Scared Silly
Contributor
The industry standards are Pete Wolfinger's book Reg Savy, Vince Harlow's book Reg Maintanince (Airspeed Press) and tools from Scubatools.
Cost of Servicing Scubapro Regulators
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The industry standards are Pete Wolfinger's book Reg Savy, Vince Harlow's book Reg Maintanince (Airspeed Press) and tools from Scubatools.
bamafan
Contributor
You get your parts for free? I think most people have to buy them off Ebay and by the time they are done sourcing the parts they probably have at least $30 or $40 in the parts for a 1st and 2nd stage. I don't see the cost savings but each to their own. If you enjoy it and like fooling with it then that is another story. I don't so I just pay to get them done. I think $50 for a 1st and 2nd stage is more than reasonable and not worth doing it on your own.
R
redacted
Guest
I am sure my biggest savings is in avoiding unnecessary service. I avoid parts kits when possible as the are very overpriced. O-rings are cheap. LP seats are about $1. HP seats are about $3. Seats generally last about 5 years.
$50 is quite reasonable compared to what others report spending. But it is still at least $45 more than I would expect to spend.
halocline
Contributor
One problem with this equation is that SP charges almost $50 for the MK25 kit, and probably $25 for the S600/G250 kit, which means if your tech is rebuilding one of those for $50, and is using SP rebuild kits, he's losing money. Unless you mean $50 plus the cost of parts, in which case it's about $120 or so for a MK25/S600.
There are certainly lots of good quality, honest, reasonably priced regulator technicians working. It's just that there's no real way to know who those are, except by experience or trusted recommendations. And certainly $50 in labor for rebuilding a 1st and 2nd stage is reasonable. However, $50 for a plastic seat, a few bushings, and o-rings is not. It's insane....and the manufacturers know it. They simply inflate the price of these kits to artificially increase the 'value' of the free parts programs, and now SP has had the bad manners to even end that program except in cases where a customer buys an entire package, usually costing well over $1000. Greedy jerks.....you have to feel sorry for the dealers who have been effectively screwed out of offering the parts programs.
As you can see, I have a bit of an attitude about the whole affair. First they concoct a bad deal to push regulator sales and service, then they rescind it!
I also have over a dozen regulators and I simply rebuild them when they need it, which is not very often. I probably spent about $50 on bulk o-rings, maybe another $50 on seats/parts (they come up in various locations from time to time) and while I'm not set for life, I am for at least a decade, maybe two. That's how you save money on regulator maintenance, and you have the added benefit of taking full responsibility for the working of your own gear.
Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
Part of the problem for the reg companies and the dive shops is that regulators are made too well, simply because of the liability of manufacturing and selling equipment that could fail if not impecably designed and built.
So as a result we get regs that could go on and on and on and may never need replacing for a lifetime if cared for correctly. It's bad for business for the reg companies and dive shops, so they come up with ways to try and keep money flowing in from the initial reg sale.
Their answer to that problem is overpriced parts and over-scheduled services.
If regs were made worse so they wore out or failed at some point so they would have to be replaced, the company would either be sued out of business or the bad rap would do them in in short order, so it's damned of you do damned of you don't (for them).
So as a result we get regs that could go on and on and on and may never need replacing for a lifetime if cared for correctly. It's bad for business for the reg companies and dive shops, so they come up with ways to try and keep money flowing in from the initial reg sale.
Their answer to that problem is overpriced parts and over-scheduled services.
If regs were made worse so they wore out or failed at some point so they would have to be replaced, the company would either be sued out of business or the bad rap would do them in in short order, so it's damned of you do damned of you don't (for them).
Reku
Contributor
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I pay about ~$36 per set - buy parts and do it myself because it's relaxing.
popsicle diver
Registered
Interesting range of opinions here. I'm a "old guy" service tech and work on multiple brands from old twin-hose US Divers to modern Aqualung, Scubapro, Sherwood, Atomic, Cress, Oceanic...
I've seen a lot of different regs and most modern "quality" regs are very well designed and constructed. This subject is far too large to get into here but I have to comment on a couple of posts out of concern for both the consumer and the industry in general.
Firstly, the service interval needs to be adjusted based on how much you dive and how well you rinse your gear. In the Caribbean, DMs and Instructors are doing an average of 300-500 dives per year and are very often not terribly diligent about rinsing and maintenance. Vacation Divers may only do 5-20 dives per year.
When I was a full-time DM/Instructor I found that 3 months (150 dives or so) was a good time to open everything up and change critical o-rings but more than anything, it was about cleaning and lubricating. For the average diver doing 100-200 dives a year, annual overhaul is generally OK. For divers that do less than 100 dives per year I still recommend annual inspection service to at least open everything up, confirm condition, clean and relubricate everything.
Even a reg that hasn't been used for a year or more should be inspected (complete disassembly) to check o-rings for extrusion and ensure proper operation.
I've also had several regs come in for service that had severe internal corrosion due to water intrusion, despite only having a few dives since last service. Other regs have come in with threads "seized" by corrosion and salt deposits from inadequate rinsing after only 3 months.
The biggest problem I have as a service tech is disassembly. Salt and mineral deposits, corrosion, combined with over-torquing can make it near impossible to disassemble regs without damaging parts. Proper rinsing and storage are SO important.
Also, keep your dive gear away from fumes / vapor from solvents, gasoline, and other chemicals as this can breakdown rubber and plastics.
Secondly, if you are trying to "cheap out" on reg servicing, you are a fool. Sure, nobody wants to waste money but is this where you are willing to cut corners?
If you don't service your regs for a long time, you ARE going to pay. Extra labor and possible replacement of parts not normally required is the penalty you will pay. Or, your reg will malfunction....
I recently got a top-of-the-line Atomic 1st Stage in for service that someone disassembled without the special tools (or training I assume), and the damage was horrific. Scratches, dents, and marring of the exterior surfaces, lost or damaged internal parts, etc... Heartbreaking! Just a word of caution. There is a little more to all of this stuff than just getting the parts and schematics, and reading a few blogs. There are different durometer ratings (hardness) for o-rings in certain areas of many 1st Stages. Using the wrong o-ring in one particular spot in a MK25 for instance, causes a catastrophic failure resulting in rapid air loss. Seen it twice!
In response to the original question, I would have charged $160 labor plus $45 for the HP Hose plus $120 for the SP service kits plus $8 for a mouthpiece plus $10 for misc shop supplies etc. So... $343 for 2 reg-sets. I've been told that my rates are very reasonable by most folks. Keep in mind that a dive shop has overhead and likely their rates would be higher.
I sympathize with folks trying to find a good service tech. My recommendation is to talk to Divers in your community and go with references.
During my years working on dive boats in the Caribbean, I wish I had a dollar for every time customers had malfunctions with regs that were "just serviced". Things as simple as hoses not being tightened to just simply not working at all. It is discouraging to hear that there are unqualified techs out there but let's face it.... there's good and bad ones in every profession.
Just a suggestion, but before you go on a "trip of a lifetime", have your regs (and BCD) inspected and then go to your local dive shop's pool one evening and give it a shakedown so you know all is well. Confidence in your equipment is a wonderful thing! Just remember, dive responsibly. Stay close to your buddy and don't solo dive without proper gear and training. After all, a human worked on your regs and we ALL make mistakes.
Safe diving and happy bubbles.
I've seen a lot of different regs and most modern "quality" regs are very well designed and constructed. This subject is far too large to get into here but I have to comment on a couple of posts out of concern for both the consumer and the industry in general.
Firstly, the service interval needs to be adjusted based on how much you dive and how well you rinse your gear. In the Caribbean, DMs and Instructors are doing an average of 300-500 dives per year and are very often not terribly diligent about rinsing and maintenance. Vacation Divers may only do 5-20 dives per year.
When I was a full-time DM/Instructor I found that 3 months (150 dives or so) was a good time to open everything up and change critical o-rings but more than anything, it was about cleaning and lubricating. For the average diver doing 100-200 dives a year, annual overhaul is generally OK. For divers that do less than 100 dives per year I still recommend annual inspection service to at least open everything up, confirm condition, clean and relubricate everything.
Even a reg that hasn't been used for a year or more should be inspected (complete disassembly) to check o-rings for extrusion and ensure proper operation.
I've also had several regs come in for service that had severe internal corrosion due to water intrusion, despite only having a few dives since last service. Other regs have come in with threads "seized" by corrosion and salt deposits from inadequate rinsing after only 3 months.
The biggest problem I have as a service tech is disassembly. Salt and mineral deposits, corrosion, combined with over-torquing can make it near impossible to disassemble regs without damaging parts. Proper rinsing and storage are SO important.
Also, keep your dive gear away from fumes / vapor from solvents, gasoline, and other chemicals as this can breakdown rubber and plastics.
Secondly, if you are trying to "cheap out" on reg servicing, you are a fool. Sure, nobody wants to waste money but is this where you are willing to cut corners?
If you don't service your regs for a long time, you ARE going to pay. Extra labor and possible replacement of parts not normally required is the penalty you will pay. Or, your reg will malfunction....
I recently got a top-of-the-line Atomic 1st Stage in for service that someone disassembled without the special tools (or training I assume), and the damage was horrific. Scratches, dents, and marring of the exterior surfaces, lost or damaged internal parts, etc... Heartbreaking! Just a word of caution. There is a little more to all of this stuff than just getting the parts and schematics, and reading a few blogs. There are different durometer ratings (hardness) for o-rings in certain areas of many 1st Stages. Using the wrong o-ring in one particular spot in a MK25 for instance, causes a catastrophic failure resulting in rapid air loss. Seen it twice!
In response to the original question, I would have charged $160 labor plus $45 for the HP Hose plus $120 for the SP service kits plus $8 for a mouthpiece plus $10 for misc shop supplies etc. So... $343 for 2 reg-sets. I've been told that my rates are very reasonable by most folks. Keep in mind that a dive shop has overhead and likely their rates would be higher.
I sympathize with folks trying to find a good service tech. My recommendation is to talk to Divers in your community and go with references.
During my years working on dive boats in the Caribbean, I wish I had a dollar for every time customers had malfunctions with regs that were "just serviced". Things as simple as hoses not being tightened to just simply not working at all. It is discouraging to hear that there are unqualified techs out there but let's face it.... there's good and bad ones in every profession.
Just a suggestion, but before you go on a "trip of a lifetime", have your regs (and BCD) inspected and then go to your local dive shop's pool one evening and give it a shakedown so you know all is well. Confidence in your equipment is a wonderful thing! Just remember, dive responsibly. Stay close to your buddy and don't solo dive without proper gear and training. After all, a human worked on your regs and we ALL make mistakes.
Safe diving and happy bubbles.
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buried somewhere in the history here is my screwing by a shop over my SP (out of, never in warranty) regs. They actually charged me hourly (that's okay), but explained the stupidly high bill by saying that "We don't see those (Air2) often, and our tech wasn't familiar with them so had to do extra research and work... that took him longer". On top of that, they didn't assemble stuff correctly, broke things and then charged me for obtaining replacement parts (ripped console when removing SPG), and essentially did shoddy work. And this was a "Reputable ScubaPro Certified Shop"....
It also took them >2 months to do the job... (two sets, and a pony rig), and was something like $600 IIRC..... holy crap was that a surprise!!!!!
Never to be used again....
Now, if I need someone to do some service for me, I'd anticipate about $25/stage in labor, and the cost of parts....
That being said, I do it myself now..
It also took them >2 months to do the job... (two sets, and a pony rig), and was something like $600 IIRC..... holy crap was that a surprise!!!!!
Never to be used again....
Now, if I need someone to do some service for me, I'd anticipate about $25/stage in labor, and the cost of parts....
That being said, I do it myself now..
Making money on parts and service is hardly unique to scuba. My printer is essentially free for how long it lasts. Its the ink that is expensive and pays their bills.
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