Servicing your own regulator.

[herman]

The regs I use are apeks xtx 200 with a xtx 40 Octo and Poseidon 3960 Odin jet stream
I just want a better understanding of how they work and be able to diagnose a problem and possible fix it. I also take pride in servicing my own equipment, and being able to fix things. If anyone has experience with the above regs it would helpful. I already ordered the mentioned text about reg repair.

Thanks

The Apeks are easy, manuals are available on line. I would also suggest you look up the Zeagle and Dive Rite manuals as well, both are Apeks clones ( the early Zeagles were Apeks) so most of the information in those manuals is also applicable to the Apeks. I do not have any experience with the Poseidons but I have access to one of the major reg repair centers on the east coast. The techs there tell me the Poseidons are a pain to service. These guys do it as their sole business and have no reason to BS me so I take them at their word on it. You might want to leave them until you have more experience.

 

[Jimmer]

I for one will gladly "take my life in my own hands", but welcome as always those with differing opinions.

Yeah, people seem to act like taking your life in your hands is a bad thing. I especially like the comment about your family not having someone to blame or sue when your reg fails and you die. Well call me old fashioned but I like to actually take responsibility for myself, instead of accusing everyone else when something happens.

 

[paddler3d]

The regs I use are apeks xtx 200 with a xtx 40 Octo and Poseidon 3960 Odin jet stream
I just want a better understanding of how they work and be able to diagnose a problem and possible fix it. I also take pride in servicing my own equipment, and being able to fix things. If anyone has experience with the above regs it would helpful. I already ordered the mentioned text about reg repair.

Thanks

When you start talking about regs, it is important to include your 1st stage. So for your Apeks reg, do you have the FSR, FST, DS4, so on so forth, 1st stage? What you'll learn is there isn't a ton different between 2nd stages. When you look at your XTX 200 and the XTX 40, there isn't a ton different aside from the adjustability, or lack there of, and the overall size of the the 2nd stage. I have the ATX 100, ATX 40 and XTX 200 and the XTX 40. There really isn't a ton of differences in them. Now I have the FSR and FST 1st stages...there are differences.

Figure out what your first stages are and check out this link...

http://www.frogkick.dk/manuals/apeks/

 

[Zung]

All Apeks second stages use the same seat, AP2034 which is nearly the same as the Scubapro's, HOG's Edge's, Zeagle's, and the Trident A148. Add a few o-rings and you're in business.

 

[Scared Silly]

Over the past couple of years I have been rebuilding Atomic regs. Like others I have Pete and Vance's books, plus a bunch of tools from ScubaTools. I even got me one of those fancy HP managers from a shop going out of business. After our last trip I got all geared to work on the regs and those boys down in Texas (scubatoys) decided to have a fire sale on reg rebuilds for $50. Well given the cost of rebuilt kits and if I wanted to figure my time sending all the reg to scubatoys was a better option. However, I needed something to do last Saturday and Sunday so it DIY.

All that said rebuilding regs is only worth while if you have multiple regs. I have 9 that I work on. That is when I do work on them. So for me it is worth while. Back when I had only two - I went down to the shop. BSed with the tech there while he worked on them.

 

[rcs9250]

The formal training I have received consisted of a couple hours of sitting in a hotel conference room, taking apart a reg, then putting it back together, followed by grabbing the companies next reg, being told "this is identical to the last one", for 5 models in a row. Then there was all the juicy hints and tips that would be prefaced with "this question is on the test at the end", then of course the awesome test where we were basically told the answers. But hey at least I got a free repair place mat to put on my bench. I knew more before I got there, by buying Vance's book, buying a couple old regs off ebay, and figuring them out myself. It's not for everyone, but it's not rocket science.

Ditto here to Jimmer. All of the "factory" courses I took were laughable. But lawyers like to see the certificate and that's what we live by in the U.S.A.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

sure save that 30 dollars and dont have a guy with years of experience rebuild your life support equipment and should it fail due to negligence and you die your family will have no way to collect the money due them from the service guy or mfg that have millions in insurance for that reason. should you dive for the next 20 years you will only have 20 rebuilds under your belt and i would not want someone that in experienced working on my life support equipment. is it safe? does it make sense? will it work in the worse case senerio? but look on the bright side we in the fire service are lucker than most lol PS would you rebuild your scba

All I hear when I read a post like this is (IF YOU TOUCH YOUR REGS YOUR SELF YOU WILL DIE, PAY ME TO DO THE WORK INSTEAD). I agree there are many people that should not touch a screwdriver never mind work on there regs, on the other hand there are many of us that would like to and do work on there own regs. I recently saw a situation where a reg had been serviced and then free flowed in a cave, the reg was brought back twice and on the third time back the problem was solved. Ok I know what people are going to say find a new shop but that is not the point. Reading posts like above are insinuating that if your reg fails after being worked on by a PRO you are better off than you would be if you screwed it up your self. This is simply untrue, I would rather be responsible for myself then put my life in some else's hands. That is why I will no longer purchase Scuba Pro regs or any other regs that restrict parts sales.

 

[Medicdiver0125]

Thank you all for the advice. I also am willing to put my own life in my hands. That why I want to learn how to do this. For me is not about saving money because in the grand scheme of things in diving what is $75. I just like doing things my self, if I can and, it would give me a better understanding of how they work. This year I actually sent. Both sets to scuba toys and was impressed with the turn around. We will see how they work soon.
For Herman thank, I have heard that the apeks are pretty simple and that the Poseidon can be more tricky depending on which one you have because they made multiple Odin models.
The apeks 200 xtx first stage I have is the fsr
The poseidon first stage is the 3960 model.

Thanks again.

 

[knowone]

Despite the piles of professional techs out there that pleasure
where they can't be distracted, I think aquareggia put it best
when, suggested he would rather have an oops moment than
WTF.

And if you are really serious when you go into battle with the
elements and yourself, knowing at the least what happens to
regs both inside and out must be an advantage in the foreign
unforgiving underwater world even having visited 1000 times.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

I service my own regs.
I had no formal training.
I read Vance Harlow's manual, downloaded the official technician's manual for my reg, and purchased a few overhaul kits.
I'm not a mechanic or tool junkie by any stretch of the imagination.
I like to dive. I am curious about how things work and how to fix things/people when they're broken.
I'm patient, eager to learn, and detail-oriented.
I enjoy supporting my LDS, but I also purchase things online from several different sources.

Learning how to service my own regs was one of the best things I've ever done as a diver.

Good post.

If one is:

1. Patient (take the time to do your homework, work carefully),

2. Eager to learn (again, this implies being willing to do some reading and ask questions), and

3. Detail-oriented (don't omit or "skip" important steps or procedures)

That person will have no problems learning to service their own gear, and is likely to do a better job of it than the "typical" weekend wonder (recently "factory certified" reg tech).

The Regulator board and the DIY board are great places to get help. Lots of the folks who've already responded in this thread have helped me greatly when I had questions.

Best wishes.