Balanced/Adjustable maintenance

[Kupu]

I recently started using a SP Balanced/Adjustable, and really like it. A couple questions on maintenance. After 6 months of regular use in salt water, there is a bit of greenish corrosion, especially under the exhaust valve cover. What is the best way to remove this? I may end up buying a cheap ultrasonic cleaner, but wondered if there is something I can use to soak the metal parts and take care of the problem?

And regarding the exhaust valve cover. Any tips for putting it back on the reg? I'm guessing it just takes a bit of finagling, but the plastic is a bit stiff and I don't want to chew it up by too much pushing and twisting against the metal opening.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

A soultion of half water and half white vinegar should remove it with only a short soak and then a thorough rrinse.

 

[Kupu]

Thanks, I will use the water/vinegar solution. Would 5 minutes be a safe amount of time to soak?

I might try a small amount of lube to help the exhaust valve cover slide back on.

 

[redacted]

Sounds like you have one of the newer exhaust-Ts. Soaking it in hot (boiling water) will soften it up enough to install it. Lube alone will not do the trick.

You can prevent the formation of verdigris by soaking you reg after SW use. I soak mine for at least 6 hours after a SW trip. If you have corrosion on the exhaust valve, you probably also have it developing on the control knob threads. you probably should clean the whole reg and then lube the orifice and control knob threads to discourage corrosion. Just don't disturb the LP seat as it sits in the poppet. They just don't like to seat a second groove.

Don't lube the exhaust valve seat. It will attract dirt and prevent sealing. Also, you need to disassemble the reg before the acid soak as it can damage soft parts.

 

[dave4868]

Thanks, I will use the water/vinegar solution. Would 5 minutes be a safe amount of time to soak?

I might try a small amount of lube to help the exhaust valve cover slide back on.

Although 50/50 vinegar solution can eventually cause noticeable damage chrome after a very extended period of time, 15 minutes is typically what you might need to remove the corrosion. Repeat if necessary....

Try saliva to lube the exhaust valve cover.

HTH.

Dave C

 

[redacted]

Try saliva to lube the exhaust valve cover.

HTH.

Dave C

Good luck with that. I tried K-Y jelly and still struck out. I thought I was going to have to get it liquored up until I discovered it just needed hot water.

The older covers will usually just slip on with a little lubricant of some sort. But the new ones fell more like a piece of plastic than a rubber cover.

 

[Kupu]

I did a complete disassembly last week, overall, things looked pretty good. It did take a little bit of work to get the control knob out due to corrosion, but not too difficult. Thanks for the tip on lubing the orifice and control knob threads.

I will also give the hot water soak a try for the exhaust T. Overall the rubber is soft on the T, just the part where it fits on the reg is thicker and much more rigid.

I will be sure not to mess with the LP seat, although I have a couple replacements if needed. When I take the reg apart again for cleaning, I will check to see if there is a second groove.

I do a good rinse each day after diving, and a good soak occasionally. Sometimes the dive shops do the rinse, and I know they don't always do an ideal job of it. But my diving is mostly all in saltwater, often for days or weeks at a time. After 6 months of this treatment, I would think a bit of corrosion would be difficult to avoid. It is inevitable my reg will take a little abuse the way I dive, my way of testing its worthiness. So far the MK10 with Balanced/Adjustable has passed the test.

 

[Kupu]

Thanks Dave!, good to have a idea of how long to soak the parts. Seems like I came across that info in an earlier thread but could not find it.

 

[redacted]

I did a complete disassembly last week, overall, things looked pretty good. It did take a little bit of work to get the control knob out due to corrosion, but not too difficult. Thanks for the tip on lubing the orifice and control knob threads.

I will also give the hot water soak a try for the exhaust T. Overall the rubber is soft on the T, just the part where it fits on the reg is thicker and much more rigid.

I will be sure not to mess with the LP seat, although I have a couple replacements if needed. When I take the reg apart again for cleaning, I will check to see if there is a second groove.

I do a good rinse each day after diving, and a good soak occasionally. Sometimes the dive shops do the rinse, and I know they don't always do an ideal job of it. But my diving is mostly all in saltwater, often for days or weeks at a time. After 6 months of this treatment, I would think a bit of corrosion would be difficult to avoid. It is inevitable my reg will take a little abuse the way I dive, my way of testing its worthiness. So far the MK10 with Balanced/Adjustable has passed the test.

Before you give that cover the hot water treatment, lets make sure which one you have. I'm not sure how much hot water treatment an older style exhaust-T can take. And the newer ones are pretty hard all over, not just where they attach. This link pictures old and new Ts. The one in the upper left is the new (universal T) which needs the hot water treatment to instal. The one on the right is an older model 109/156 T and will usually go on with just some lube. The lower left is an older 108 T. The older Ts will eventually degrade and crack so should be treated with care.

Pics: http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/45682/ppuser/3377

 

[Kupu]

Looks like the older model 109/156 version shown on the right. So I will give it a bit of lube and see how it goes, and if hot water seems necessary keep it to a minimum. Good info to have!

On a side note, the wider exhaust T vs newer style is one reason the B/A 2nd stage suits me. Seems to keep the bubbles a bit more out of my face...