People do love the car analogy
Modern cars pop up service reminders based on a few metrics, but that doesnt mean you have to service it then or it will break down, its just a guideline. I treat my regulators the same way: I rebuild them based on a service reminder, or when they start to not breathe right, or face an IP creep.
Same with BCs. I dont baby them. Eventually they leak a bit through the inflator, and I rebuild them. No big deal to do a dive manually inflating in the meantime.
Service charges can seem high, and there are three main components: technician time, overhead, and parts.
Technician time:
Im pretty fast at rebuilding a few models of regulators. What can I say, I learned from the best (NetDoc). I use only a few brands, so Im servicing something every few weeks it seems. Im fast, and getting faster. To rebuild something different, Id have to find the manual, download and print it. Then, find the best deal on parts and order them. The rebuild would be slower because Id have to reference the manual. So, if I were working for a shop, Id calculate a padded average amount of time to avoid losing money on my time. ustomers seem to prefer this model to charging by the hour, when they dont know up front what the charge will be. If you have someone educated working on your regulators (you want this!), they probably will want $15-$30 per hour for their time.
Overhead:
If you want a certificate that says you know how to rebuild regs, you have to attend a clinic. You might need to supply current model regulators to practice on. There might be show fees, travel fees, hotel fees, and food. Then you have to invest in tools. I dont even have all of the fun tools, nor the top of the line tools, and I can tell you, its expensive to have a fully outfitted regulator repair bench! You also need liability insurance, a business license, a tax professional, and a lawyer to draft your waivers. Dont forget the electric bill and your PO box and maybe a 1800 number. Youll also want a printer, and to set up a deal to take credit cards. Probably a vacuum and things to clean up, and some bleach for your bathroom.
Parts:
Parts arent cheap! The cheapest seem to be $12-$20 per stage. If I had to guess, Id say for a $20 rebuild it, the parts costs the Taiwanese factor $2.50 which they sold to the regulator branding company for $5. That company probably sold them to the dive shop for $10 which resells them to us for $20. Before you call foul, remember they needed a lot of overhead stuff as well as a financial incentive to make the parts. Profit turns greed into helpful actions.
Lets assume that for every dollar of direct labor the shops expects to pay $1.50 in overhead. They pay their mechanic $30 per hour, he works for 1.5 hours to rebuild your first stage with 2 second stages and an SPG. The parts kit for the 1st stage cost $20, the second stages each cost $12, and the SPG orings and cristolube cost another $.25.
Time: $45
Overhead: $67.5
Parts: $44.25
Total: $156.75+tax
Thats in the ballpark of what I hear a lot of people pay. If you adjust it down to paying the mechanic $15 per hour then the total price drops to $100.25. $100-$150 is pretty typical for a completed overhaul.
Modern cars pop up service reminders based on a few metrics, but that doesnt mean you have to service it then or it will break down, its just a guideline. I treat my regulators the same way: I rebuild them based on a service reminder, or when they start to not breathe right, or face an IP creep.
Same with BCs. I dont baby them. Eventually they leak a bit through the inflator, and I rebuild them. No big deal to do a dive manually inflating in the meantime.
Service charges can seem high, and there are three main components: technician time, overhead, and parts.
Technician time:
Im pretty fast at rebuilding a few models of regulators. What can I say, I learned from the best (NetDoc). I use only a few brands, so Im servicing something every few weeks it seems. Im fast, and getting faster. To rebuild something different, Id have to find the manual, download and print it. Then, find the best deal on parts and order them. The rebuild would be slower because Id have to reference the manual. So, if I were working for a shop, Id calculate a padded average amount of time to avoid losing money on my time. ustomers seem to prefer this model to charging by the hour, when they dont know up front what the charge will be. If you have someone educated working on your regulators (you want this!), they probably will want $15-$30 per hour for their time.
Overhead:
If you want a certificate that says you know how to rebuild regs, you have to attend a clinic. You might need to supply current model regulators to practice on. There might be show fees, travel fees, hotel fees, and food. Then you have to invest in tools. I dont even have all of the fun tools, nor the top of the line tools, and I can tell you, its expensive to have a fully outfitted regulator repair bench! You also need liability insurance, a business license, a tax professional, and a lawyer to draft your waivers. Dont forget the electric bill and your PO box and maybe a 1800 number. Youll also want a printer, and to set up a deal to take credit cards. Probably a vacuum and things to clean up, and some bleach for your bathroom.
Parts:
Parts arent cheap! The cheapest seem to be $12-$20 per stage. If I had to guess, Id say for a $20 rebuild it, the parts costs the Taiwanese factor $2.50 which they sold to the regulator branding company for $5. That company probably sold them to the dive shop for $10 which resells them to us for $20. Before you call foul, remember they needed a lot of overhead stuff as well as a financial incentive to make the parts. Profit turns greed into helpful actions.
Lets assume that for every dollar of direct labor the shops expects to pay $1.50 in overhead. They pay their mechanic $30 per hour, he works for 1.5 hours to rebuild your first stage with 2 second stages and an SPG. The parts kit for the 1st stage cost $20, the second stages each cost $12, and the SPG orings and cristolube cost another $.25.
Time: $45
Overhead: $67.5
Parts: $44.25
Total: $156.75+tax
Thats in the ballpark of what I hear a lot of people pay. If you adjust it down to paying the mechanic $15 per hour then the total price drops to $100.25. $100-$150 is pretty typical for a completed overhaul.
