Buying First Reg: Concerns with care / rinsing / servicing

[inquis]

But why do you need to soak the first stage at all, relying on the dust cap to keep it dry?

Unsealed pistons have water and potentially sediment in the ambient chamber of the first stage. Salt crystals will easily form on the boat ride back (both first & second stages), so you'll want to soak to dissolve them rather than a quick rinse of the exterior. (Agitation is also useful to help remove sediment.)

 

[John Trecker]

It's user choice whether to get the B2 packed with goop (i.e., sealed) or unsealed (comparable to the MK25). You can also change your mind when serviced if you find your *actual* care was a little lacking. My last first stage service was $80 (parts, labor and goop).

I dont understand above. There are different versions or setups to choose. Thwnk you.

 

[doctormike]

Unsealed pistons have water and potentially sediment in the ambient chamber of the first stage. Salt crystals will easily form on the boat ride back (both first & second stages), so you'll want to soak to dissolve them rather than a quick rinse of the exterior. (Agitation is also useful to help remove sediment.)

Thanks!

 

[tarponchik]

I think Atomic and Scubapro are way overpriced for recreational diving. So, unless you are a Gear Freak, I'd save some money and go for Cressi, Mares, etc. Or SEAC, if you settle on something in between.

 

[inquis]

I dont understand above. There are different versions or setups to choose. Thwnk you.

Yes, for the Atomic B2 you mentioned, you can buy any of these versions:

• Unsealed + Yoke
• Unsealed + DIN
• Sealed + Yoke
• Sealed + DIN

Note for *any* reg, you will need to choose between a Yoke (sometimes called "International") or DIN connection to the tank. There are numerous threads about this, but the short answer is if you rent tanks in the US, Caribbean, or Mexico then Yoke is likely the better choice.

 

[PatW]

I have had one regulator the Atomic B2 for all of my dives. It works fine with a minimum of service and regular overhauls.

The only time I have problems is right after an overhaul. Once my reg went into non stoppable free flow at 40’ the eight dive after service. I had 1500 psi when it started and needed lent air to finish my safety stop. It turned out that a piece of plastic had gotten into during service.

 

[halocline]

Well ... A bunch of the Scubapro 2nd regs out there (at least my G260s) have a feature where you very slightly push in the purge button and turn it maybe 5 deg counterclockwise and it opens it for storage. That's not automatic like the AA, but it is there.

But that would be a deliberate act of separating the 2nd stage seat from the orifice that a diver would have to do before submerging his regulator, and obviously nobody with any understanding of the situation would do that.

 

[halocline]

I defer to your experience!

But why do you need to soak the first stage at all, relying on the dust cap to keep it dry?

Unless you have removed the reg from the tank underwater, you just need a quick rinse of the outside of the first stage, right?

As I explained, 1st stages have exposed threads, i.e. threads that are not sealed by an external o-ring. Salt water creeps into these threads.

If you having trouble visualizing this, maybe an example of a DIN connection at the tank helps. The sealing o-ring is at the end of the threaded male fitting. Thus, the threads are exposed to water intrusion. The same situation exists to some degree in all first stages that I have ever seen.

Maybe you're familiar with the convertible 200bar DIN valves; they have a plug which screws in the DIN valve and allows a diver to use a yoke regulator on the tank. Those plugs seal exactly the same way as a DIN regulator does. Try leaving one of those in for multiple salt water dives over the course of a season, and then see what the threads look like when you remove it. It's not pretty!

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

But that would be a deliberate act of separating the 2nd stage seat from the orifice that a diver would have to do before submerging his regulator, and obviously nobody with any understanding of the situation would do that.

Your orignal statement was that, to your knowledge, there were no regs with an integral seat saver outside the AA line: "The exceptions are the few regulators that have a seat-saver function that separates the 2nd stage seat from the orifice. To my knowledge, that’s some Atomic 2nd stages and that’s about it."

The SP regs do and it's not that obvious they are engaged. And it's often that a good soak is separated from he time of application by a lot of time. On boat trips, I tend to do a quick dunk after each dive. The regs don't get a good soak until I get home. And I engage the seat saver after the last quick dip and packing up to return home. On some other regs, it is possible to apply an alternate means to hold the second stage open. Someone offered the suggestion of a block and bungee contraption. That could work, A toothpick broken in half and stuck between the edge of the reg case and the button will do the same thing, but those are glaringly obvious. The external options are outside the scope of the conversation though.

Mostly would be operated with intention, but not always. Sometimes things get bumped and twisted.

 

[USdiver1]

As the purge button needs to be depressed only half-way before moving it 10 degrees and locking it in place, a nearly impossible task [you would depress it too much] if touched accidentally; I wouldn't sweat it. Never happened to my G250s.