Atomic M1 IP creep

[Wookie]

Tried another new seat and replaced the piston stem oring and backup washer. No change. Atomic is sadly not a huge brand up here. Looks like I will have to take a chance and order a piston to try. Sucks because of the price, but oh well.

Maybe if you ask around nicely, some nice technician will put a piston in the mail for you if you promise to return it or replace it. In anticipation, I will grab one and put it in my pocket and carry it home....

I have a jet seat upgrade kit in my hand. It is a 5P, therefore you may use it to test the scratched piston theory, but you can't use it forever. It isn't monel, its stainless.

 

[owlbill]

Maybe if you ask around nicely, some nice technician will put a piston in the mail for you if you promise to return it or replace it. In anticipation, I will grab one and put it in my pocket and carry it home....

I have a jet seat upgrade kit in my hand. It is a 5P, therefore you may use it to test the scratched piston theory, but you can't use it forever. It isn't monel, its stainless.

I am in Canada, so this becomes a pain in the butt. I will just order one from our distributor as it is the last thing I can check anyway. If this is the first service on the reg, I am positive the internal bore of the body is not scratched. My guess at this time is salt water or contamination inside and very slight damage to the piston edge.

The real kicker here is we just had about 4 Atomic regs go through for service but this was the last one I got to and the others have all been picked up. LOL

Thank you though.

 

[MikadoWu]

I am in Canada, so this becomes a pain in the butt. I will just order one from our distributor as it is the last thing I can check anyway. If this is the first service on the reg, I am positive the internal bore of the body is not scratched. My guess at this time is salt water or contamination inside and very slight damage to the piston edge.

The real kicker here is we just had about 4 Atomic regs go through for service but this was the last one I got to and the others have all been picked up. LOL

Thank you though.

Curious if you finally able to get this unit working, please tell.

 

[owlbill]

Looks like a new piston did the trick. All I can assume at this point is that some contamination got into the reg and caused just enough damage to allow the IP creep before. Kind of crappy for the customer to have to pay for a new piston, but at least the reg will perform like an Atomic again.

 

[Wookie]

1 1/2 years old and 40 dives and Atomic didn't pay for the piston, kit, and your labor? That seems a little screwy.

I went back and re-read the warranty. I don't see how a busted piston could possibly be the fault of the diver. Even if it was, Atomic's warranty is almost unconditional for the first 2 years.

 

[owlbill]

We took the age and condition of reg at the customer's word. We have had this reg for way too long already, and it is easier for us, though not cheaper, to eat some of this cost on our own. Dealing with the distributor can be slow. I have dealt direct with Atomic in the past at another shop I used to manage, and they were fantastic to deal with, even from Canada. I certainly have no complaints and I am sure they may have helped us out this time as well. But, I have let it go on too long and just wanted to get this reg back into the customer's hands. Paying for my own mistakes I guess on this one.

 

[Wookie]

We took the age and condition of reg at the customer's word. We have had this reg for way too long already, and it is easier for us, though not cheaper, to eat some of this cost on our own. Dealing with the distributor can be slow. I have dealt direct with Atomic in the past at another shop I used to manage, and they were fantastic to deal with, even from Canada. I certainly have no complaints and I am sure they may have helped us out this time as well. But, I have let it go on too long and just wanted to get this reg back into the customer's hands. Paying for my own mistakes I guess on this one.

Sorry, I misunderstood that the customer was going to have to buy the piston.

 

[tphelps]

@owlbill I'm also an atomic tec but my suspicions are the same as yours. If you still have concerns I would call Glynn Palmer, who teaches the Atomic technician classes at DEMA, maybe you've met him before? His business repairs thousands of regulators a year, there's literally nothing he hasn't seen. He would for sure be able to give you some pointers. Malibu Dive Repair

 

[owlbill]

@owlbill I'm also an atomic tec but my suspicions are the same as yours. If you still have concerns I would call Glynn Palmer, who teaches the Atomic technician classes at DEMA, maybe you've met him before? His business repairs thousands of regulators a year, there's literally nothing he hasn't seen. He would for sure be able to give you some pointers. Malibu Dive Repair

Thanks, I have met him and he is certainly full of good information. I will keep him in mind if I ever have an Atomic headache again.

Bill