Where do you folks have your Regs serviced?

[YukonJack]

You're taught in your OW to service your gear yearly... and that it should be done by a qualified technician. That's good advice, but there's nothing stopping you from becoming a qualified technician. I teach a class for Hog and Deep 6 regs.

If you take your regs to a technician, you should consider doing the following:

• Present a list of issues
  • Leaks
  • Noises
  • Time since last service
  • How it breathes
  • What you expect out of your service
• Agree on a price up front!
  • What you'll get
  • Phone numbers if there's an unforeseen problem.
  • Maximum price
  • Trade in value
• Agree on a time frame.
• Ask for the technician's qualifications.
• ASK FOR YOUR PARTS BACK!!!
• When you pick your reg, ask them to put it on a tank.
  • Ask to see the IP (Intermediate Pressure)
  • It should be between 130 and 150 for most regs.
  • It shouldn't creep up
  • It should fall a bit when you breathe on your reg.
• Dive your reg BEFORE you go on a big trip.
  • A pool is just fine.
  • Check for noises and leaks

$250 seems quite high. Did you know that price when you dropped it off?

I didn't know what the price was going to be when I dropped it. I dont have a lot of options for a dive shop here in town, though I know I can send it away for service. I just don't want to spend that much every year, though I also don't want to die, so there is that.

 

[WantSomeScuba?]

big difference in recommended and required. Most technical divers service regs when they ask for them, or about 5 years *which is longer than most people are active divers*. Leaking, or IP creep are basically the two things that will cause them to get serviced

@outofofficebrb the annual checks are basically IP, leak, and cracking effort checks. Takes all of 10 minutes. Connect reg to high pressure, plug IP gauge into the inflator hose, put the magnehelic on the mouthpiece and take a few breaths. Watch IP gauge while breathing, and let it sit for 10 minutes to make sure it doesn't creep. Most shops will only leave it on for a minute or two which is annoying.

If it restores a little smidgen of your faith in us technicians, ten minutes is my minimum.

I paid like $250.

Waaaaay too expensive.

 

[WantSomeScuba?]

Great post! What kind of noises are concerning? My reg has a bit of a whistle (the slightest) but I don't feel a diff? Thanks!

A ton of lever rattle bugs the beejezus out of me, but that's unavoidable in some regulators.

 

[The Chairman]

Great post!

Thanks!!!

What kind of noises are concerning?

Any that concern YOU. I like quiet. I had a reg that developed a chatter. That turned out to be a faulty hose. One reg developed a lisp. No, I'm not kidding. I had just serviced it and whenever I stopped inhalation, it gave a little thhhhpft. The high-pressure seat was the culprit. That took me a bit to figure out.

My reg has a bit of a whistle (the slightest) but I don't feel a diff?

Whistling can be caused by a few things, but it's normally a restriction of some sort. If it's just "slight", it's probably not a thing. However, if you're getting your reg serviced, be sure to tell them about it when you drop it off.

While we're on the subject of noises, some regs honk when dry. That's pretty normal and you should wait to check the noise levels under water before you worry about it.

 

[Caveeagle]

Buy yourself an intermediate pressure gauge ($20-$55). ..and learn to do the basic checks. Then you will be in a much better position to decide service intervals.

Having said that... if your taking proper care of them, and they are working properly.. taking your regs apart every year is just silly. Just my opinion, but you introduce more potential failure points just due to the human factor of inconsistent service practices, vs the odds of failure popping up from an otherwise properly functioning set of regs.

 

[Marie13]

While we're on the subject of noises, some regs honk when dry. That's pretty normal and you should wait to check the noise levels under water before you worry about it.

Yeah, my AquaLung Legend LX Supreme reg honks like a goose that's been stepped on when dry. Fine underwater.

 

[Centrals]

A compact IP gauge is US$8.95 at DGX.
Learn how to look after your precious equipment after diving. Rinsing alone is NEVER enough.

BTW, I service my equipment myself. Learn how to do it properly if you do NOT want to pay an arm and a leg for someone to do it for you. It is NOT rocket science.

 

[YukonJack]

A compact IP gauge is US$8.95 at DGX.
Learn how to look after your precious equipment after diving. Rinsing alone is NEVER enough.

BTW, I service my equipment myself. Learn how to do it properly if you do NOT want to pay an arm and a leg for someone to do it for you. It is NOT rocket science.

I'm sure there is more to it, but it looks like the $30 service kit involves a bunch of .01 cent o-rings. Am I wrong?

 

[tbone1004]

I'm sure there is more to it, but it looks like the $30 service kit involves a bunch of .01 cent o-rings. Am I wrong?

that's the bulk of the parts, however the bulk of the cost is in the HP seats and diaphragm for the first stage if diaphragm, or just the HP seat for a piston. In the second stage, it's the LP seat. The o-rings are pretty irrelevant to the cost other than the labor involved in packing them

 

[Centrals]

tbone1004 has already explained clearly.
No you are NOT wrong!!!
The most common O-ring materials: EPDM, nitrile and Viton.
The difficult part is the correct size of the O rings.