Atomic Service Question

[Mr Carcharodon]

I The problem with regulators that sit around without being used often is that things like gaskets & seals get dried and cracked.

The manufactures of the seals would disagree. The shelf life of nitrile is 10-15 years depending on which manufacture’s recommendations you follow. And EPDM and viton are stable enough to have an indefinitely long shelf life. Those three materials are the ones that are in most modern regulators. Drying and cracking may have been an issue with regulators manufactured in the 1970s or earlier when less durable elastomers were in use, but drying and cracking is not an issue with 2 year old Atomics. But those are shelf life issues. The o-rings can still take a set over time when they are under load. A minor adjustment of the second stage is usually enough to resolve that.

 

[JenCell]

thanks it was really informative!

 

[JenCell]

Don't be shy, post what you were told. Heck, I'd like to hear what the expert advice was. It's got to be better than advice from some knucklehead who only dives their equipment.

I hope I didn't offend you, I didn't mean to minimize your input, it was an excellent answer you provided...

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

I hope I didn't offend you, I didn't mean to minimize your input, it was an excellent answer you provided...

I appreciate you asking and took absolutely no offense at all. I definitely didn't feel like my answer was minimized. Quite the contrary actually. The disclaimer in my first post was my lighthearted way of saying that there are probably better qualified people that can help answer your question than me. I believe you did exactly what a thinking, reasonable person should do, you got answers from different sources. And one of the most obvious sources (but often overlooked) about a product is the manufacturer. While I believe I know a lot about diving and my equipment, I also understand that I've only scratched the surface and there's still so much more to learn. This has the effect of forcing me to keep an open mind and listen to what others have to say. Even when I'm confident that the answer I just gave was correct. So, I definitely didn't feel like my answer should've been the only answer you needed.

With that settled. . . There were a few telling things about Atomic's response. First, you got a response. That's always good when the manufacturer is still willing to answer questions from the consumer. Another thing was that Atomic didn't try and get you to spend money on unnecessary servicing. Another plus. And lastly, the answer you got was in-line with Atomics own literature. Unfortunately, there have been more than a few instances where a company's literature doesn't match-up with what a live representative says. This only causes more confusion. After reading Atomics response I still believe that if you've got the time now, getting the 2yr service done a couple of months early is a good idea. This gets it out of the way so it won't interfere with all of the diving that you're planning on doing.

 

[JenCell]

Exactly!!!! I will definitely do it a little bit in advance...we are talking about 2-3 months so it's no big deal!

I will have peace of mind, which is very important...but I'm sure I wouldn't have any problem, well almost sure...there's always some things that can happen, but it's pretty rare that a regulator fails...

thanks for your answer!

 

[JenCell]

so you know these regulators, probably you can help me...

I did the watertight check to check the integrity of the second stage housing. With the dust cap on I drawed a breath on the second stage and hold it for a few seconds. There's an air sound in the Octupus. When I drawed a breath in the Octopus, it holds vaccum...How come I hear that sound when I draw a breath in the second stage? is it normal?

 

[Couv]

Jen,

To isolate the leak. Take off one of the second stages and plug the port. Then do the same with the other. When you have one second stage removed, you can also hold your thumb over the end that screws into the first stage and draw a breath on it to help you determine where the leak is.

Now one thing some people do is to draw too hard on it and overcome the seal on the exhaust valve which leads them to believe they need a new exhaust valve. Just draw hard enough to make the main diaphragm depress the lever and then hold.

Couv

 

[JenCell]

yes, I did that very gently, and I always hear a sound in the other reg....

I will try to open the port to see like you described.
thanks

 

[keyshunter]

Atomic uses that seat saver business in the second stage, where the seat and the orifice are not in contact until the reg is pressurized. It is possible that she is drawing air past a slightly unsealed octo exhaust diaphragm when she sucks on the primary. Since she states that she does not get this when she sucks on the octo, it is possible that the seat saver of the primary is not properly adjusted and is indeed making contact, or that the primary exhaust diaphragm is well sealed. Or, none of the above.

 

[JenCell]

Jen,

To isolate the leak. Take off one of the second stages and plug the port. Then do the same with the other. When you have one second stage removed, you can also hold your thumb over the end that screws into the first stage and draw a breath on it to help you determine where the leak is.

Couv

I did the test, when I take off one of the second stage and plug the port, there are no leak...