self maintenance of MY equipment......

[ScubaCat111]

I am interested in self maintenance of MY own personal equipment for MY own use only.
How do I get scubapro parts for my Mark V regulator, Ocean Edge, Sherwood, Tusa....
I am tired of putting my life into the hands of an unknown tech. Cost let alone, but also thew time and arrogance of dealing with these people.
Where do I go to get training. Who is the industries certification agency for equipment maintenance? I understand how the law and liability is working within the industry to discourage something like this.

Are the scuba gestapo going to make me dissapear for this query?

 

[King_Neptune]

ScubaCat,

You asked in the right place, although under re-building D.E.T.A. ( http://www.detahq.com ) is the correct place so such question and the founder of DETA is on this forum as user "rainreg".

He should be able to answer your questions, I will make sure he notices your post.

=-)

 

[rainreg]

Hello ScubaCat, I understand the frustration that people run up against when trying to find a repair technician they can trust, or a dive shop. Even though there are many dive shops out there that do questionable repairs on scuba regs there are equally great dive shops that provide outstanding service. The expense of getting trained to service your own regulator is not inexpensive in fact most people who think about repairs from that angle end up doing part time repairs at an authorized repair facility. I commend you on wanting to repair your own regulators but there are simply two obstacles:

1. You void any warranty from the manufacturer, and now carry all of the liability on the performance of that regulator.

2. You will not be able to purchase repair parts for your regulator, although there are some dive shops that bend the rules and sell parts this is not a recommended practice and should be avoided.

My solution to you is pretty simple:

1. You can pursue regulator repair as a part time job under the sponsor ship of an authorized repair facility (Dive Shop or DETA), this way you can be sponsored to take the manufacturers repair clinic.

2. You can seek out recommended Regulator Technicians that provide quick, accurate, and procedurally correct repairs on Diving Equipment.

Either way let me know what part of the country you live in and I can refer you to several repair facilities that I know will provide service that is Second to None!!!

Take care and good luck.

Mike

 

[anne]

I am interested in more information on the training and certification needed to do authorized equipment repair. Where do I find this info? Thanks.

 

[Ladydiver]

Hi Anne,

You have come to the right place. Mike (rainreg) is the founder of the Diving Equipment Technicians Association (D.E.T.A.). He can give you all the information you will need to become a technician.

I will make sure he sees your post and gets back to you.

Cheers,

 

[rainreg]

Hello Anne, for additional information on DETA that is an organization designed exactly for what you seek, we provide an avenue for individuals like yourself to receive factory type training from the manufacturers reps on their equipment. The classes are usually suited for technicians that already have experience. But there are classes provided by DETA by DETA Staff for beginners, a Beginner Regulator maintenance course (this course takes you through the basic fundamentals of regulator repair, what types of regulators (Piston / Diaphragm) (Balanced / Unbalanced). Also go through the types of tools and working theory of regulators. This course is offered at the DETA conference, which are held once a year. The next conference for DETA will be next year (times and dates and packages will be available at DEMA in January. DEMA is a large trade show for Diving Equipment Manufacturers it will be in New Orleans this coming January. Take care and hope to see you there.

Mike

 

[anne]

Dear Rainreg,
Thanks for the info. A few questions:
1. Is training available outside the U.S.?
2. What is the cost of education?
3. Can I be notified about the dates of the DETA conference other than the DEMA trade show?
Thanks again. Anne

 

[rainreg]

Hello Anne, DETA will be at DEMA this year We will have a booth and I will have all of the information on costs and what manufacturers will be present. I have not made a final decision on where the TEK conference will be but that information will be available at the DEMA show, If you are not able to attend the DEMA show I will have the package information available at that time frame. thank you for your interest in DETA

 

[ScubaCat111]

Thanks for the above listed information. I am in contact with scubapro (johnson outdoors) re guarding this situation. It is my understanding that as long as I do my own repairs on my own equipment that I should be OK. In a previous posting there was a statment that I'll burden all the liability...... well actually I already do no matter who has worked on my equipment. It is my life and health on the line. I've since repaired my two failing first stages by flipping the downstream seat (a small rubber disk that seals against an air pressure seat) and have repaired a BC inflator, replaced a low pressure hose.... unless I was an idiot I couldnt have messed them up. Its my feel that the self regulating scuba industry is in deed a quite lucrative deal.
I recently went to a closeout tent sale at a nearby shop. Selling off demo and 1999 equipment. My girl found an Oceanic BC 1999 for 269.00 . Year 2000 version was 389.00 but the 1999 werent in her size. Quickly offered was the 2000 for 289.00. While thrilled at first for the hundred dollars, I realized that there must be some markup where-as they could come off that profit that quickly. I've yet to walk into a scuba shop where they are visibly hurting for money. Never have I seen a worn, thread bare carpet.

 

[anne]

Dear Rainreg,
Thank you for the information. I will contact you next year regarding DETA training and TEK conference. Sincerely, Anne