How to know if your regulators have been serviced properly?

[tbone1004]

I know they're done properly because I do them myself...

You can use the tank valve to hold the reg for some things, you can buy an adapter to screw into a HP port, use a vice, use your hands, depends on a lot of factors. Personally I use a tank valve for things like environment seal caps and what not. For the yoke and din screws, I just hold it in my hand. Haven't had an issue. Impact over leverage is your friend and the regulators friend.

you REALLY need to test the pressure. One thing that frustrates me about most divers that own regs is that they don't own an IP gauge. The IP gauge is the single most important thing to have when you own your own regs as it is the only way to really tell if your first stage is healthy. It is also critical to get the breathing set properly and prevent the hoses/regulator from damage during service.... No other way to do it than with an IP gauge unfortunately.

 

[timz]

I am just an amateur and a beginner at that. No one to be giving anyone advice but here is where I started...

SCUBA REGULATOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR by Vance Harlow
Regulator Savvy Book | Scuba Tools


I recommend these books to the OP as well. Probably the best defense against poor service is Knowledge, even if no plans to do the service themselves.

Thanks. [emoji4]

 

[scubafanatic]

Based on your photo, I'd conclude your regs were NOT serviced at all ! At best, maybe they got hooked up to a tank and pressurized/tested for basic functionality, and if they 'passed' this basic 'test', that was as far as the 'tech' went.

 

[phazza79]

Well Guys, I went back to the shop and spoke to the owner (who is the same person that supposedly serviced the regs).

I showed him some photos of the regulators with sand covering the diaphragm. He acted shocked and surprised.

I told him that I did not believe that they had been serviced, and I had sought advice from several very experienced divers who also believed that the regulators had not been serviced. He acted very sheepishly, but still tried to assure me that he had conducted the service and perhaps the sand came from when he was testing them or his grand kids had done something with them after the service.

I told him that I still did not believe that they had been service and that I wanted my money back, and if he would not give my money back I would be talking to Scubapro (he is an authorized dealer) and the Australian Consumer Affairs Commission.

He promptly decided that it was a good idea to give me a full refund.

I cannot thank the community on this forum enough for the help and support that I have received, which helped me have the confidence to challenge this shop operator and receive a refund.

I have also since purchased an IP gauge and Scuba Regulator Maintenance and Repair - by Vance Harlow. I will be gathering the knowledge, experience and tools to begin servicing my own regulators in the future (with the help of people on this forum no doubt).

Once again thank you to everyone that posted. It has been most helpful and is appreciated.

Pete.

 

[timz]

Good to know that.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Wow, that was quick and easy.
The guy goes in, get crappy service ( or no service), gets his money back, takes the advice of the DIY here and doesn't even blink aye eye about learning to do his own service, gets the book and some tools, and presto another convert.
Excellent!

All I can say is thank god for the internet and the freedom of info that it created. 20 years ago this wouldn't have been possible and we'd all still be dependent on crooked dive shops and their price gouging.

 

[Couv]

Well done Pete, and welcome to The Dark Side.

 

[wgmontgomery]

Having worked in the repair/service industry (electronics, not scuba gear, but the concept mentioned here is the same) 99.9% of all REPUTABLE service centers will give you the parts that were replaced. It's a simple way to show that the work was actually done.

 

[scubaskipper]

Just my two cents, I notice the issue of giving the old parts back to the customer after the service in multiple posts so far. I've worked in several shops in various areas of the world. The thing I've noticed is a Mom and Pop shop will give the old parts back. A shop that is run like a REAL business will have the parts in the bags the new ones came in, stapled to the service tag. They will show you the old parts that were replaced and then throw them in the trash, in front of you. This became standard policy due to a legal issue after a customer decided to reuse the old parts and had an incident. The insurance company settled out of court and a lesson was learn by the industry. I can't remember for sure, I think this came up as a case study in our business of diving class. The moral of the story was reduce liability when ever and where ever you can. Disclaimer: It's not to say Mom and Pop shops are not real businesses, they just seem to have more of the we're all friends here and no one would ever sue us mentality. Just personal observation after 15 years, full time in the industry.

 

[redacted]

Just my two cents, I notice the issue of giving the old parts back to the customer after the service in multiple posts so far. I've worked in several shops in various areas of the world. The thing I've noticed is a Mom and Pop shop will give the old parts back. A shop that is run like a REAL business will have the parts in the bags the new ones came in, stapled to the service tag. They will show you the old parts that were replaced and then throw them in the trash, in front of you. This became standard policy due to a legal issue after a customer decided to reuse the old parts and had an incident. The insurance company settled out of court and a lesson was learn by the industry. I can't remember for sure, I think this came up as a case study in our business of diving class. The moral of the story was reduce liability when ever and where ever you can. Disclaimer: It's not to say Mom and Pop shops are not real businesses, they just seem to have more of the we're all friends here and no one would ever sue us mentality. Just personal observation after 15 years, full time in the industry.

Unfortunately, it also makes it easier for a shop to do a quick inspection and an Armorall wipe down and charge the full service price.

I find your reported incident hard to believe without some credible evidence such as the case study. I don't see where installing used parts in a regulator is likely to cause a serious (dangerous) incident.

It sounds to me like typical DS BS.

On the other hand, I have seen folks who were provided their "used part" and the all parts did not even come from their regulator. So, used parts being returned is not a reliable indication that the expected and charged service was performed.

The real answer is to learn to inspect your regulators and avoid unnecessary service based only on the calendar.