I got my 1st stage back a little over a week ago. This is my story.
I have a BP2 piston first stage which I purchased 4 months ago. The black cap started to come off, but it would pop back in place. The reg worked fine, but upon surfacing I noticed it wasn't on all the way again. I moved over to my 2nd tank and when I turned on the tank, the black cap flew off and overboard. Ugh! I had a 3800 PSI fill.
I bought it from DRIS, so I contacted them first. They said they could repair it, but that I'd be charged for the repair. I took it to my LDS and got the same response. DRIS recommended I contact Hog, so I did. They asked me to send it to them and away it went.
A few days had passed since they received it and I hadn't heard anything, so I called. The repair tech sounded a little bothered that I was calling, as if I hadn't given him enough time. He mentioned he had just started evaluating it and then remembered he had some questions. He asked if I had ever removed or tried to remove the top piece. I don't know anything about how they are assembled, so the answer is definitely not. He said it was loose and could be part of the problem. He also mentioned 3800 PSI and how that was so much higher than it should be. My response was more like, come on, it can't handle a 300 lb overfill? So the guy was stressed, I tried to put him at ease. I told him I wasn't calling to see if it was done yet. He relaxed when I mentioned I was just following up to make sure he got it and to see if he had any other questions. The tone became much more positive and he explained what he was going to do and that he'd need a few more days. I told him I had a spare reg and that he had the time.
Fast forward a week and I get an email stating the problem. It said:
"After taking apart the first stage you returned and rebuilding it and making a few adjustments I found that the Intermediate pressure of the first stage was too high, this leads me to conclude it needs a new main spring.The reg had probably been a little high since you had it and it finally climbed out of spec as you used it and broke it in.
As I am currently out of stock on the main springs I have went ahead and replaced the unit with another new one. I ran this one on our test machine for over 4 hours and checked the IP repeatedly throughout and this one is at 140PSI, well within specifications.
Let me know if I can be of any further assistance. "
A few days later it was in my mailbox. I've seen better packaging on ebay, but the reg looks to be in perfect condition. At the end of the day, I'm happy with the service and would buy again.
I'm guessing my warranty was shortly after Chris left, which could explain the stress. At the end of the day it was still a positive experience. I didn't have to jump through hoops. I was concerned with my proof of purchase. I originally purchased the BP1, but DRIS was out of stock and sent me the BP2 instead. When I go to DRIS's website, it still says I purchased a BP1, so I don't have documented proof I purchased the BP2 (besides a 2nd order).
