Regulator Annual Service & Maintenance, Sport’s Biggest Scam???

[Mo2vation]

This a joke post? You really whining about paying $50.00ish dollars for servicing a piece of LIFE SUPPORT EQUIPMENT? Geez, I bet you were typing this from a Starbucks where you just spent $10.00 for a cup of coffee too.

Welcome to the board. I think.

Why don't you back away from the haterade for a moment and fill in your profile so we can all know a bit more about you. Then come back and lay some more articulate alliteration on all of us.

BTW - I think you're right. I mean about the life support equipment.

SB doesn't sell a $10 cup of coffee.

Yet.

---
Ken

 

[7milehi]

This a joke post? You really whining about paying $50.00ish dollars for servicing a piece of LIFE SUPPORT EQUIPMENT? Geez, I bet you were typing this from a Starbucks where you just spent $10.00 for a cup of coffee too.

Or pay $100-115 an hour shop labor on your MB or Bimmer . My LCD is up to $75 an hour shop labor for a Dodge

 

[halocline]

True story. My first regulator was (and is... I still use it) a Conshelf XI, bought used in 1971. First service on it was when the exhaust valve needed replacement in 1995. I intended to just replace the exhaust valve but was talked into an overhaul. Since then I've overhauled it a couple of times; works like a charm.
Rick

Ummm, Rick, letting your reg go 14 years without service doesn't do much for your argument about keeping up with the oil changes

Once again, I don't think anyone has questioned the need for techs to get paid, shops to charge what's fair, etc. The only point of contention on my part is, is it more cost effective to just dive with your reg, service it when necessary, and (maybe) have to replace it more often? Seems to me you've taken exactly the approach that I'm advocating; the used reliable reg, serviced when necessary. And you don't see me accusing you of being a cheapskate!

 

[SDAnderson]

• Regulators require regular maintenance and service. Anyone that tells you otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about.
• Maintaining your regulator is the best way to reduce the need for service. Keep the inside of the first stage dry and the inside of the second stages clean and you can avoid a lot of trouble.
• A well maintained regulator still needs to be checked regularly, though servicing them may not be necessary.
• Putting a regulator away without carefully and thoroughly rinsing it is harder on it than diving it every day. Salt, spit and muck are your enemy. A quick dunk in the community rinse tank isn't enough.
• Anyone who is moderately mechanically inclined can learn to service their own regulators. You'll need some specialized tools (some of which can be expensive) and some training, but it can be done. Before you try it, however, consider your competence and the value of your time, then evaluate the risk/reward ratio before you take the plunge, so to speak.
• The people worrying about dive shop economics are missing the point - and the obvious. Nobody at your local dive shop is getting rich and all this noise about high prices is nothing but sour grapes. If you're having a hard time paying for your fun, quit before you get hurt.

 

[halocline]

This a joke post? You really whining about paying $50.00ish dollars for servicing a piece of LIFE SUPPORT EQUIPMENT? Geez, I bet you were typing this from a Starbucks where you just spent $10.00 for a cup of coffee too.

Real nice way to introduce yourself. Rude and wrong, good combination!

 

[webhead]

I personally feel that following what the manufacturer recommends, especially for life support equipment, is a good thing. And I can understand some divers reluctance to spend $50 or more to get the service each year. For some of us, that's a small price to pay to own dive gear. But for others, they may have spent their last $500 dollars just to get trained and a mask. I know that people on a tight budget don't make good, regular dive buddies.I personally feel that following what the manufacturer recommends, especially for life support equipment, is a good thing.

And I can also understand some divers reluctance to spend $50 or more to get the service each year. For some of us, that's a small price to pay to own dive gear. But for others, they may have spent their last $500 dollars just to get trained and a mask.

I know that people on a tight budget don't make good, regular dive buddies. And I get very upset when I meet someone who has taken the training, bought all the gear and stopped diving after the 1st year because of the cost. The annual service is not the most expensive part but it all adds up.

What I'm saying is do the annual service or consider renting if you don't dive a lot. And if you feel the cost of diving or owning your own equipment is too high, tell the store owner. The industry is always trying to create new divers and KEEP them active. Well, some parts are. Anything we can tell them to help service us is a plus.

 

[The Chairman]

Some of the manufacturers actually require a yearly INSPECTION with an overhaul every other year.

Some regs are finicky, while others seem bullet proof. My service interval varies with the particular regs.

 

[SteveAD]

As has been mentioned any good regulator that is well cared for will absolutely give several years of dependable service before giving any problems. What I haven't seen anyone mention is that the annual service, just like the oil change in a car is PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE . We get them checked out/tuned up/ overhauled, before there is a statistical likelyhood of failure. If you are willing to accept an increase in failure rate feel free to use whatever service interval or disposable reg scenario you like.

 

[webhead]

Good point stevead.

Another point. If you know you've done something bad to the reg such as allowed water to get in it, don't wait a year to get it looked at. It's easier to clean and dry out a reg the day after it soaked in the ocean than it is if it has sat in the warm garage all summer.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I've found that my regs normally go 150 - 200 dives before needing a service. I only buy regs that have parts available on the open market.

I find that non-use is harder on them that being used though that is based on observation rather than life test data.

I never had much luck with the various LDS when it came to my regs. I started servicing the regs myself after I had to cancel dives after getting new serviced regs back.

Peter

Well, the industry would have you believe that the folks in dive shops that service regs are highly trained and skilled pros. The would also have you believe that they must be highly trained and skilled because regs are life support. There may be some LDS techs that are very good but that's not what's required to become authorized to service them. What's required is that you be a dealer and in most cases you need to have a dive shop to be a dealer. I have become an authrized tech for a brand just by forking over my check for an opening order.

In other cases, the sales rep would stop by with a reg (usually only one out of the line), sit down, tell you that it's not much different from other regs, pull it apart, show you the inside, put it back together, hand you the service manual and abracadabra...presto chango...and BAM your qualified to service the regs. You are then qualified to stand behind a counter and tell people they can't service their own because it's life support equipment and they don't have all this special training. It also explains, in part, why we see so many failures on freshly serviced regs.

You'll get a hint as to the other reason if you consider the most common failures of freshly serviced regs...they leak or free flow. That's just because after being used a bit the reg may need further adjustment (ok the tech may have been careless but I don't think that's usually the case). Yes, they make little gizmos to automatically cycle the reg but lots of shops don't have them and using one is generally not indicated in the rebuild instructions either. That's also why the tools to adjust a reg (an allen wrench or a screw driver depending on the reg) is part of my save-a-dive-kit. I don't see how a person could dive very far from a dive shop or their instructor without being prepared to tweak a reg.

I did have a DM that had an aqualung reg which I couldn't service those cuz AL wouldn't let me. Right after he had it seviced his reg literally fell apart while we were teaching a class. The tech, who was the owner of this unnamed shop who had been servicing regs almost since the beginning, had just failed to drive the screws in. LOL he must have tested it really well too.