i have had first stages right out of the box that have had to be overhauled. when the IP keeps creeping up, its the HP seat thats not sealing. it does result in a freeflow after awhile....i service all my regs every year and when they are serviced. you must use an over haul kit in them. as for worring about how they work in the future.. if they were serviced properly then the service tech would have left them on a tank over night so he could check to see if the IP was creeping and to get everything seated.