Becoming a reg tech at my LDS

[Eric Sedletzky]

I don’t know if this is the correct forum to post this, so mods if you need to move it please do.

So, I’ve become pretty good friends with the people at my LDS and I’ve helped them out with all sorts of things like wholesaling Freedom Plates to them, building tank cleaning tools for them, restoring various stuff, sharing knowledge, etc.
Their reg tech is retiring soon and they’ve suggested more than once that they are looking for someone and would like to hire me to fill the spot of reg tech in the shop.
I work on my own stuff and have had all sorts of stuff apart, rebuilt stuff, restored stuff, etc.
I’m pretty mechanical, I was an auto body tech doing heavy hits, also doing collision related mechanical work, I’ve also done a lot of automotive mechanical work, so regs to me are not a big deal. I’m also very meticulous.
They are a Scubapro shop and also carry AL, and Oceanic. I’m guessing I would need to go through the seminars that those manufacturers have to be officially “certified” to work on the new stuff.
This would be one day a week, and I’m not really concerned about the pay, I have ulterior motives for wanting to do this.
Does anybody have any advice, feedback, comments? I’ve never worked in a shop on a production level. I’m sure there must be a certain pace you have to keep to get these thing done and out, and you have to be thorough at the same time.
This whole thing would be new to me.
I don’t really know if I want to do it yet but the prospect does sound intriguing.

Convince me either way.

 

[grantctobin]

Attend one of @rsingler classes, then attend the next SP clinic at DEMA, then practice a lot, as well as prereqs for AL and Huish.

 

[Jake 10]

Attend one of @rsingler classes, then attend the next SP clinic at DEMA, then practice a lot, as well as prereqs for AL and Huish.

Are these clases online? Are they posted and scheduled with time to prepare? Is there a cost involved ?

 

[grantctobin]

He can answer those, however here’s a thread for a previous one:

Regulator Service Technician Training - Unrestricted

As so many threads have demonstrated, there is no small interest in Do It Yourself regulator service. My position has consistently been, "It ain't rocket science, but it is precise." Dive Shops (despite your $200 repair bill) are not paid what they deserve for properly performed reg service...

scubaboard.com

 

[Johnoly]

...I don’t really know if I want to do it yet but the prospect does sound intriguing.

Convince me either way.

As @grantctobin said...... If your serious then signup for the authorized classes thru your shop, being held at DEMA Orlando in just 8 weeks. All the classes will be held there. Once you get your certificate of completion there at the hands on course, you'll be able to rebuild that manufacture's line of regs for the shop. In addition also do @rsingler classes and no-where-else taught tips and tricks (he's got a youtube channel too)

 

[tridacna]

As @grantctobin said...... If your serious then signup for the authorized classes thru your shop, being held at DEMA Orlando in just 8 weeks. All the classes will be held there. Once you get your certificate of completion there at the hands on course, you'll be able to rebuild that manufacture's line of regs for the shop. In addition also do @rsingler classes and no-where-else taught tips and tricks (he's got a youtube channel too)

What is the link for the YT channel?

 

[rx7diver]

... Does anybody have any advice, feedback, comments? ...

Will the shop expect you to purchase your own regulator tools?

Will you need to purchase professional liability insurance?

Any other potential costs/expenses that might not be obvious?

rx7diver

 

[Johnoly]

What is the link for the YT channel?

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtsqavUSqmIZPNGD6alKW4g/videos

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Will the shop expect you to purchase your own regulator tools?

Will you need to purchase professional liability insurance?

Any other potential costs/expenses that might not be obvious?

rx7diver

Good question!
I’ll look into it.
I’m guessing that being an official employee getting a paycheck that the liability would be covered under the shops policy, just like it was working in a body shop. If I was working there self employed as a vendor that would be different.

I have some tools and am willing to buy my own, but they do have a full peg board behind the work bench that is fully supplied with shop tools. I’ve seen it.

 

[Bigbella]

Does anybody have any advice, feedback, comments? I’ve never worked in a shop on a production level. I’m sure there must be a certain pace you have to keep to get these thing done and out, and you have to be thorough at the same time.
This whole thing would be new to me.
I don’t really know if I want to do it yet but the prospect does sound intriguing.

Convince me either way.

The pace of working on regulators is entirely dependent upon the size of the shop.

The place where I worked as a kid, seldom had half a dozen regulators being worked on at any given time; and the guarantee to the customer, was about a week for an overhaul -- perhaps longer, in the event that some odd parts were required. Working on them was more often seasonal, with an increase in workload toward Summer.

A nice bit about regulator servicing, is that it is done in discreet steps (is sort of "meditative," relaxing, in a way -- not some mawkish California navel-gazing crap), with some "fail-safes" that, say, different components should have some measurable freedom of movement as you go along; that internal components are always stacked in a particular fashion; or that some diaphragm should have some give to it, upon pressing down on the diaphragm center before further assembly, etc.

Provided that all goes well, the final tuning is very quick -- though we always sat the overhauled regulators on pressurized tanks, usually for hours, in the event that some IP issue presented itself.

The manufacturer's courses, provided that they'll send you (they are a chunk of change and may involve travel), will be absolutely no concern, given your mechanical background. They're dirt simple and, shockingly, seldom require any actual testing of equipment.

I, too would recommend @rsingler's classes, to get your feet wet. Having seen excerpts, there's far more valuable information to be had, than through any course offered through DEMA.

The pay is crap; you already know that. I, too did the work for ulterior motives, years ago -- in my case, free and ready access to dive boats.

Just make sure that your ass is covered by the shop, in terms of any liability. Once a regulator is out of your hands, no matter how well it's overhauled, there's no telling who by and how it will be handled, or altered in any way. It only takes seconds, for some idiot, with a Allen key, to set the IP to Kingdom Come . . .