Zeagle Razor slow leak

[Ojai Diver]

As a preface, I don't claim to know anything about regulators.

I have the above regulator mounted on a pony bottle. Over the course of a few hours time, with the valve left open during and after dives, the tank pressure dropped from 3000 to 1100. No free flows were noticed, nor did I notice bubbling--although honestly, I wasn't paying attention to it.

How much leaking is normal? Is it a better practice for me to charge the second stage, then turn off the air? If the second stage loses pressure, will this allow water entry into the first stage?

Thanks.

 

[ams511]

A pony has a small volume of gas so the pressure drops faster than it would on a larger tank. If it is leaking then you (or your buddy) should see bubbles. No leaking is normal. I am not sure how the Razor works, so I don't know if water will back up into the first stage or even the tank. This is the reg where the first stage also doubles as the tank valve, right?

My recommendation is to charge the pony back up and drop it in a pool and watch for bubbles. The tank air needs to go somewhere. Once you found the leak either you or your LDS needs to fix it. If someone more knowledgeable does not come along then I would recommend posting in the Zeagle forum or calling them up.

 

[Ojai Diver]

Thanks, ams511. Yes, the first stage and valve are combined.

Once it is full, I will set it in the sink and see if I can duplicate the leak. Thanks!

 

[ams511]

Thanks, ams511. Yes, the first stage and valve are combined.

Once it is full, I will set it in the sink and see if I can duplicate the leak. Thanks!

Your welcome: If you need parts: http://www.mcssl.com/store/zeagleexpress/zeagle-razor-first-stage-parts-lists

 

[Ojai Diver]

So I checked this, first by submerging in water. The results: No leaks from the first stage. And a very, very minimal leak from the second stage. Hardly enough to bubble, and maybe every 20 seconds or so.

I removed it from water, closed the valve, and left the second pressurized. Starting at 3000 psi, it took over an hour to leak down to 2000 psi, and maybe 4 hours to leak down to 1500 psi.

Per ams 511, no leaks are normal. So it looks like I will have to take it apart. Are there any online sources for reg repair I could consult? This unit has only maybe ten dives on it. Is it possible perhaps some sand lodged in it, and maybe it requires no parts replacement? Thanks!

 

[ams511]

I am confused. You said you closed the valve and left the second pressurized and that the PSI dropped. There should be no drop in tank pressure with the tank valve closed. There should be no air flowing to the first stage portion of the valve. If there is a leak in the second stage then the second stage should lose pressure over time. I would recommend purchasing an IP gauge to check the IP of the first stage.

On the second stage, where is the leak coming from? If it is from the hose it is probably a bad o-ring. If it is from the regulator itself it could be a bad o-ring or more likely the seat may need to be adjusted. You can get the service manual from Frogkick (Do a google search). Take a look at the trouble shooting section first. It is a easy procedure to adjust the seat.

 

[Ojai Diver]

Thanks for your response, Ams511. The leak, so far as I can guess, seems to be coming from the valve that tunes/detunes airflow, pictured above. It apparently can be opened with an allen wrench.

I understand that with the bottle valve closed, the bottle pressure should not change, and it has not. The pressure gauge (a button type) is apparently down stream of the valve, and with the valve closed, registers a very slowly dropping pressure. I surmise that the tank emptied on the dive due to the drop in the second stage pressure, which meant that the first stage would feed more air into the second stage to maintain a pressure, until it was exhausted. Is this hypothesis sensible? Again, I do not claim a knowledge here. Thanks!