Question Argonaut Kraken secondary leak adjustment

[EberWolf]

I dive an Argonaut Kraken DHR. My secondary (conshelf XIV) had a slight leak by. I swapped it for a spare secondary for today's dive. The spare was leaking by as well. I tried 2 other regulators from loaner kits on the boat and had the same results. I Verified they were good with a normal 1st stage setup.

What adjustment needs to be made to correct this issue?

EDIT
I just visited one of the local dive shops here in Bahrain.

"I'm scuba pro. I don't have tool for this regulator. I don't have parts for this regulator. I'm Scuba pro. This is an expensive regulator. I won't touch it. I know Scuba pro."

If this is something I can adjust myself please let me know. If it needs a full service, who can accomplish it?

Jim

 

[Fibonacci]

First of all get an Intermediate Pressure (IP) gauge and plug it into the BC hose.
IP should be ~135psi
Cycle a few times to see if it locks up crisply then leave it pressurised and check in 5 mins then 30 mins.
If your secondary is leaking and others connected are too it’s possible the IP is too high (easily adjusted) or there is damage or wear to the HP seat which allows the IP to leak and drift up to the point where the LP seat setting is overcome and vents. So the reg needs a full service, there are several posts on the VDH website on how to do this quite straightforward.
The Kraken generally uses modern Aqualung parts, if the HP seat needs replacing I strongly suggest only using the OEM Blue HP seat not the aftermarket Black Trident alternative.
Some more info in this thread:

Kraken Exploded Views and Parts List

As a follow-up to the 3D renderings on the thread 'So What is Everyone Doing to Pass Time' here's the final exploded view drawings which may help some current Kraken owners with service or modern-DH-curious divers out there! Part numbers taken from Argonaut Diagram Rev 8 27 July 2014. Please...

scubaboard.com

 

[EberWolf]

First of all get an Intermediate Pressure (IP) gauge and plug it into the BC hose.
IP should be ~135psi
Cycle a few times to see if it locks up crisply then leave it pressurised and check in 5 mins then 30 mins.
If your secondary is leaking and others connected are too it’s possible the IP is too high (easily adjusted) or there is damage or wear to the HP seat which allows the IP to leak and drift up to the point where the LP seat setting is overcome and vents. So the reg needs a full service, there are several posts on the VDH website on how to do this quite straightforward.
The Kraken generally uses modern Aqualung parts, if the HP seat needs replacing I strongly suggest only using the OEM Blue HP seat not the aftermarket Black Trident alternative.
Some more info in this thread:

Kraken Exploded Views and Parts List

As a follow-up to the 3D renderings on the thread 'So What is Everyone Doing to Pass Time' here's the final exploded view drawings which may help some current Kraken owners with service or modern-DH-curious divers out there! Part numbers taken from Argonaut Diagram Rev 8 27 July 2014. Please...

scubaboard.com

It took a few tries but I finally found a shop with an IP gauge. I cycled it a few times and it goes up to 200PSI each time. Is this something that can be adjusted or would a full service be needed?

 

[scrane]

Find someone who can rebuild Conshelf first stages and is not afraid of his shadow. Or do it yourself. The Conshelf first is not hard to rebuild and requires no specialized tools.

Here is how the Conshelf is incorporated into the Kraken.

 

[EberWolf]

Find someone who can rebuild Conshelf first stages and is not afraid of his shadow.

So far I've found one tech that could do it. But he's on vacation until Mid October. If a shop here does the service I'll need to order the parts myself as this country is almost entirely Scubapro.

 

[scrane]

This is the first place that comes to mind for a rebuild kit. Virtually all Conshelf firsts use the same kits outside of the SEA. Certainly all Conshelf 14/XIV and newer. I don't know if Silent Explorers ships overseas. Kits can sometimes be found on Ebay.

Silent Explorers Maple Grove Minnesot United States Online SCUBA

Silent Explorers, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, United States, online sales vintage Aqua Lung Double Hose Regualtor parts, Poseidon Rebreathers Regulators, Professional CCR Regulator Service, Shearwater Dive Computers

www.silentexplorers.com

Silent Explorers Maple Grove Minnesot United States Online SCUBA

Silent Explorers, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, United States, online sales vintage Aqua Lung Double Hose Regualtor parts, Poseidon Rebreathers Regulators, Professional CCR Regulator Service, Shearwater Dive Computers

www.silentexplorers.com

There is the slight possibility that someone who didn't know what they were doing Adjusted the regulator beyond its normal range. If this is the case you might be able to back out the large adjustment screw in the regulator's interior.

If you have the interest, everything you need to know about the Kraken and double hose regulators in general can be found in the Forums section of vintagedoublehose.com. (if it's still there)

 

[herman]

While not the approach I would normally take, it's possible to replace just the HP seat, they should not be hard to find as 90% of all UDS/AL regs in the last 60 or so years have used the same seat. The hard part is getting the springs and balance chamber back in without the proper tools. IT IS NOT EASY....not that I have ever tried. Any AL shop will have the seats and tools but if you can get your hands on any AL service kit, the balance chamber orings are in it, if I had it apart I would also replace them. You can use a Titan/Conshelf manual for guidance , the AK is basically a funny looking Titan. To reset the IP, you must take the cans apart and then adjust the large adjustment slot in the middle of the reg, same way (and looks a lot like) you would a Conshelf/Titan.

 

[Fibonacci]

It took a few tries but I finally found a shop with an IP gauge. I cycled it a few times and it goes up to 200PSI each time. Is this something that can be adjusted or would a full service be needed?

Just to clarify the failure mode…
Was iit working fine one day then suddenly started venting through the secondary or a gradual decline in performance?
How many dives since it was last serviced? What date of manufacture for the Kraken?
If you service it or take it to a tech could you please take a pic of the face of the HP seat? Be interesting to see what may have caused it to fail…

 

[EberWolf]

Just to clarify the failure mode…
Was iit working fine one day then suddenly started venting through the secondary or a gradual decline in performance?
How many dives since it was last serviced?
If you service it or take it to a tech could you please take a pic of the face of the HP seat? Be interesting to see what may have caused it to fail…

This was gradual over time. Initially I thought it was the regulator as the leak would stop after I hit the water. But the last few dives it gradually got worse. I'm still looking into a way to get it serviced. Not sure if it can be done locally or if I'll need to send it out. Either way, I'll ask for pictures of the process.

 

[Gone for diving]

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