "Annual service". Apparently an annual service means "I have checked it and its fine" leave the $100 on the counter please.

When mine are serviced I expect all the old parts back as well as the gear. I also find it offensive that they replace a perfectly good mouthpiece and then have the gal to charge $25 for an $8 mouthpiece (was same guy who serviced my primary reg and the back of it fell off on the next dive (luckily it was the environmental seal and not the guts of it). On complaining I got no reply to date.

 

[Redshift]

An annual service is not just checking it. They have to change the parts. It's part of the service, or is it not? And furthermore some parts, like the valve seat, have to be replaced once the reg is opened, even if they are ok, because they get dented with normal use and when reassembled there is a chance they won't be exactly in the same place and it will leak.

 

[BRT]

Wow! I was afraid to read this because I was sure all the answers would be at least annually. You all agree with me! I got my regs serviced once when they seemed to be working fine. They weren't working fine afterwards.

 

[Peter69_56]

An annual service is not just checking it. They have to change the parts. It's part of the service, or is it not? And furthermore some parts, like the valve seat, have to be replaced once the reg is opened, even if they are ok, because they get dented with normal use and when reassembled there is a chance they won't be exactly in the same place and it will leak.

I know what the general expectation is from the public, and I know what happens from some LDS. I believe an annual service ends up being an "expensive" annual inspection in some shops as I have seen that to be the case.

I wonder how much encouragement the LDS owners get from the manufacturers to actually SERVICE their regs over inspecting them, and use the "free parts lifetime warranty to actually use the free parts to do the service correctly", or are they encouraged to inspect only if possible? and the "Free parts lifetime warranty" is just a nice PR gimmick to only be enacted as a last resort? Perhaps manufacturers might like to comment here as to their policies and expectations.

 

[Hickdive]

To me a service means testing the IP and cracking pressures, then a complete strip down, cleaning and degreasing, of the first and second stages followed by a rebuild and lube using the OEM service kits. In addition, all hoses are checked and inflator connections tested.

Anything not in the standard service kit gets checked as the strip down progresses and is only replaced if it needs to be. For instance, a perfectly intact mouthpiece can be cleaned and re-installed and a new one isn't included in most service kits.

Once rebuilt the IP and cracking pressures are adjusted to spec. and compared with those noted prior to service and the whole regulator is leak-tested.

Anything less than the above isn't really a service IMO. How often you need to do this is dependent on your own tolerance for poor regulator performance and annoying leaks or your need to demonstrate correct and regular maintenance in a professional setting.

One thing to be aware of is that new HP and LP seats need time to bed in with their respective orifices. So it is not at all uncommon for a freshly-serviced reg that left the workshop perfect to develop slight creeps and leaks as everything settles down and grooves are worn in new sealing surfaces when the regulator is dived.

Your service technician should remind you of this when you pick the regulator up and offer to do any tweaks that might be required. So try to get a dive or two in with your regulator before heading off on a dive trip.

If your service centre is particularly well equipped then it might have a machine that cycles the regulator through many simulated breaths to break in new seats and allow the technician to adjust things as necessary before returning the regulator to you.

AFAIK the only "qualification" many manufacturers require before allowing someone to attend their technicians course is being employed by a LDS. Some manufacturers don't even have an attendance course any more and allow you to do an online course instead.

Also AFAIK there is only one organisation that actually teaches people how to be scuba regulator technicians and that is ASSET.