What is "servicing" a regulator?

[KeithG]

Those Sherwood's sure confound a lot of people.


Bob

Yep. But you would hope a certified Sherwood tech would know... It was the non-sherwood tech that knew.

 

[tbone1004]

With all due respect, you missed out a word between cleaning and reassembly...inspection.

May seem obvious but you should always check for damage/wear and tear/corrosion when servicing regs.

inspection is part of all processes. You have to inspect during disassembly to see what you need to clean more thoroughly and pay attention to. You inspect after cleaning to make sure it's clean, and prior to assembly to see if anything needs to be replaced. It's not a separate step, it's part of all of the steps.

 

[uncfnp]

Hey WetSeal. I skimmed the posts and did not see couv’s check list so...

Regulator checklist and inspection

And these books...

Regulator Savvy Book | Scuba Tools

And this one if you can still get it...

SCUBA REGULATOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR by Vance Harlow

 

[sh1513]

inspection is part of all processes. You have to inspect during disassembly to see what you need to clean more thoroughly and pay attention to. You inspect after cleaning to make sure it's clean, and prior to assembly to see if anything needs to be replaced. It's not a separate step, it's part of all of the steps.

Fair point, I always carry out a thorough inspection after cleaning to a. make sure it is clean and b. to check in case anything has been missed because it was covered with grease/dirt, so for me it is a specific step in the process, same as you could also say testing is a part of the processes both before and after.

 

[Scared Silly]

Before I started servicing my own regs I learned a few things from some other techs. Many times a regulator does need a complete rebuild just a a tune up. For instance, if a reg has no visible signs of corrosion or other issues like hoses with cracks I toss it on my bench and run it through a bunch of tests. IP pressure and lockup, cracking effort. If they are within spec or nearly within specs I will do some minor adjustments and put it into service (a tune up). If there are signs of corrosion or other issues then it gets stripped down, cleaned, and serviced (a rebuild).

I suggest every diver get an Intermediate Pressure Gauge with BC Quick Disconnect Fitting

That will tell you the health of your first stage. If the intermediate pressure is not between 125-145 psi there is an issue. If the pressure does not lock up immediately or lock up within ~5 psi in ~5 minutes there is an issue.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Those Sherwood's sure confound a lot of people.


Bob

LMAO!

 

[JamesBon92007]

I suppose there are at least a couple of definitions to "Servicing a Regulator." One might be that it is a way to get people into the dive shop more often so they might buy more gear, plus pay $100 or more for something they don't need. And sometimes they actually make things worse.

Another might be that it means to replace all the parts that are subject to wear and failure and adjust it according to specs. None of my regulators have ever needed this service annually, but they do need it sooner or later.

I agree with Scared Silly about the IP gauge with the BC connector. You can very easily check to see if it's behaving properly. I like my Sherwoods because the second stage unscrews easily by hand and you can see if there's any crud or corrosion etc after every couple of dives. And, as you learned, you can unscrew the hose from the second stage and turn the screw about 1/8 of a turn (hold in the purge button while turning) and possibly save a dive and a trip to the dive shop. And, if that didn't quite do it, you can replace the valve seat (a little, round, flat piece of rubber). I prefer regular maintenance over "servicing" when replacing all the parts is not needed.

 

[WetSEAL]

Found this video helpful as well, thought I'd share it here:

 

[Caveeagle]

You help/teach someone how to adjust their first stage and your not an instructor. And we will say to taught him correctly but he/she adjusts it incorrectly and dies. Good luck.

Guess what.. I actually showed him how his regs were not holding IP and and were not safe to dive. I gave him two solid referrals for a pro to do the service, as I only work on my own regs.

I guess maybe I can get sued for that too, right?

 

[Mike1967]

yeah no, please don't spread that nonsense

Hi tbone,
Are you saying it's ok to work on your own regs if you have a bit of mechanical knowledge? Obviously there's not much to them, I'm guessing it's mainly the people who make money out of servicing them that try to scare you out of DIY?

Cheers, Mike