changing first stage port configuration

[Russoft]

I picked up a couple second-hand reg sets last week in preparation for some diving. One set for my wife, the other a spare in case we need it. We tested them in the pool, and they work great! The trouble is, whoever assembled the one regulator set chose strange port locations for the inflator hose, primary 2nd stage, and octo, such that the octo wrapping under the left arm is the only way to get the primary around the right shoulder while also having the inflator hose over the left shoulder.

The remedy is simple of course. Move the hoses to different ports. Can I simply unscrew the hoses and move them around on the first stage, or do I need to have a technician do this for me? I'm generally competent at doing stuff myself (my day job is as a research engineer building electrical devices), but I have no experience servicing my own regulators. Is this something I should leave to a tech, or is it as simple to do as it seems? Are there any spare parts or specialized tools involved?

 

[buddhasummer]

Yes, it's a simple job, just unscrew and move them, don't crank on them, finger tight and a wee bit extra with a wrench. I usually put some silicone grease on the threads.

What first stage is it?

 

[Russoft]

Thanks, it took me 5 minutes, an allen key, and a wrench! It's a ScubaPro MK10.

 

[ZzzKing]

Careful there, you don't want to kill yourself. With your background, you may actually be interested in learning to service them yourself.

 

[WarrenZ]

Guess that voids the warranty, and the scuba police will be after you now.

 

[Russoft]

Careful there, you don't want to kill yourself. With your background, you may actually be interested in learning to service them yourself.

I've been hearing a lot about self-servicing regulators but don't even know where to begin. The idea is attractive since I don't like being separated from my money when I suspect I could do it cheaper myself. But the idea of drowning because I'm a cheapskate isn't attractive either.

 

[tbone1004]

what regs are they? regulators are stupid simple, the whole "life support" bs is blown way out of proportion. If you screw it up, you won't get very far down before you realize it isn't working so well....

 

[Russoft]

I have 3 reg sets:
Poseidon Cyklon 5000 1st/2nd stages (dive shops always want my first born child or left kidney to service, if they service at all)
ScubaPro MK10/G250 w ? octo (bought second-hand in excellent condition, for my wife)
ScubaPro MK10/D350 w/ Mares Beta octo (bought second hand, back up set since finding DIN tanks and keeping Cyklons serviced is a PITA)

I found a link on here to Vance Harlow's book but wanted to do a bit more research before investing in the knowledge and tools to service my own equipment. I think it'll be cheaper in the long run, and I have a small diving budget.

 

[victorzamora]

I have 3 reg sets:
Poseidon Cyklon 5000 1st/2nd stages (dive shops always want my first born child or left kidney to service, if they service at all)
ScubaPro MK10/D250 w ? octo (bought second-hand in excellent condition, for my wife)
ScubaPro MK10/D350 w/ Mares Beta octo (bought second hand, back up set since finding DIN tanks and keeping Cyklons serviced is a PITA)

I found a link on here to Vance Harlow's book but wanted to do a bit more research before investing in the knowledge and tools to service my own equipment. I think it'll be cheaper in the long run, and I have a small diving budget.

My toolkit for servicing regs is unbelievably simple. I have a pin-spanner, some o-ring picks, an IP gauge, and then crap I'd have anyway (crescent wrench, allen wrenches, box-end wrenches, Q-tips). Few regs actually require anything specialized beyond that. Many (all?) Poseidon first stages require a VERY complicated (note the sarcasm) wrench. You can buy a low-profile crows foot wrench or grind a cheap wrench flat. After that, some oxygen-compatible lube is all you need (I do oxy-compatible on evertying, costs a smidge more but keeps me from mixing stuff up). Only problem you'll have with some regs is finding service kits. If you learn to service your regs, you'll learn how to check them out. You'll see that annual servicing, provided good performance throughout the year, is usually unnecessary.

I've purchased a big kit of O-rings as well, but that's just for spares for whatever reason I might need them. I've had a few o-rings fail inside my regs, and I just pop in the same sized o-ring from my kit instead of cracking open a whole service kit.

 

[tbone1004]

http://www.frogkick.dk/manuals/poseidon/1999/

Poseidon manuals in there. Not much special is required in there, though a bit more complex than victors kit

http://www.frogkick.dk/manuals/scubapro/
scubapros are in there

Parts for both are readily available, though not sure about the second stages from SP.

Keeping cyklons serviced is not a pain if you know how to do it yourself and the parts are freely available in the US now for very cheap.