Regulator shelf life

[theduckguru]

How long can a new, in the box, regulator be stored before it should be serviced prior to use?

 

[redacted]

Shelf life of most modern o-rings, under favorable storage conditions, is 10 years or more (viton goes for 20). I would do a good inspection and, initially, dive it on the conservative side. Then again, I would do the same thing with a fresh off the assembly line (or the techs bench) so....

I am still diving older Scubapro regulators that have colored o-rings - that is in the 20+ year range.

 

[Scared Silly]

The one thing watch for are regs that may have been display/demo regs. Not necessarily those used in the pool but those that sat on display with lots light as the hoses and plastics bit can suffer from UV damage. Otherwise as said above they can sit for a while. But hopefully the shop would do some basic checks before handling it off to the customer.

 

[Nemrod]

How long can a new, in the box, regulator be stored before it should be serviced prior to use?

I was lucky to find a NIB 1976 Conshelf Supreme. So it has been on the shelf lost behind some boxes apparently for about 36 years. I installed it on a tank and found that while it functioned the IP would creep up. The old "black" USD high pressure seats were known for this even when new. I replaced the HP seat with a new "blue" seat and serviced the environmental fluid and that is it.

N

 

[Zung]

+4
If properly stored, 10 to 20 years shouldn't create any major problems. I posted some gory details here.

 

[halocline]

The only issue would be 2nd stage seat imprinting. Balanced 2nd stages and/or those with seat saver functions would be far less vulnerable to seat wear in storage. Typically the fix for it is a simple adjustment on the 2nd stage orifice.

 

[USdiver1]

Nem,

Sounds like quite a find, wow - 36 years! While I actively search for NIB regulators for my collection, I haven't had much success (which is probably good because I like to dive all of my equipment). Replacing the seats with modern ones containing material less likely to imprint is one of the rebuilding "must dos" that I follow along with all new o-rings, filter, and mouthpiece, plus a good ultrasound scrubbing of the metal parts, prior to using any vintage finds. Once properly rebuilt, I've found that most equipment 30, 40, 50 or more years old performs at the level it was designed for, and depending upon the design, may be at or above the performance level of some modern regulators.

 

[Nemrod]

I did not "rebuild" it, I put in a new seat and fluid, reset the IP, adjusted the second stages and dove it. It is fine, maybe in another ten years or so I will service it again.

N

 

[chopstick1]

the local shop told me "the worst thing you can do to the regulator is storing it and not using it". he described how the pistons would seize/lock up from lack of use. what do you guys do to if it's stored for months without diving? just breath into it so the pistons would move? push the purge button? I am new and not sure what to do
thanks

 

[redacted]

It is very important to dive your regulator often so your dive shop can make $$$ selling you gas and other stuff (and feed you BS).