Attachment of hoses

[TXaggie_diver]

Hey all, this is my first post, but I've been a quiet spectator to SB for sometime now. Anyway, my parents were very very generous this past Christmas and got me an Oceanic GT3 CDX5 regulator with an Alpha 7 octo and SPG to go along with it. The trouble is they got it fairly cheap online from an unauthorized dealer, so everything came seperate and I have no warranty card from the manufacturer . I called a LDS which is an Ocean dealer and asked them about assembling everything. They said that without a warranty card they would charge me $75 to attach the octo and SPG to the first stage. Seems a little high to me, personally. I realize that this is life support equipment, but all this is required is a torque wrench and some Christo-Lube or silicone. I got the feeling that the charge is more punitive for not buying from them. (I may just buy the tools and lubricant necessary to do it myself, the regs came with a good owner's manual.)

Sorry for the length of the post. Please let me know what you think.

 

[MarcG]

Do not pay $75 for this work. That is completely ridiculus. You do not need a torque wrench either. The hoses are not tightened down much. Finger tight and then a tiny nudge with a wrench, and I mean just a tiny nudge. Do not overtighten the hoses, the threads are delicate.

Just remember what I said, Do not overtighten! Just enough that you cannot loosen the hoses from the first stage by hand.

I think it is good to learn to do basic stuff like this by yourself.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

What experience do you have as a diver? Have you taken an equip specialty course? If not you may be better off paying the fee or checking around with other shops. Any reg tech can assemble it and if there's no warranty card there is no warranty to void. You will now however have to pay for parts as well as labor on annual servicing. Who told you you need a torque wrench? Christo lube yes, plain old silicone- NO! All that's required is the proper size allen wrench to remove the port plugs and the right size wrenches for the hose fittings. And they DO NOT NEED to be torqued! Hand tight and then just snugged up a bit. Too tight and you risk destroyind the o-rings or breaking the fitting. You could also strip the threads. Do you have an experienced dive buddy who takes care of his own gear? He could also do it or show you how. Also an annual service with warranty is around 40 bucks or so. And hey if all that's out of your pocket for a new reg is 75 bucks don't be cheap. Let a pro do it and accept it as a cheap price to pay for your safety and peace of mind.

 

[SDAnderson]

More than "a torque wrench and some Christo-Lube" is required, if you're going to do it correctly. New regulators should be opened up for a quick peek, then re-assembled, tested and adjusted before being put into service. Since you aren't qualified to do the work and don't have the tools, I'd suggest that you ante up and pay the LDS. Think of it as the vigorish on a losing bet.

$75.00 might be kind of steep for a new regulator but prices vary widely around the country. Don't forget that parts will be extra, if needed. If this will reinstate the warranty, it's worth the money and it isn't bad for annual service on three pieces.

 

[TXaggie_diver]

The torque wrench idea comes from the owner's manual, which specifies tightening the fittings to a torque of 40 in-lbs, which I realize is not very tight. Yes, I am relatively new to diving, but I dove once a week all last semester and am in a scuba club, so I have been around the equipment. Yes, I also realize that "plain old silicone" is not the way to go, but there are silicone lubricants suitable no? I don't plan on using Nitrox anytime in the near future. I appreciate the suggestion to consult an experienced friend, I may do that next week when I get back to school. But I am a college student, and I consider myself relatively competent at lubricating an o-ring and tightening a fitting, so please understand that I have a hard time reconciling $75 in my mind for someone else to do it (especially when I am almost perpetually broke as is). I understand your experience is far greater than mine, and you are concerned for my safety, as am I. But with your experience, is $75 a reasonable price for such a simple procedure? (I will shop around more, before I do anything, BTW)

Thanks

 

[TXaggie_diver]

More than "a torque wrench and some Christo-Lube" is required, if you're going to do it correctly. New regulators should be opened up for a quick peek, then re-assembled, tested and adjusted before being put into service. Since you aren't qualified to do the work and don't have the tools, I'd suggest that you ante up and pay the LDS. Think of it as the vigorish on a losing bet.

$75.00 might be kind of steep for a new regulator but prices vary widely around the country. Don't forget that parts will be extra, if needed. If this will reinstate the warranty, it's worth the money and it isn't bad for annual service on three pieces.

Thanks, I didn't ask if the service would reinstate the warranty. In that case I would consider it worthwhile. I'll check back with the LDS. I am willing to pay for service, but I am not willing to get gouged. Thanks for the input

 

[bet63]

Do shop really open up regs, check them out and test before selling?

Brian

More than "a torque wrench and some Christo-Lube" is required, if you're going to do it correctly. New regulators should be opened up for a quick peek, then re-assembled, tested and adjusted before being put into service. Since you aren't qualified to do the work and don't have the tools, I'd suggest that you ante up and pay the LDS. Think of it as the vigorish on a losing bet.

$75.00 might be kind of steep for a new regulator but prices vary widely around the country. Don't forget that parts will be extra, if needed. If this will reinstate the warranty, it's worth the money and it isn't bad for annual service on three pieces.

 

[TXaggie_diver]

Ok everyone, I will shop around a bit more, but I have decided not to do it myself. Everyone's skepticism has led to my own skepticism. (But I STILL think $75 is too much!) BTW reefraff, I was reading on Oceanic's website about their warranty policy, and it would appear that I'm SOL on ever getting one for my reg, but I'll ask the LDS anyway. Thanks for your input and efforts at preventing my drowning due to equipment failure.

 

[MarcG]

Do shop really open up regs, check them out and test before selling?

Brian

What they will more than likely do is check the first stage for a stable IP in the acceptable range and adjust the second stages. It really isn't rocket science but I guess it can be daunting at first.

 

[Spoon]

thats robbery. id charge not more that $5 but thats just me. i do them all the time at home all you need is a monkey wrench.