[Lack of] Quality PM on regs

[roakey]

This thought has been creeping into my awareness over time, and I want to see if anyone else has noticed the same thing.

Ignoring the reg failures that abound during ice diving (mostly new ice divers) can ANYONE think of ANY regulator failure that has occurred on a regulator that has NOT been recently serviced? We should probably ignore hose and SPG swivel failures too, since they’re not really a serviced part of the regulator.

In other words, can anyone think of any failures that were NOT caused by the “service” from the shop?

From multiple shops I've had full-bore free flows first time I jumped into the water after service, I’ve had a friend that had his reg serviced before a vacation that had LP creep that caused him to have to rent a regulator*.

Hard breathing regs, loose hoses, poorly seated 2nd stage diaphragms, the list goes on.

I’m starting to think that servicing the regulator may be the most dangerous thing to do to it.

So, here’s a place to share your “dive shop monkey” stories as well as any failures (if any, I know of none) that were not related to service.

Roak

*And the shop never refunded the cost of rental, despite admitting that they installed the wrong part in the reg when they serviced it.

 

[The Chairman]

and two of them puke.

On one, the diaphragm on my "free" Micra was deformed. The shop took 6 weeks and charged me $150+ for the service (time is making me forget just HOW much). I wished they would have carged me $10 more for a new diaphragm. It sucked water on the first day I dove with it, when the diaphragm came unseated.

The second was a Dacor, and the reg free flowed from the get go. Service price was reasonable, and the only thing wrong was the IP set to 185 psi. Backing it down to 145 psi solved my woes. There had been a two month wait between picking it up and it getting used. I am sure something settled or compressed over time.

Finally, I used a friends old Scuba Pro adjustable metal regulator with matching (conshelf???) first stage. He said he had had it for over 8 years and had only replaced the diaphragm. It was awesome, and breathed perfectly. I would not suggest that he have it touched at all.

I purchased Vance Harlow's Regulator Repair, and it is MORE than adequate. Very insightful and straight to the point. I will never let my regs be serviced by someone other than myself again.

 

[Norm]

Roak, I've got my own routine that has worked for over 20 years for me.......I do all of my own maintenance on all of my regs. Do I rebuild them yearly? Heck no. They don't need it that often! I use Sherwoods and Zeagles so neither lets anything into the first stages to damage them. (I check my I.P. twice yearly and this tells me everything I need to know about my first stages)
Second stage failures have always been either an exhaust valve or a poppet. These tell me, very politely, when they need attention. (When you need to make frequent adjustments on your second stage it's time for a new poppet. If it breathes wet replace the exhaust valve. Simple.) I clean and lube o rings often and that keeps them working for a long, long time. (I remove hose swivels and air spools, clean and lube them yearly and replace them. If one ever leaks, I replace the o rings. Simple.)
I trust my gear to no one and it's kept me safe and alive for many years now. I know exactly what I've got and it works fine for me, whatever gas I breathe and whatever depths I dive.
Disclaimer:This is my routine and I recommend it to no one else under any circumstances.
I have to agree with you on the service thingee. The majority of the equipment failures I see are either newly serviced or brand new equipment! I've seen brand new regs consistantly freeze at exactly the same depth. I guess we've all seen brand new regs freeflow like a Banshee. I've seen brand new BC's jettison their parts and come apart at depth. As mentioned in your text, I've seen many folks' vacations spoiled because they had their regs serviced just before their trips, etc.. On my first trip to Cayman I took an ancient Sherwood Blizzard, that was 12 years old. It worked beautifully the entire week and it's still chugging right along! (It's first stage has never been apart)
Maybe you ARE on to something here my friend............
Norm