I last dove in May 2019. As a vacation diver, 2020 and 2021 were dry, so the regs have been sitting in a reg bag for two+ years now. Is it time to send them in, even without any usage for all this time? I have read something about having the purge button stored pressed, but have not read anything about Signature series needing that. Is there any regular usage I need to do with it, like rent a tank and breathe from it, do a test in a pool, etc.? Thanks!
The answer is, it depends. How well were they rinsed before they were stored? How many dives on them before they were put away?
They should be stored with the breathing adjustment knob in the easiest breathing position to take excess pressure off of the LP seat in the second stage.
Every diver who owns their own regs and has access to a cylinder should have an IP gauge that attaches to the LP inflator hose. It's a $20 item that can save you money, time, and at the same time tell you that you have a problem.
The IP on the Deep Six regs is 135 PSI +/- 5 PSI. It will go up slightly at 300-500 PSI but should not be over 145. 140 is ok at 500 PSI. 145 tells me that it's been well broken in and seen some amount of use and is getting close to needing serviced usually.
Creeping or readings over 145 and it needs serviced.
Second stages may need rebuilt sooner than 1sts because the seat is a softer material and use of the breathing adjust knob varies the pressure on the seat. Not at all unusual to have a 1st stage that's good after 2 years and needs nothing but the seconds may have been done once before and need it again.
Use, storage, and position of the adjustment knob can effect the 2nd stage since the seat is in contact with the orifice when the air is off and there is spring pressure on it.
Just as an FYI, I am very familiar with the Deep Six reg as I am the one who wrote the service manual for it.
www.deep6gear.com
