Where to buy regulator parts kits

[divad]

[QUOTE Go get info to understand how the regulator work and obtain the factory setting detail [/QUOTE]




He's obviously advanced enough to know that a spec on most mechanical things is only a reference.

 

[rescuediver009]

Well, After having owned a dive shop for a while I couldn't disagree with it more.

Just like I think that any one who drives a car should be able to change a flat, I think that any one who dives without an instructor should be able to overhaul a reg. Otherwise you are going to have to call dives eventually.

i see then. so then if overhaul is overhaul, i should carry some spare piston rings and maybe a head gasket in case my car breaks down i may just be able to fix it on the side of the road.

And all instructors know how to overhaul regs?

I never heard of something so out of the ordinary.

 

[MikeFerrara]

i see then. so then if overhaul is overhaul, i should carry some spare piston rings and maybe a head gasket in case my car breaks down i may just be able to fix it on the side of the road.

LOL. Last summer I was on my way to Florida to do some diving and my car broke down. I left it at a garage and picked up a rental and kept going.

Packed with my dive gear though there was at least one rebuild kit for each type of reg that I was using.

It's hard to compare a reg to a car. Rebuilding a auto engine takes a good deal of time, equipment and know how while rebuilding a reg takes an hour or so (if it needs cleaning), is very simple and can be done with a few simple hand tools.

And all instructors know how to overhaul regs?

I can't speak for all. But of course what I meant was that if a diver is going to dive independantly of a shop or resort that has rental gear and/or service techs available they'll need to be able to manage their own equipment.

I never heard of something so out of the ordinary.

It's only seems out of the ordinary because you've been taught that such things must be taken care of at the shop...go figure.

Virtually every one we dive with does their own work on equipment and has always done so. It doesn't seem out of the ordinary at all too me.

By all means though be as reliant as you want on your local shop. They need the business I'm sure.

 

[divad]

i see then. so then if overhaul is overhaul, i should carry some spare piston rings and maybe a head gasket in case my car breaks down i may just be able to fix it on the side of the road.

And all instructors know how to overhaul regs?

I never heard of something so out of the ordinary.

I've changed a starter, an alternator, a water pump, a fuel pump, a fuel line, and numerous belts, hoses and relay boxes on the side of the road. I guess you could do a head gasket if you had to. At the very least, you should be carrying a fan belt, assuming you're not mechanically challenged.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I've changed a starter, an alternator, a water pump, a fuel pump, a fuel line, and numerous belts, hoses and relay boxes on the side of the road. I guess you could do a head gasket if you had to. At the very least, you should be carrying a fan belt, assuming you're not mechanically challenged.

It would be pretty inconvenient if you couldn't by automotive parts wouldn't it?

 

[divad]

It would be pretty inconvenient if you couldn't by automotive parts wouldn't it?

I would be substantially poorer than I am now. As for regulator parts, the nominal money involved has nothing to anything. Being told I can't do something (that doesn't impinge on others) totally pisses me off.

 

[PnL]

I don't know if this has been brought up before but lets say that Diver A rebuilds his own regulator which fails at depth and causes Diver A serious bodily harm/death. Where does the liability lie? Can it be proved that the rebuilding of the regulator by Diver A was ultimately responsible? Or is the the manufacturer's responsibility to provide sufficient parts and technical materials in order for Diver A to satisfactorily overhaul a reg set? Or was it a manufacturer's defect?

I see this has a grey area and one that would make regulator manufacturers (at least their lawyers) nervous - they have no control over how competent you are in rebuilding important life-support equipment and if a death occurs due to regulator failure that was improperly serviced the manufacturer looses either by suit or by reputation.

BTW - I would much prefer to rebuild my own regs and gear then let someone I don't know do it. Just have trouble locating parts and schematics .... its really too bad.

And Evad ... lol, I'm with you. I do just about everything on my Jeep myself, including welding stuff - can't afford the labor charges out there (but I admit its fun to work on the old Heep ... ah, I mean Jeep ).

 

[Redwulf]

I have an old mares regulator(MR 12 III) that I recieved from a friend of mine that owed my a few dollars. I would hate to pay someone 70$ or more to overhaul it when I only payed $10 dollars in the first place. This is the reason I would want to try and do it myself. Anyone here have any ideas on the parts for this one, and is it easily done with this regulator.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I don't know if this has been brought up before but lets say that Diver A rebuilds his own regulator which fails at depth and causes Diver A serious bodily harm/death. Where does the liability lie? Can it be proved that the rebuilding of the regulator by Diver A was ultimately responsible? Or is the the manufacturer's responsibility to provide sufficient parts and technical materials in order for Diver A to satisfactorily overhaul a reg set? Or was it a manufacturer's defect?

I sure wouldn't claim to be able to predict what might happen in court but how is it different that some one doing a brake job or front end work on their own car where they might take out half a dozen other cars on the highway?

Not only is rebuilding a reg simple but so is testing one and you should do that before everry dive anyway. If it works, it works.

I see this has a grey area and one that would make regulator manufacturers (at least their lawyers) nervous - they have no control over how competent you are in rebuilding important life-support equipment and if a death occurs due to regulator failure that was improperly serviced the manufacturer looses either by suit or by reputation.

I don't think it's mostly just an effort to force you into the shop with your money.

 

[PnL]

I sure wouldn't claim to be able to predict what might happen in court but how is it different that some one doing a brake job or front end work on their own car where they might take out half a dozen other cars on the highway?

I agree with your analogy - but that's why I think its a grey area. I was thinking more along the lines of SCUBA fatalities where the family (or the victim of a serious SCUBA-related injury) often attempts to find blame in either the buddy, DM, boat captain, etc. In some cases it may be the fault of others, but in other cases it was lack proper protocols taught in training and of that covered in the dive briefing.

Another analogy (non-scuba) that I can't get out of my head is the suit against McDonald's when a customer spilled hot coffee over themselves. It never fails to amaze me that people try to blame others instead of taking responsibility for their own actions - it seems the most immediately responsible party was the person holding the coffee, the same party which proceeded to dump the coffee over themselves. I'm fairly sure McDonald's didn't have much to do with the spilling event (which caused the burn). And as far as I know, freshly brewed coffee is pretty hot.

In any event, my experience has been that there are those that are competent enough to rebuild regulators easily, but that there are also folks that I wouldn't trust to touch my regulators or other important piece of equipment - we've all known some clutzes, haven't we?

I really wish the SCUBA industry would open things up and let the customers access to important technical information and parts to rebuild their own regulators. My analysis of why the SCUBA industry may not want to allow this is my (feable?) attempt at trying to understand the situation and possibly finding a rational reason for it.