Cost servicing Hollis DC2 212 regulator - $75 per stage

[halocline]

I was just quoted $75 per stage plus whatever other fees for a regulator set I dropped off at a LDS. I'm expecting a minimum of $225. I've had the regulator for about a year and a half. Is this cost something I should expect every year? How do I make this more cost effective?

How do I know if they did a good job without finding out at 80 feet? I have an acquaintance who went to a different shop to have her regulators serviced, and the first time she got into the water and to 30 feet, it freeflowed and she had to cancel her dives for that day (no backup available).

You have just pretty well summarized the reasons I started servicing my own regulators about a year or so after learning to dive and buying my first set of gear. It was the best diving-related decision I've ever made. The idea of paying someone $200/year or more to rebuild a regulator that only cost a few hundred dollars seemed ridiculous to me, especially considering: 1) The regulator worked fine before service, 2) It worked worse after service, 3) The tech/instructor/salesman seemed to have not much better understanding of how regulators worked than I did, even as a new diver, 4) I only had about 50 dives on the regulator that year, and 5) It turns out that the training for becoming a dive shop tech is a one day seminar that nobody has ever failed. This undermines the justification for the bizarre policy of refusing to sell parts to regulator owners; the idea that since regulators are "life support" only trained and certified technicians are qualified to work on them.

This kind of scenario reeks of BS. You seem to have sniffed it....

To answer your question about how to make it more cost effective, there are a couple of possibilities.

1. Don't service your reg every year, just take care of it. (meaning soaking after all salt water dives, then blow a bit of tank air through it) Learn to check it for signs of trouble, like small leaks or creeping intermediate pressure. It's very easy to do these things. With moderate use (say 50 dives or less/year) you should be able to go several years before needing a service.

2. Learn to service your own regulator if you have an inherent interest in doing so and some mechanical aptitude. This does require an initial investment in some tools, and it's much easier to find tools/parts/service manuals for some regulators than for others. I don't know where hollis fits in that range.

3. Find a more reasonably-priced service facility. I don't think there is any connection between quality of service and pricing for service. Quality of service is a total crapshoot due to the extremely low certification requirements I mentioned earlier. There are excellent, careful, knowledgeable techs, and there are some real knuckle-draggers.

 

[kelemvor]

I agree with Tbone. A simple IP gauge to check the pressure regulation point and to check for 'creep' is the best way I can tell if a 1st stage needs service and unless there is an observed problem with the 2nd I leave them alone (other than clean and inspect the diaphragm). In reality most regs shouldn't need service until several hundred dives.
I have observed your friends first dive after service dilemma way to often, IMO unnecessary servicing opens you up to the chance of induced failures on any mechanical device (I am an aircraft mechanic and this observation includes airplanes).
Here is DGX's simple IP gauge, a cheap alternative to yearly servicing, just my $0.02.
View attachment 411933

I had no idea IP gauges were so cheap. I feel ashamed that I didn't own one until now.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I like the expensive ones. I paid 20 bucks for mine with a built in OPV and collar to bleed the pressure off.

 

[The Chairman]

I like the expensive ones. I paid 20 bucks for mine with a built in OPV and collar to bleed the pressure off.

What if you accidentally bump the collar at 300 ft while checking the IP. You'll rue that day, I tell you!

 

[tridacna]

It would be useful to not only recommend but also to explain to peeps how an IP gauge is used; how to test, what IP means and the recommended pressures.

 

[northernone]

It would be useful to not only recommend but also to explain to peeps how an IP gauge is used; how to test, what IP means and the recommended pressures.

Horrible stab at a basic explanation:
Check IP regularly like checking tire pressure in a car. If the pressure isn't identical to how you set it, it needs attention. Except in the case of regs, the pressure goes up more often while car tires go flat. If it's steady leave it alone, that could be the case for 30+ years and thousands of hours depending.

More elegant replies to follow I'm sure or there are already a dozen threads discussing the uses of a IP gauge.

Regards,
Cameron