Best time to service gear

[mcohen1021]

I've started diving with my (Cressi) personal gear in April of 2022.

I have a 1 yr old cressi travellite bc, I have 56 dives and approximately 46 hours underwater.

I'm not crazy about the button placement on the power inflator, so maybe I accidentally hit the inflate and thought it was doing it by itself. But I did disconnect the hose underwater. I think it was user error, bc it never happened again.

But I tend to service as needed.

 

[Bigbella]

On the average, my gear gets overhauled every two years; though, some regulators, which see far heavier use, in questionable waters, such as those in full-face masks, are serviced more on an annual basis.

Since I service my own gear, it really becomes more of an issue of when I can get around to it; whether there is actually some issue, rather than waiting for some arbitrary date or mechanical issue to arise.

I would echo earlier posts, though, in avoiding any compete overhauls shortly before a trip (unless you get ample chances to test them out beforehand), since my confidence in most scuba shop repair acumen, from bitter past experience, falls far to the right of the decimal point . . .

 

[Tigerpaw]

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.

Thank you

 

[Tigerpaw]

Thank you everyone for your advice, it has been helpful. It seems like the majority of comments is to wait until something goes wrong or go every few years. I'd rather not wait until something goes wrong, so I'll opt for every 2 years or so. I've also learned to do a check dive after repairs, which makes a lot of sense. I am learning so much on the board and thanks again for taking the time to help out a tadpole.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Thank you everyone for your advice, it has been helpful. It seems like the majority of comments is to wait until something goes wrong or go every few years. I'd rather not wait until something goes wrong, so I'll opt for every 2 years or so. I've also learned to do a check dive after repairs, which makes a lot of sense. I am learning so much on the board and thanks again for taking the time to help out a tadpole.

You can "catch" a reg going (maybe not all the time, but usually there will be signs) with one of these for the 1st stage;

Compact IP Gauge (PSI and BAR)

A compact intermediate pressure (IP) gauge for SCUBA applications

www.divegearexpress.com

and one of these for the 2nd stage;

Second Stage In-Line Adjusting Tool w/IP Gauge

The 2nd Stage In-Line Adjusting Tool is used for fine tuning regulator 2nd stages which have an adjustable air inlet orifice. The tool also has a built-in pressure gauge which allows the intermediate pressure (IP) of the 1st stage to be checked.

www.divegearexpress.com

Having an adjustable 2nd stage will get you out of hot water if it starts bubbling as you can just de tune it on the go. Checking the ip of the 1st stage and making sure it's where it should be (usually between 125-145psi) goes a long way to "see" what's happening. If it's not holding, time to rebuild. Might be 2-3-5-7 years, who knows.

I check my ip every 6 months or so... or at least that's what I tell myself I should do, lol.

 

[Bob DBF]

Gear manufacturers dictate that regulators should be serviced annually

That has been changing, and more manufacturers, such as Scubapro and Sherwood, have changed to two year intervals, consult your manual for specifics.

 

[Bigbella]

ERROR

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I think it’s funny how manufacturers went from “YOU NEED TO SERVICE YOUR GEAR ONCE A YEAR OR YOU’ll DIE!”
to
“YOU NEED TO SERVICE YOUR GEAR EVERY TWO YEARS OR YOU’ll DIE!”.

So what did they do to all of sudden make it OK to service every two years??
They are so FOS!

 

[rvojr]

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.

It was eye opening when realizing the point where my regs needed servicing was really the time when they were just broken in and needed a slight cracking pressure adjustment rather than a full overhaul.

 

[BoltSnap]

So what did they do to all of sudden make it OK to service every two years??

Experience, change to better materials and designs and much better specs and tolerances?