How old of regs would you use?

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The suggestion of getting team-members trained in regulator maintenance is interesting, but I'm not certain how practical. If team-members wanted to learn, and didn't mind servicing a dozen or so regulators every couple years, maybe that's fine. I don't mind servicing my own, but servicing a dozen would be rather off-putting and tedious.
Even if they don't service it themselves, if they get someone trained (or self-trained) to check over the gear regularly, they can get equipment failures in the field down to near zero. There's no disassembly required for this, nor tools needed beyond a tank, an IP gauge, and a tub of water.

Start here: Regulator Inspection and Checklist (Rev-8)

But they will need to have a small budget for incidentals like hoses, zip ties, o-rings and mouthpieces. And the ability to send stuff out for service or adjustment if needed instead of waiting for a fixed service interval.
 
To me it sounds like the real issue is your reliance on external service. For example, nearly all hose problems are avoidable through inspection and regular maintenance on the fittings.

Go with HOG and get a couple of the team members certified to service them. It's a standard class from TDI. The money you save from self-service will cover the cost of the new gear within a few years and your gear reliability will improve immediately.

Even if they don't service it themselves, if they get someone trained (or self-trained) to check over the gear regularly, they can get equipment failures in the field down to near zero. There's no disassembly required for this, nor tools needed beyond a tank, an IP gauge, and a tub of water.

Start here: Regulator Inspection and Checklist (Rev-8)

But they will need to have a small budget for incidentals like hoses, zip ties, o-rings and mouthpieces. And the ability to send stuff out for service or adjustment if needed instead of waiting for a fixed service interval.

I may has misinterpreted the "The money you save from self-service" part. 100% on board with the 2nd post.

There's a lot one can learn by knowing how to full-service a regulator, even if they mostly stick to relatively basic maintenance, cleaning, inspection, and o-ring lubrication and replacement. That kind of service can help keep regulators in good shape, and reduce the likelihood of problems. It's also good for basic upgrades, like swapping hoses, adding elbows, swapping SPGs or air-integrated transmitters, etc. And I'd be more comfortable if the person doing that had gone through a standardized course even though it could be learned DIY (lets just say I've improperly tightened something once).
 
Just food for thought: I recently had a high pressure plug crack and extrude the o-ring, at only 2000psi. I was surprised how much gas escaped in the brief time it took to shut off the valve. Luckily I was just kitting up in shallow water for a practice dive so no incident, but it was a wake-up call. The reg is about 15 years old. The head of the plug cracked along what appears to be a tiny microfracture that corroded internally until eventually failing. I've heard from knowledgeable folk that H2S corrosion is a thing, especially with brass. This reg was recently serviced by a renowned tech and I had given the plug a typical visual inspection when I swapped hose routings recently and saw nothing that caught my eye. Lesson for me was to be more diligent with inspection, and to realize that gas failures actually do happen so don't skip those drills! I imagine an old reg is like an old car... sure they can be rebuilt to function just fine, but time is working against us when it comes to such unforeseeable mechanical things. Being that regs are life support equipment, I'm of the opinion that this isn't a place to skimp on cost. They may not be the hottest new model but there are plenty of good new regs that aren't terribly expensive. Not to say that regs shouldn't be rebuilt for a good long life, but after so many wrenchings and microfractures and hidden corrosion, at some point Murphy is dealing the cards. Also a good lesson to drill home the need for practicing gas supply failure skills!!! Just thought I'd share that experience. Onward.
 
Just food for thought: I recently had a high pressure plug crack and catastrophically fail at 2000psi. Luckily I was just kitting up in shallow water for a practice dive so no incident, but it was a wake-up call. The reg is about 15 years old. The head of the plug cracked along what appears to be a tiny microfracture that corroded internally until eventually failing. I've heard from knowledgeable folk that H2S corrosion is a thing, especially with brass. This reg was recently serviced by a renowned tech and I had given the plug a typical visual inspection when I swapped hose routings recently and saw nothing that caught my eye. Lesson for me was to be more diligent with inspection and the other obvious thoughts that come to mind. I imagine an old reg is like an old car... sure they can be rebuilt to function just fine, but time is working against us when it comes to such unforeseeable mechanical things. Being that regs are life support equipment, I'm of the opinion that this isn't a place to skimp on cost. They may not be the hottest new model but there are plenty of good new regs that aren't terribly expensive. Not to say that regs shouldn't be rebuilt for a good long life, but after so many wrenchings and microfractures and hidden corrosion, at some point Murphy is dealing the cards. Also a good lesson to drill home the need for practicing gas supply failure skills!!! Just thought I'd share that experience. Onward.
I'm drifting slightly off topic here: Between diving solo, and having a minor equipment incident once, I always dive with redundant air these days. Compared to the cost of health-insurance, it's relatively inexpensive to setup, especially if you shop around. Compared to severe injury or death though, redundant air is very cheap.
 
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This is about the full extent of what it takes, in material terms, to keep a very well-made regulator function over the decades.

This is the entire service kit 4822 for a Poseidon Xstream first stage. Aside, from a new valve seat; a small component for the overpressure valve (which my earliest model doesn't even possess); a sintered filter -- it's all rubber bands; dirt simple. The diaphragm is now a permanent fixture and all but indestructible; and I have yet to see one of them fail.

The first of my Xstreams date from 2003-4; have been in constant use, ever since; overhauled any number of times; and provided that reasonable care is provided, I cannot imagine replacing any of them, due to age . . .
 
Just food for thought: I recently had a high pressure plug crack and extrude the o-ring, at only 2000psi. I was surprised how much gas escaped in the brief time it took to shut off the valve. Luckily I was just kitting up in shallow water for a practice dive so no incident, but it was a wake-up call. The reg is about 15 years old. The head of the plug cracked along what appears to be a tiny microfracture that corroded internally until eventually failing. I've heard from knowledgeable folk that H2S corrosion is a thing, especially with brass. Not to say that regs shouldn't be rebuilt for a good long life, but after so many wrenchings and microfractures and hidden corrosion, at some point Murphy is dealing the cards. Also a good lesson to drill home the need for practicing gas supply failure skills!!! Just thought I'd share that experience. Onward.

The blind screw failure is an interesting anecdote.

I routinely carry an old 35 mm film canister with a number of HP and LP blind screws, to either alter hose routings; or to eliminate a gauge or another regulator, should that ever be desired. Over four decades, I have yet to experience the sort of metal failure that you've described; and that so-called "micro-fracture" of the blind screw, may well have been an issue with that equipment from day-one -- an outlier, not necessarily a function of its age.

In terms of the "wrenching," that you described, the proper level of torque required, is truly negligible among dive equipment assembly, if done within manufacturer's specifications. A hose or a blind screw, typically requires 6 +/- 1 nm to seat, on a first stage, easily accomplished with an open-ended wrench; the screw, with the odd Allen wrench; a valve stem or valve housing cover, 28-30 nm, with a torque wrench, which can easily be pulled off -- also by hand -- with a first stage, held in a hand towel.

Beyond that, is simply excess; doesn't achieve a better seal; and any resultant damage, is not an issue of age; but, rather, of mishandling.

As far as that hydrogen sulfide issue is concerned, in terms of a regulator, you'd have to significantly flood that first stage of yours -- and, further, continue to culture a population of sulfate reducing bacteria, such as Desulfovibrio, in a nice, moist anaerobic environment; and while I have seen damage from HIC (hydrogen-induced cracking), within the maritime and petrochemical industries, I have yet to encounter it within an even marginally-maintained, twenty-year old scuba regulator -- even those that I have seen, retrieved from marine salvage . . .
 
My question would be " Why are you not using full face with surface communication " to be the a Safe Professional Department ??

Unfortunately, due to cost, this option is difficult for most public safety dive teams. It took our team 5 years to fundraise and procure grants to purchase 3 FFM with the comms system. Our team is a Fire Department based team which gets no funding from the department, they only pay us for actual call outs. Our members use their personal gear but our SOG states it needs to be serviced annually and proof of service submitted for their file.

With the original question of using the older regs, I would agree with a previous post that it's time to replace them especially if there is difficulty getting parts or servicing them. I think they would be fine for recreational use but for PSD, I would upgrade.
 
As long as you can and do properly maintain your equipment [availability of parts, knowledgeable technician, etc.] your regulator should last to infinity and beyond. I regularly dive with regulators made in the 1950s - 1970s, and my go-to regulator is a US Divers Conshelf SE that I purchased new in 1986; it has more dives on it than I can count [+2,500 at least]. Just be sure to rebuild and replace worn items on a schedule, and your regulators should outlast your career.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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