Please describe “terrible shape”
Rusty components. Filter is entirely green or discolored. Salt water corrosion stripping the chrome and exposing brass. Components such as yoke retainers, bodies, end caps, port plugs being siezed up and crusty requiring excessive torque to remove.
Anything that still looks like an ancient shipwreck after 20 minutes in the sonic cleaner is terrible or filthy imo. A great external indicator is the filter though. If its completely discolored, the internals probably arent much better.
I think this is also a testament to how robust most modern regulators are. They still work fine even when the internals are in a state that a tech might describe as "terrible".
Haha also true. One of the guys who
Please describe “terrible shape”
Shurite7 said it best i think. The big thing is build up of minerals and corrosion. I should not have to vice and put my full body weight behind a torque wrench to get your reg apart. Not only can this damage the integrity of the body/components, but the most noticeable consequence is the stripping away of the chrome plating which is the protective layer of most brass regulators. Once that brass is exposed, a diver has to be extra diligent and thorough about rinsing post dive because that exposed brass is now much more susceptible to corrosion. and depending on what it is (pistons, crowns, seating orifices) you could have serious issues.
Another thing is rust. rust anywhere on your regulator is BAD. you do not want rust getting into your lungs. The thing about rust, is that for the most part, a diver can not prevent it no matter how diligent his post dive care (unless he does a full rebuild each time). This is because generally rust comes from a tank.
Another qualification for "terrible" shape in my opinion is when the second stage inlet tube and packing nut are seized up from mineral build up/corrosion. Most Second stages these days have a plastic body. Not all of them reinforce the slot that the actual "regulator" seats. So when the packing nut won't come off, or the inlet tube wont come loose of the body. There is no quick and effective way to get them apart. Brute strength will damage the body. So you have to get creative with boiling water, vinegar, partial sonic cleaner dip etc. which is a waste of time for a tech. There have been a few rare cases where I had to call the customer and tell them that I was not going to do their second stage because I didnt think I could get it apart without significant damage to the plastic body. If they want me to try anyway, I annotate it in there service record and do what I can.
Basically "terrible" is:
1) anything that make me think "How are you still alive using this thing?"
2) Pieces that are so seized up as to possibly damage integrity of the reg
3) takes any more than 25 minutes in the sonic cleaner and a light brush to look brand new.
The first set of pictures below is one of my former instructors, Its an Atomic ST1. It was really difficult to get apart, but when I finally did.... well see for yourself. You can see rust and the most solid build up of minerals on the LP ports. You can see that the hoses themselves have significant build up on the inside of the lines as well. His air was travelling through all these avenues. the reg had not been serviced in 7 YEARS, He brought it in because it started breathing hard at depth. While teaching a deep specialty class. Side note: This service is the reason that my GF and I both own 2 ENVIRONMENTALLY SEALED Atomic regulators I have ST1s, she has an ST1 and a T3. I am a believer in Atomic products after this, a great testament to their durability. The spring, piston, and sealing orifice where protected from rust and debris because of the sealant. In my experience, not many other regs that I have worked on would still be serviceable with that much rust and mineral build up. It took a long time in the sonic cleaner, a lot of scrubbing, and I actually ended up just replacing the port plugs because I was shredding my fingers trying to clean them with a wire brush. When it was all said and done all the components looked brand new and it tested to factory spec. See ya in another 7 years....
Here is a Mares reg. This is the more common brass with chrome plating style body. Not to knock the reg itself. It is a great and reliable reg when properly cared for. But you can see that rust and debris are in the main body where all the sealing orifices are that deliver your air. You can also see that the chrome is stripping off the threads because of how seized up it was to the yoke retainer and how much force i needed to get it apart. I take pictures of almost all the reg services that I do just to cover myself. these are more recent ones without digging to far. This reg did clean up after again, A LOT OF WORK, TIME AND EXTRA EFFORT, but the brass is now exposed in most of the ports (which are most likely to be exposed to the elements) and the crown oriface whichj creates the HP seal in your first stage also has some exposed brass.
An Atomic ST1 has a full stainless steel body. When environmentally sealed it's basically bulletproof and can be scrubed with harsher brushes and take more of a "cleaning beating" at the service bench. Brass with chrome plating can not do that. A tech has to use softer brushes so that the chrome isn't taken off.
Moral of the story. Service your regs. Especially if they're brass. It's only your life support =)
