Regulator Repair or Replace? That is the Question.

[scubafanatic]

No. They have to "overhaul" it. That may pertain to other models. Some, like the Atomic T3 only need to be serviced every 3 years, but the up-front cost is way up there.

You probably get your vehicle's oil changed every 3000 miles at Jiffy Lube too, which is far more frequently than really needed these days, but Jiffy Lube certainly doesn't mind your $$$.

 

[Jay Moroso]

You’re in LA. Of course, everything is going to be more expensive.

DRIS is my shop in the Chicago area. Full service for a reg set ($25 each for first stage and two second stages) is $75 plus parts. Right there on the website.

What is the invoice breakdown for your reg set?

My single tank set is an AL Legend LX Supreme. I’ll be damned if I’ll breathe off some rough, cheap piece of crap just to save some $$ on maintenance. SM set is Apeks XTX50. Pony is an AL Legend first stage with an Apeks second stage. Buy once, cry one. I want a nice breathing reg. I’ve breathed off some rough ones. Never again.

Do you have a POS car because you don’t want to pay for repairs? Junk it when it’s done for and get another POS beater?

No breakdown in price. They serviced the 1st stage, 2nd Stage, Octo, and put an "o" ring in my SPG. Why does everyone compare a car and car repairs to a regulator and regulator repairs. They are like, MILES apart. You use your car every day. You use a reg how many times a year? A car is pretty much a basic item needed to live (at least here in L.A.). Dive gear is discretionary spending. Your car is much more expensive because it is much more complicated than a dive computer. Also, I never said I would by a POS reg. I said I would buy a new one. You assume it is a POS because of the price. I dunno. I never used a $200 reg. I mentioned a couple. Have you used them? Are they a POS? But you gave me something to ponder: Ship this thing out of state for repairs...

 

[saxman242]

No. They have to "overhaul" it. That may pertain to other models. Some, like the Atomic T3 only need to be serviced every 3 years, but the up-front cost is way up there.

Atomic makes several models that are significantly cheaper than the T3 and still have long service intervals

 

[Jay Moroso]

There is something to be said for high quality regulators, and treating them well. I wouldn't toss a nice reg just because it needed service.

I think you will get a lot of people telling you to skip annual service, and go to every other year, and I have to admit I don't follow a 1 year interval myself.

I think you will also get a lot of people telling you to learn to service the regs yourself. If you do oil changes, and enjoy it, then you can learn to service regs yourself. But you will probably have to learn how to service another brand, and then apply the same logic to yours. You also have to buy parts, which might be $20-$60, and the tools. But in 2-3 years, it will pay off. I do my own servicing, and I enjoy it.

I bet you could do a reg rebuild in half an hour if you tried, which at car mechanic rates is around $50 of labor, plus $50 in parts, $50 in overhead and then $50 in profit. I would be upset paying $200 for a reg service too, but I would be surprised to pay less than $100.

You could split the difference and sell your Legend used every 1.5 years, then use that money to buy a mid range reg, say for $300.

Or, get into technical diving, keep the Legend for open water, then get backmount, sidemount, stage and o2 regs, and when one needs service, just decide to scavenge the sidemount regs, or a stage reg, and put off the service for a few months until you no longer have enough working regs for even open water...and spend a paycheck on service.

Thanks for the reply JahJahwarrior. If there is one thing that dive shops tell me, it's to NEVER screw around with your reg. Get them serviced by a qualified professional. They make it sound like rocket science and I'm sure it's pretty technical. I'm pretty good with working on things and actually enjoy that sort of thing, but I would have to be fully trained and feel comfortable enough. I'm sure the formal instruction is pretty expensive and a YouTube video probably won't cut it.

 

[Jay Moroso]

I gotta ask the same. Why did it get serviced two years in a row?

That said the whole free parts for life program is bunk.

Never knew that my reg had free parts for life. I don't think it does. But even if it does, okay. That covers about $10 of the repair. I usually service the reg every couple of years, but I had it serviced last year and in my shop this year because I was running into problems with a free-flow. We figured out that the swivel I recently put on it was probably causing the free-flow. The LDS does not do the repairs, they send the unit out. Their tech came by to drop off some regs he was working on and looked at mine. He found the pressure parameters all out of whack and suggested a service. I definitely don't want a jacked-up reg, and since I'm diving next week (Whale sharks and sea lions in La Paz, MX ), I thought it best to get it done.

 

[Jay Moroso]

My vote, like others who have posted, is none of the above.

One poster above said "I bet you could do a reg rebuild in half an hour if you tried..."

I've been doing this for years, and it NEVER takes just a half hour. You could do a parts switch in less time than that, but that's not a reg service. Parts need cleaning. The first stage should sit on the tank for an hour to check IP stability. Second stage tuning takes a little time after assembly.

$200 for service of three regulators is just a touch high. $30/reg for labor, and $15-45 per reg for those "$3 worth of orings".
Well, it's not that simple. I routinely spend more time than that simply because most folks don't return their regs every year for service. There's no need to, for the first stage.
Most folks aren't religious about rinsing their gear after EVERY trip.
So there's verdigris corrosion that needs a little time in the ultrasonic. And the hoses also need new orings. And the HP spool may need service. And the computer may need a battery.

No, you received a fair labor price, and a slightly inflated service kit cost. You can get orings cheap, but the seats are more.

So what's the solution? Use the regulator checklist religiously: Regulator Inspection and Checklist (Rev-8)

Forget parts for life. Send your first stage in for service at the first sign of IP instability (2 years? 5 years?). Rinse your gear religiously. Get your second stage tuned every year. 5 min work and it should be a minimal cost. Get your second stage serviced every two years if you have a standard seat, and every three years if you have a "seat-saver" feature like Atomic.

But buy $200 regs? No way!
I haven't needed to service my 1986 Scubapro Mk10 first stage in four years now. I still dive it. Good stuff lasts. But my 1986 G250 second stage still needs a new seat every 1-2 years.

My 2¢.

Now THATS what I needed to hear. Thanks rsingler. I DO rinse my reg out after every dive. People don't? But I have to say, the reg tech told me that there was corrosion in the 1st stage. I was blown away by that. I usually have my dive shop that I'm diving with (when on vacation) clean my gear after dives, if that serviced is available. He told me that was a no-no. Dust caps are sometimes left off during rinsing. Going to do mine by myself from now on. Thanks for the tips on when and what to get serviced. Just one thing (and this is why I don't service my regs)...What the hell is IP instability and how do I check for it? I'm guessing it is some sort of pressure check.

 

[Jay Moroso]

While $ 206 seems a bit high, you are in LA where all prices are inflated. Might be worth shipping off to Scubatoys next time. That being said, I'd schedule service based on '# of dives' instead of annually. You could easily go 100 - 200 dives before any service is needed, assuming you take reasonable care of your gear. Spending $ 200 every 4 or 5 years would be entirely reasonable/economical.

Yeah scubafanatic, I'm getting that with all of the replies here. Thanks for your input.

 

[scubafanatic]

Now THATS what I needed to hear. Thanks rsingler. I DO rinse my reg out after every dive. People don't? But I have to say, the reg tech told me that there was corrosion in the 1st stage. I was blown away by that. I usually have my dive shop that I'm diving with (when on vacation) clean my gear after dives, if that serviced is available. He told me that was a no-no. Dust caps are sometimes left off during rinsing. Going to do mine by myself from now on. Thanks for the tips on when and what to get serviced. Just one thing (and this is why I don't service my regs)...What the hell is IP instability and how do I check for it? I'm guessing it is some sort of pressure check.

'IP instability', Intermediate Pressure (IP) needs to be in a certain range, in extreme cases, too low means no air comes out (asphyxiate) and too high means regulator hoses/lungs explode.

 

[AfterDark]

My solution after getting a $300.+ bill for 3 regulator overhauls was to learn to service them myself. Now for less than $100.00 in parts and a one time cost of a $200.00 for tools and equipment I overhaul my regs myself. Even overhauled my old double hose reg. Using new materials like silicone instead of the old rubber parts it breathes easier than it ever did. Regulators are VERY simple devices and are very easy to work on with the right tools and a little reading. My only regret was not starting to do my own years ago.

 

[chris kippax]

Like Marie I believed my Aqualung Legend was superior to most regs. Now that I have serviced a few differently models/brands I no longer think that and sold it. My “POS” hog regs look to be made of similar quality/ breathe as well when tuned and and a second stage costs $13 to service. The inhalation effort adjuster on the legend second is a poor design, gets stiff even with thorough washing.