-hh
Contributor
- Messages
- 1,020
- Reaction score
- 245
It is very imporant for those items that need regular service ... on other words, the regulators. The rest of the stuff should generally be okay (BCD's inflator hose assemblies aren't rocket science).
BTW, a very useful thing to do is to spend some time getting to know your diveshop's service technician. Ask him which of the brands they sell that he likes ... and dislikes ... to work on, and why. Don't be too terribly surprised if you hear that a regulator that divers recommend aren't particularly beloved by the tech because he doesn't enjoy working on them due to some design quirk.
Probably. Pretty much any local dive shop can track down pretty much any obscure part ... if they want to make the effort. If it is for something that they stock & sell, they'll be far more inclined to make the effort. More so if you bought it through them. Naturally, this means that an obscure brand that you didn't buy through them is more likely to be 'unsupported' by them.
Perhaps, but for some things, I'd advise to NEVER do so. Specifically, I'm referring to regulators (and this is usually where most of the $$ expense is). Part of the reason why a good tech is worth his weight in gold is simple: it is because he constantly stays in practice, rebuilding a number of regulators each week. This means that matter how mechanically talented any one of us are, we're simply not going to get as much hands-on to keep our hand in practice.
I'd generally look for two main attributes:
1) You don't need to bother with stuff that's "tired" ... ie, shows extensive signs of wear & tear. There's usually plenty of stuff to choose from, so if it looks marginal, pass on it.
2) You also don't want to be bothered to mess around with used stuff that wasn't very good when it was new. This is harder to eyeball, as it generally means you need to have some level of knowledge of specific makes/models (and/or ability to quickly do research). To use an automotive analogy, you'll probably find some "creampuff" econoboxes out there ... but despite being in good shape, they're still only an econobox on their best day. Sticking with known brands, and then make sure to check out the specific model, to make sure that it was a better-than-average product back when it was new.
3) A quick/easy reality check for regulators is to pull back the hose protectors where the hoses attach to the 1st stage...these trap water, so this is often the first place that corrosion can be found on a LP or HP hose, and will give you a decent idea on how good/bad the hoses are. Also, look to see about pressurizing the system and getting the SPG console into a bucket of water ... there's an O-ring at the swivel here that's also a decent indicator for how well the gear has (hasn't) been taken care of. Check with your LDS for how much they charge for a leaking swivel O-ring and have this handy for negotiating on prices.
In being frugal, you'll be looking to have one BC that can work for both environmental conditions. Be aware of the minimum number of pounds of lift you'll need in coldwater to make sure to not end up with a warmwater only BC. Because of changes in the thickness of thermal protection, you'll be better off with anything other than a classical BP/W, since these don't have multiple adjustment points with which to quickly/easily accomodate going from a 7mm Farmer John to a dive skin, etc.
Yes. Inflate it up (oral is fine) until a dump valve pops, then give it another puff (to be just short of popping again) and let it sit for ~15 minutes. BC leaks are most commonly associated with its dump valve(s), which are usually pretty easy to fix...you can often hear these. Also note that over time (and lots of saltwater), the auto-inflator valve can also become shot, which is usually a straigthforward assembly replacement...but check with your LDS for a price quote to see if the BC is still worth buying. What you'll want to be most concerned about is a leak that's somewhere in the bag...hard to track down and hard to inexpensively fix.
Good choice.
-hh
