Do regulators have a lifespan/ become dangerous of failure after so many years?

[marcus213]

Hello divers, Marcus here form NC. I purchased a brand new Oceanic Alpha 10 CDX for my primary and a Oceanic Alpha 8 as my octopus from my local dive shop, BLUE DOLPHIN DIVE CENTER. They been around forever! And are pros in the diving industry an diver safety! Great staff, they also own a great quarry close by to train/get cert, and practice skills! BLUE STONE DIVE RESORT. I bought the kit 5 yrs ago and I have it serviced every other year by some ole school dive regulator techs! They provide all the paper work on the before and after testing W/ a spread sheet of the regs #of performance/# after testing & any replaced parts info. I've done lots of dives on the deep wrecks off the coast of NC. This comb kit has preformed awesome over the last 5 years! I'm just wondering here, do regulator kits ever wear out if they are serviced like the manuf spec's require? Which i follow by Oceanic. I take really good care of my equipment & diver safety is # 1 !!!!! Esp if your 100' deep most of the time. Any feed back on how long/ many years will a regulator kit last? See you underwater. Thanks divers, Marcus.

 

[Bigbella]

Regulators can last decades — and I have some from the 1970s which still see use, and which haven’t missed a beat in all of those years.

The bigger concern, over time, is more the availability of spare parts and service kits, which varies between manufacturers like little else . . .

 

[marcus213]

yep Bigbella got it. When parts disappear gotta move forward. Thks diver.

 

[happy-diver]

Can't move forward if there is a coarse furred brown Yeti standing in front of you
and if you keep the unnecessarily replaced service parts they will never disappear

 

[Angelo Farina]

There are two factors affecting longevity of a regulator:
1) materials employed
2) availability of spare parts
1) affects particularly "modern" second stages made of plastic or other compounds. Some of them become brittle and fragile after just 10 years, some others (Scubapro G250 Graphite, for example) seems to last forever. Good old all-brass regulators, as my thrusted Scubapro 109/121/151, are virtually aeternal, if a minimum care is employed for preserving the chrome finish.
2) Here all is in the hands of the manufacturer. Some classic models are still produced unchanged after 50 years, some others have been replaced by modern versions but the internal parts are the same. The second case is typical of Scubapro 2nd stages.
There is a third case: some models were sold in such huge numbers that, despite the original service parts are not anymore available and there are no compatible parts from modern ones, the market request is so large that third-parts suppliers found profitable to sell OEM or compatible service kits.
This is the case, for example, for my several Scubapro MK5, for which I can choose between original service kit for the MK10 (still available) or compatible service kits.

In conclusion: whilst for most plastic regs using vintage units is risky, with due exceptions, the most widely employed classic all-brass models are still widely and safely used after 50+ years.

 

[marcus213]

Thanks Angelo, I Get it about the plastic parts of a reg. Also the sun can break down anything after time. Even on the good days diving off NC coast of USA, the ocean can be big,rough & tough! Trying to secure your gear down can be a tricky. Things fall around, and plastic regs with age hitting the deck floor is not good! Most of the time/most days on dive trips just walking around on the deck from place to place is like being stone drunk! I like the idea about metal/brass regs being tougher and could save your dive trip!! Thanks for straight forward feedback.

 

[Still Kicking]

Hello divers, Marcus here form NC. I purchased a brand new Oceanic Alpha 10 CDX for my primary and a Oceanic Alpha 8 as my octopus from my local dive shop, BLUE DOLPHIN DIVE CENTER. They been around forever! And are pros in the diving industry an diver safety! Great staff, they also own a great quarry close by to train/get cert, and practice skills! BLUE STONE DIVE RESORT. I bought the kit 5 yrs ago and I have it serviced every other year by some ole school dive regulator techs! They provide all the paper work on the before and after testing W/ a spread sheet of the regs #of performance/# after testing & any replaced parts info. I've done lots of dives on the deep wrecks off the coast of NC. This comb kit has preformed awesome over the last 5 years! I'm just wondering here, do regulator kits ever wear out if they are serviced like the manuf spec's require? Which i follow by Oceanic. I take really good care of my equipment & diver safety is # 1 !!!!! Esp if your 100' deep most of the time. Any feed back on how long/ many years will a regulator kit last? See you underwater. Thanks divers, Marcus.

From what i understand, Huish, the company that owns the Oceanic brand now, is no longer supporting the legacy regs, so those regs have a very finite lifespan.

Some shops still have parts kits so it's possible you may get them serviced again, but new kits are not being made. Oceanic is one brand prone to brittle plastic (purge covers etc) and some stainless parts that are less than stainless so that limits longevity too.

The good news is that it sounds like you put the regs to good use and you got your money's worth.

I would budget for new regs in the next year or so and look forward to years of service with a new brand supported by your local shop, which sounds like they do a good job.

 

[rhwestfall]

My most frequently used regulators are from 1958 and 1967...

 

[halocline]

I use MK5s and 109s in cave diving, I really don't know how old they are, and I don't care.

 

[marcus213]

From what i understand, Huish, the company that owns the Oceanic brand now, is no longer supporting the legacy regs, so those regs have a very finite lifespan.

Some shops still have parts kits so it's possible you may get them serviced again, but new kits are not being made. Oceanic is one brand prone to brittle plastic (purge covers etc) and some stainless parts that are less than stainless so that limits longevity too.

The good news is that it sounds like you put the regs to good use and you got your money's worth.

I would budget for new regs in the next year or so and look forward to years of service with a new brand supported by your local shop, which sounds like they do a good job.

Thanks Still Kicking. Im leaning toward a reg kit with a little more metal/brass w/ my next one. I've learned over the years that if you look,talk & listen to these ole salty dog dive master on the boats here in NC they can help you out. Safe diving my friend.