Best time to service gear

[Tigerpaw]

I've started diving with my (Cressi) personal gear in April of 2022. Up until today I have 20 dives on my gear in a combination of saltwater and fresh water. I clean my gear after each dive and store it properly.

In April of 2023, I'm planning on diving the wrecks in the Keys for a week, I'll have anywhere from 20-25 dives when I'm done, half of them will be deep dives.

Should I wait until after the Keys trip to have my gear serviced OR should I get it serviced before I go at the 1 year mark?

Thanking you all in advance!

 

[Beau Holden]

At 50 dives, I would not even consider servicing my regs. I've got regs that have not been serviced in 5 or more years.

 

[Boarderguy]

Never service right before a big trip... Plan a handful a dives before your trip with freshly serviced gear.

I get my gear serviced as needed. If it starts to present a problem or behaving oddly then I take it in for service and/or rebuild.

 

[happy-diver]

Very good!

 

[BoltSnap]

I would take it to the dive shop that has an experienced and reliable technician and have them do a thorough check (not overhaul) to make sure that all is OK before your trip. The complete overhaul should be done after you come back from your trip.

The check should include IP check, cracking pressure and venturi check and check for leaks at minimum.

 

[davehicks]

Your gear is practically new and lightly used so far. I would not worry about it for your upcoming trip. If all is still working well at the end of your next trip, you can probably wait until the 2 year mark before considering taking if for service.

There is some great information about how to inspect your gear that will help you make a more informed decision. Check out the info in the link below:

Regulator Inspection and Checklist (Rev-8)

Discussion of this thread can be found here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/regulators/260452-regulator-checklist-inspection.html First off, I would like to acknowledge my friends who have done more than their share in developing this checklist. Due to my laziness and resistance to answering...

scubaboard.com

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I do not recommend our level of complacency, but I was talking to the owner of one of the biggest equipment companies in the sport when we were cave diving at Madison one morning. I asked how often he gets his gear serviced. It turns out we only get things serviced when they develop an issue. I believe neither one of us had our regs serviced in 7 or more years. That might help you breathe a little easier on your trip.

I would get equipment serviced annually well before any big trips when you have time to test everything on a few dives and return equipment for additional service if it isn't performing correctly.

 

[covediver]

I get my gear serviced annually as required by the dictates of the diving manual where I am a volunteer. I have been on an annual schedule of servicing for at least 30 years. The interval works well for me. That can range from 20 to 50 dives depending how active I am in any given year. I also do checks before going on a big trip where spares and servicing may not be available.

 

[Pearlman]

Gear manufacturers dictate that regulators should be serviced annually. I purchased all new gear in March but only having my first dive trip next month. The regs have all been in the cupboard so far. Of course it makes common sense that I wait 50 dives before first inspection and skip the annual schedule. Then I was told by the dealer that parts are compulsorily replaced at 2 years from the service kit even if they look good while alternate years are inspection only unless a fault is discovered. But Is there anything to lose like warranty if I don’t?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

It depends.
If you rinse your regs in a sink with just the dust cap on and have maybe accidentally pressed the second stage purge button in when the reg was not pressurized then you might have introduced water into the reg (1st and 2nd stages) and might have a bit of verdigris inside, who knows?.
If you soak your regs attached to a tank and pressurized and are very anal about not getting any water where air is supposed to be, either rinse water, or salt water such as when changing tanks, then you probably will be fine.
I have diaphragm regs that are going on 10 years and are still fine to use. Piston regs need to at least be lubed up every so often, but it also depends on how they were rinsed.