HOG Reg Serviceability

[Dave.E]

I've been reading up on the HOG regulators and they look like solid regulators for the price that will suit any kind of diving. My only concern is part availability while traveling (what if I need maintenance done while away from home). In the past I have been told to go with a larger brand for my first regulators simply because of maintenance availability.

- If I get my regulators serviced before a trip is this even worth worrying about?
- If I bring a rebuild kit with me, will any technician be able to work on them?
- If a rebuild kit isn't available, am I out of luck? (are generic parts a thing in diving?)

I know that you can do maintenance on your own HOG gear, but I'm not interested in this at my current experience level.

Thanks

Dave

 

[KD8NPB]

- If I get my regulators serviced before a trip is this even worth worrying about?
That's actually the highest chance of a regulator failure, is post service.

- If I bring a rebuild kit with me, will any technician be able to work on them?
Possibly, but I wouldn't count on it. Most wouldn't want to deal with the liability.

- If a rebuild kit isn't available, am I out of luck? (are generic parts a thing in diving?)
Generic parts do exist (most o-rings)...however, the wear components in a balanced regulator are usually the non-generic parts (LP seat, HP seat, diaphragm, that funky little shuttle o-ring in the balance chamber).

 

[Dave.E]

Thanks for the reply!

As a relatively inexperienced diver, would investing in gear that may be hard to service in the event of an issue while travelling be a good idea?

Or am I just worrying too much?

 

[KD8NPB]

Or am I just worrying too much?

Yep!

Invest in whatever gear you want.

I went with Aqualung because I'm familiar with their products, they've been in business since the invention of SCUBA, and they tend to build off a design rather than choose to reinvent the wheel. Their parts kit 900001 can rebuild every balanced diaphragm 1st stage from the 1961 Conshelf VI to the 2014 Titan. The peace of mind that I'll be able to still buy service kits in the future is nice. Same goes for Apeks...they've been using the same 1st stage service kit, AP0241 for almost 20 years...maybe a little longer than that come to think of it, for the TX series of regulators which I think were introduced in the early 1990s?

 

[ams511]

- If I get my regulators serviced before a trip is this even worth worrying about?
- If I bring a rebuild kit with me, will any technician be able to work on them?
- If a rebuild kit isn't available, am I out of luck? (are generic parts a thing in diving?)

As was mentioned a regulator is more likely to have problems post-service than pre-service, unless the regulator was malfunctioning before you brought it in.

If you have a parts kit (Hog sells them freely) then any tech should be able to service them. There is nothing special about HOG regs. You can also take a class in how to service them yourself. The liability issue is more of a US thing than an international one. I am sure a technician in Mexico or Thailand is not going to worry about liability.

Trident Manufacturing sells generic regulator repair parts. Most dive shops are Trident dealers. The generic parts work well for second stages because the low pressure seats are pretty standard. There is a thread in the DIY section discussing it. Trident also sells high pressure seats but only for a few types of regulators, so this is more hit and miss. The aftermarket exists because of manufacturer's restrictions on part sales. You do not have this problem with HOG because they freely sell parts. Zeagle and Dive Rite do the same.

While Aqualung does have a large international network, it does you no good if the local dive shop is not a dealer because they cannot get the parts. The same can be said about the other large brands.

 

[halocline]

Servicing regs while traveling is an interesting topic. The best, most reliable solution to avoiding being left out of a dive due to a problem is to carry a spare regulator set with you. This is the only way you'll be able to avoid missing even a single dive or dive day due to an unexpected failure. These failures will often happen when you first pressurize the reg, usually on a dive boat, and when that happens it doesn't matter how many dealers there are in town; you either have another reg at your disposal or you sit out.

But, assuming there is a competent regulator service tech in the area where you're traveling to, and assuming they're available to do immediate service, and assuming they have the parts in stock to fix your reg, I guess that would be an option that could help you to miss only one day of diving. But in that situation there would almost certainly be rental regs (or loaners) available too from the dive op you're booking with. So if you're on a typical week-long dive trip, I honestly don't think it's that big a deal to worry about whether or not there's a local dealer. If you're going for months that's a different story.

I agree wholeheartedly with the idea of using regulators built on designs that have a decades-long track record and use parts that have been around a long time. The two best examples of that are the aqualung/USD diaphragm 1st stages (as mentioned) and the SP balanced piston, meaning MK5/10/15/20/25.

HOG regs are the current scubaboard darlings due to a small vocal group of supporters, and the prices are much more reasonable. The company has also flirted with the concept of selling parts and providing manuals directly to customers. Although there have been some hiccups in their implementation of this, at least it's a step in the right direction. In comparison to the AL/SP workhorses they have a very short track record, though.

 

[Doppler]

I am a HOG user and dealer, and I teach the service clinic... it really is not that hard and although the OP may not be comfortable with the idea of doing it for themselves, it is a godsend to be able to make a simple adjustment or do a simple fix when away on vacation... Oh, and I am based in Ontario... which at the moment is a block of ice. WINTER IS REFUSING TO LOOK AT THE CALENDAR.

 

[ams511]

WINTER IS REFUSING TO LOOK AT THE CALENDAR.

Not in Miami, it is quite warm here.

 

[rjk75]

Not in Miami, it is quite warm here.

Yeah but can you go snow skiing down there?

 

[halocline]

Yeah but can you go snow skiing down there?

Sure you can, didn't you see Scarface?