Self service regulator

[Angelo Farina]

Out of curiosity, do you think there exists a practical way for one to test the IP and cracking effort at home?

I took a service technician course earlier last year. I'm currently living somewhere where regulator service of my reg is not really accessible (the price of shipping and servicing is enough to buy a new set and time length in months) so really wish to do the servicing myself if I can. I've found some deals of "personal-level" reg service workbench that seems to feature both an IP gauge and a CP gauge and whose price is within reasonable range. I'm not sure if a ultrasonic cleanser from Amazon will be sufficient to clean the regulator components. I shall be able to acquire appropriate lubricants and replacement parts from nearby dive shops or online. It is just the IP and cracking effort measurement that I haven't figured out a way of doing.

Or alternatively I wonder if a dive shop would allow me to use their workbench at a reasonable rate, if I show my certificate and sign a liability release that I take full responsibility for my reg after the service?

Ultrasound cleaning is only required when preparing a reg for service with 100% pure oxygen.
For normal usage (Nitrox up to 40%) just use water with a good descaling detergent (WC net).
Rinse well and dry...
Cracking effort can be measured just with a bucket of water: submerge the reg with diaphragm horizontal, down, until it hisses, and record the depth of the diaphragm.
Measuring IP requires a 10-bars pressure gauge.
The most practical ones have a quick release connector compatible with the hose of your BCD. They cost a few bucks online.

Dive Rite Intermediate Pressure Gauge - Dive Gear Repair & Tools - Scubatoys.com

Dive Rite Intermediate Pressure Gauge, RG1269

www.scubatoys.com

 

[Frogman82]

Anyone tried the Molykote 55 o-ring grease? It's recommended in the kirby morgan service manual, but it has a distinctive odour to it so maybe that will be an issue.

 

[Tanks A Lot]

....
The most practical ones have a quick release connector compatible with the hose of your BCD. They cost a few bucks online.

Dive Rite Intermediate Pressure Gauge - Dive Gear Repair & Tools - Scubatoys.com

Dive Rite Intermediate Pressure Gauge, RG1269

www.scubatoys.com

This is a bit of a pet-peeve of mine, but here it goes. I really dislike gauges like the ones linked here, as I believe they are unfit for the purpose we generally use them for.

Pressure gauges get classed by how accurate they are. This precision is imprinted onto the scale of the gauge, e.g. here:

This is a gauge that has a precision of 1.6%. This precision applies to the maximum value of the scale!

This gauge goes to a maximum of 16bar. 1.6% of 16bar is 0.256bar, which means the gauge can deviate 0.256bar (3.7psi) anywhere on it's whole scale. This is acceptable for the use we intend.

Precision's range from practically nothing, to 4%. The really expensive gauges go down to 0.1%. If you look at analogue gauges, anything above a precision of 1.0 is a gauge with a diameter larger than 100mm. If you think about it, that makes total sense, as these small scales on the small gauges can't represent anything accurately.
In general, the cheaper and smaller a gauge, the worse its precision.
A gauge that has no precision indicated automatically has one of 4% (I have seen way worse on some crappy ones...).

The gauge linked has no precision indicated, so it is assumed to have one of 4%. Furthermore, its scale goes up to 22bar. 4% of 22bar is 0.88bar (12.8psi). This gauge can deviate anywhere on it's scale nearly 0.9bar, which makes it completely useless for setting intermediate pressure accurately.

I should note, that these are maximum values. The gauge can deviate that much, but it does not automatically do so. The problem is that one has no real way to tell if it does, without another, more accurate gauge.

Choosing a pressure gauge should keep its accuracy, as well as its maximum scale in mind. An electronic pressure gauge that has a precision of 1.0, but goes up to 200bar would be of no use either, as it can deviate by up to 2bar.

The precision of a gauge must be kept as low as the wallet allows, while the range should be only slightly higher than the highest expected value.

 

[L2m]

Ultrasound cleaning is only required when preparing a reg for service with 100% pure oxygen.
For normal usage (Nitrox up to 40%) just use water with a good descaling detergent (WC net).
Rinse well and dry...
Cracking effort can be measured just with a bucket of water: submerge the reg with diaphragm horizontal, down, until it hisses, and record the depth of the diaphragm.
Measuring IP requires a 10-bars pressure gauge.
The most practical ones have a quick release connector compatible with the hose of your BCD. They cost a few bucks online.

The precision of a gauge must be kept as low as the wallet allows, while the range should be only slightly higher than the highest expected value.

Thank you both for the very useful advice! I'm curious if there is also an electronic IP gauge which could provide better readings. And since its on the land I don't have to consider issues such as it running out of battery or giving readings from someone else's tank.

Thank you Angelo for the idea of using water for testing CE, have never thought of it. Also both my second stages have adjustable venturi knob, so I wonder if I can use them to help adjusting CP as well?

I'm probably still interested in a ultrasonic cleaner as both my regs come being O2 compatible (despite I've used them mostly with EAN32/21). I'm thinking of buying some other regs as primary regs and use my current ones as stages for future decompression courses, so might be better to keep them ready for EAN50/O2.

 

[Bigbella]

Thank you both for the very useful advice! I'm curious if there is also an electronic IP gauge which could provide better readings. And since its on the land I don't have to consider issues such as it running out of battery or giving readings from someone else's tank.

Narked at 90, out of the UK, markets a digital IP gauge which I have successfully used for several years and which fully jibes with my analog IP equipment and those of my test bench:

Digital IP Gauge with Purge Button and Back Light

Inter-stage pressure gauge

www.narkedat90.com

I would have to differ, though, with @Angelo Farina, and insist upon ultrasonic cleaner use, regardless of whether a given regulator was going to receive upwards of 40%, or even 100% O2. Being on the obsessive side about cleanliness can only help you in the long run -- and inexpensive cleaners are readily available and will last several years.

Even after a "thorough" hand-washing, you'd be surprised at the amount of particulate matter left in an ultrasonic tub, after a thorough cleaning at 50˚C . . .

 

[Tanks A Lot]

Thank you both for the very useful advice! I'm curious if there is also an electronic IP gauge which could provide better readings. And since its on the land I don't have to consider issues such as it running out of battery or giving readings from someone else's tank.

Electronic gauges are suspect to exactly the same that I have written above. They also come in different classes and again you should choose a pressure range suitable. They are not inheritable better than analogue gauges.
For intermediate pressure readings, a gauge around the 15bar mark is optimal. You need to keep a bit of room for a malfunctioning first stage that has an intermediate pressure creep. You do not want a gauge that goes only to 10bar, as the above scenario would break your gauge before the second stage vents the excess pressure.

I do not recommend digital gauges for work on regulators. If you check cracking pressure you likely have half an eye on your intermediate pressure to verify when the regulator opens up.
A analogue gauge has the advantage that it more or less instantaneously updates as the intermediate pressure falls. Digital gauges, especially cheaper ones, usually have a sampling range in the 0.5 second range. That means the pressure updates only twice a second and that makes it hard to accurately gauge when the regulator opened up and therefore what it's cracking pressure actually is.

For the very same reason I dislike digital pressure differential gauges. Affordable ones usually have a terrible sampling rate.

Digital gauges with high sampling rates and great accuracy are available, but they are priced incredibly high.

 

[scrane]

I've been working on my assorted regulators for about 5 years. I use common household chemicals and cleaners and an assortment of miniature brushes. . I use standard household tools with the exception of some o-ring picks and a bullet for piston first stages. A good vise is important. I have a a 2" 160psi full scale Bourdon tube gauge with tick marks every psi. I am careful not to overpressure the gauge to avoid permanently distorting the tube. Cracking pressure is measured in a bowl of water.
You really don't have to be rich or especially skilled or have a lot of specialized tools to work on your own regulators. You do have to be patient and careful, though.

 

[Bigbella]

I've been working on my assorted regulators for about 5 years. I use common household chemicals and cleaners and an assortment of miniature brushes.You really don't have to be rich or especially skilled or have a lot of specialized tools to work on your own regulators. You do have to be patient and careful, though.

I strongly agree and that's how I began, years ago, after working in a shop; but I wouldn't even trust my obsessive hand-cleaning of dive equipment -- serial washings and scrubbing with an old Philips Sonicare toothbrush, to prepare regulators for high-percentage O2 use.

Decent consumer ultrasonic cleaners can now be had, for less than US 100.00 -- a very small investment for safety's sake . . .

 

[happy-diver]

Molykote 55 o-ring grease? It's recommended in the kirby morgan service manual

Which service manual for what

Never ever ever, use 55 in regs


Kirby Morgan recommends 111 ish for regs

 

[34109411]

Finish to service my regulator R190. I was not able to unscrew the bolt on the right completely and check the valve but the problem was wet breathing, so I checked the diaphragm and exhaust valve which were ok, clean everything and applied a bit of Vaseline everywhere.
To be noted all technicians/shop in my city refused to service my equipment because it’s too old

Mk10 first stage, d400 and R190 second stages. All Scubapro.

strange they will not service it pretty common model? i have an octo r195 with the reg sorry forget the model that goes with it and the first stage. Bought in 2011 something like that and my LDS did complete rebuild last year on it.

Did you consider to contact scubapro directly to ask if you could send it to them ? Sometime they have tech center that could handle it when your LDS don't.

i like you pic you look like me on everyday morning when i am in a good mood.