Questions For Double Hose Regulator use

[John C. Ratliff]

I'm not trying to disagree needlessly with anyone who is a vintage expert and former PJ, but if you want to learn how to rebuild your DA, you can always get the manual, it's really not very hard. You don't really need anything special to do it other than average intelligence and some hand tools. Bryan at VDH can tune a doublehose like a harp from hell, his skills are second to none. It's not hard to rebuild one, but it is hard to make one breathe like he can.

If it makes you feel any better, my first doublehose was a mistral, I've rebuilt it twice already, and it's very simple. A DA is a little more complex, but not much. If you have access to a pool or a dive shop, you can dive it in the pool or use a magnahelic to calculate cracking pressure.

I think my point is, don't get discouraged man. Oh yeah, and I never disassemble my reg just to change yokes. Personally, as a guy who repairs regulators all the time at the shop I work at, I can't really see a reason for it unless your need for yoke changing happens to coincide with your need for reg service. JMO, YMMV, yada yada yada...

What I stated comes out of SECTION 6 MAINTENANCE of the U.S. Navy Diving Manual, March 1970, pages 561-572 for the DA Aquamaster. I'm not saying that what the others do cannot be done, only that there is a higher chance of scaring the HP seat when it is installed in this manner. The reason is because you do not take the tension off the spring on the other side of the diaphragm using the "just screw it in method without complete disassembly. If, in the process of screwing the nozzle in, the pin is displaced for some reason, you can damage the seat using this technique. Obviously, it has been done successfully by others. But you should know the potential for damage.

The Mistral, by the way, is very easy for anyone to service just about anywhere. I think this is why Cousteau went to using it--the service can be done in a very short time. The same is true for the Healthways Gold Label Scuba regulator (which I really like). Let's see, moving parts; a spring, seat, pin, two levers and a diaphragm--six moving parts. That is hard to beat for maintenance.

John

 

[duckbill]

If you change the washer, you will need to reset the IP if the washers are different thicknesses. It's always a good idea to double check the IP anyway.

I've R&Red nozzles both ways, and one method is simpler, though the other does relieve pressure from the HP diaphragm so it doesn't deform while the nozzle is out. Just be doggon sure the pin is centered in it's HP seat pocket before reassembly, no matter which way it is done.