Regulator servicing-beginner model

[GTaylor]

I am wanting to start servicing my own regs and wanted to know if there is any particular brand or model that you would recommend to practice with? Right now I have DR2500's and SP MK20/g500, have a kit for the MK20. Would either of these work for a first timer?

Thanks
Greg

 

[Jim Lapenta]

The DR's you can get kits for from Dive Rite. They'll sell to anybody. The SP's may be a little harder. IF you can find a dealer willing to sell you the kits and get a manual you could do it. Be advised though that if said dealer got caught doing it SP might yank their dealership.

 

[300bar]

Be advised though that if said dealer got caught doing it SP might yank their dealership.

And so they sould.
Why ?... Well aspeciely in a overheated claim culture like the US of A,
when I sell you a servicekit for a reg.and you ****** up,you will try to blame me for selling the kit to you without the propper training,I will try to blame (in this case)SP for allowing me to sell kits to the end user.
What I see sofar is that the local plumber also dubbles as the diveclub reg.tech.
He has no training what so ever (in regs)but has a lot of tools and "does"the regs. for the whole diveclub.ofcause for a very nice price(parts only)
But what happens if he ******s up.
Even here in the Netherlands we have a court case at this moment.And this case is against a trained(Oceanic)tech. who put his hands on a Mares reg.(without training)
User made a dive to 30+ meter and had a blow out in the first stage,user lives but had to undergo 6 recocamber treiments.

So if you know what you are doing, go ahead on your own reg. but don't ever do it on someone others .

Dive safe.

 

[GTaylor]

Thanks for the replies. 300bar, I am not planning on working on anybody's regs but my own. I have both the Wolfinger and Harlow reg books and have a good understanding of how they work but do I need all those specialized tools to get the job done. Basically, are there any must have specialized tools? Thanks again for your help.

Greg

 

[halocline]

I believe the MK20 does not use the knife edge piston, so you shouldn't need the bullet, but I think there's a bushing installation tool that's all but necessary, and of course you'll need something to get the yoke nut off (or do you have DIN?) and you'll need a torque wrench that can accurately measure the torque setting for both the turret bolt and the yoke nut. You'll need an IP guage, and the o-ring picks at scubatools are well worth getting.

I spent about $200 or so in tools to get started, mostly at scubatools, some local. That included the torque wrench and a small vise which really comes in handy.

 

[300bar]

Thanks for the replies. 300bar, I am not planning on working on anybody's regs but my own. I have both the Wolfinger and Harlow reg books and have a good understanding of how they work but do I need all those specialized tools to get the job done. Basically, are there any must have specialized tools? Thanks again for your help.

Greg

Greg,

Take a look here Peter Built Co.
they have tools for al brands of regs.

Dive safe

 

[rndboulder]

Pick-up a Conshelf XIV. They are very simple to maintain with minimal part and tools. A great performing and very dependable regulator. They are also affordable on the used market. As a general rule I would stick to a diaphragm 1st stage and an unbalance second stage. Just my 2 cents worth. -Ryan