Does AquaLung regulators really require less frequent inspection?

[ppatrick]

Hello everyone,

Yesterday I went to one of the LDS and the shop salesperson showed me some nice AquaLung packages: BC, regulator, air source, and integrated weight system. He told me that all new AquaLung regulators and “air source” only require inspection every other year (instead of once a year like typical regulators). Is that true? Is it safe to have it inspect only every other year? If it’s true and safe, I would safe some money over the long run from buying an AquaLung regulator. Please share your experience.


Thank you,

 

[Paco]

If you buy it from them they should inspect it free every year. I have an Aqualung Calypso that I bought in 2001 and a Titan LX that I bought in 2002. Both are used a lot (I have over 400 dives since then, using primarily the LX and my son-in-law uses the Calypso quite a bit) and my LDS checks them out every year for free. Neither has needed servicing or even adjusting of any kind.

I've never heard or been told to bring them in every other year. In fact I was told that if I brought them in every year the warranty would cover all parts when they eventually do need servicing. This would not cover the labor involved, however.

Hope this helps.

Mike

 

[Don Wray]

That's not what aqualung's warranty says exactly...here's the warranty from their website on Aqualung/Apeks regs...
RegulatorsFree Parts for life agreement30 Day Satisfaction GuaranteeLimited Lifetime Warranty (Pro-rated) COVERED:

•​

This warranty extends to all regulators and alternate air source parts provided that an annual inspection or overhaul is performed in accordance with Aqua Lung America procedures. NOT COVERED:

•​

Mouthpieces that have been torn or bitten through or hoses that have pulled out of crimps.
The parts for lifetime warranty part is:
The Free Parts For Life Agreement is a three party agreement that involves responsibilities of the original owner, the authorized Aqua Lung Dealer and Aqua Lung. If all of the terms of the agreement are met, the original owner will receive free standard regulator overhaul parts every other year for the life of the regulator.

In order to maintain the Free Parts for Life Agreement the following terms must be met:
· The Aqua Lung or Apeks regulator must have been purchased from an Authorized Aqua Lung America Dealer
· The Free Parts for Life Agreement is only available to the original owner
· The regulator must be inspected by a participating Authorized Aqua Lung Service facility every year.
· The regulator must be overhauled by a participating Authorized Aqua Lung Service facility every other year *
· You must make sure the Dealer records both inspections and overhaul service in the “Annual Service and Inspection Record” located in the back of your regulator owner’s manual.

If the regulator is subjected to less than 50 dives per year* it is permissible to overhaul it every other year with an inspection procedure being performed on the “off” years. For example:
Year #1 Inspection
Year #2 Overhaul
Year #3 Inspection
Year #4 Overhaul
and so on.

I just bought an Apeks XTX 200 and had the same thoughts until I looked it up at www.aqualung.com

 

[Ber Rabbit]

My Dive Rite RG2500Ice has an "every other year or 100 dives" service schedule (see owners manual or ask the Dive Rite people here on the board for details). It has viton o-rings and I believe thats the reason for the longer service interval. I know I love my reg, might be worth looking into one. Phil Ellis from Divesports (he's also here on the board) gave me a great deal.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[JS1scuba]

Hello everyone,

Yesterday I went to one of the LDS and the shop salesperson showed me some nice AquaLung packages: BC, regulator, air source, and integrated weight system. He told me that all new AquaLung regulators and “air source” only require inspection every other year (instead of once a year like typical regulators). Is that true? Is it safe to have it inspect only every other year? If it’s true and safe, I would safe some money over the long run from buying an AquaLung regulator. Please share your experience.


Thank you,

Aqualung and Apeks regulators require an annual inspection and a bi-annual overhaul to maintain the warranty and the Free Parts for Life program. This of course depends on the amount of use the regulator is getting. It is up to the dealer to determine if overhaul is needed more frequently.

Cheers

JDS

 

[Scottri]

I would have it inspected and tested every year and serviced as needed. If you do a lot of diving you may need to get it serviced every year. My Atomic is on a 2 year cycle but I do at least 100 dives a year so I get it serviced every year. The annual inspection should include a visual inspection as well as checking the IP as well as the cracking pressure. Just looking at it is not enough in my book.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I just overhauled a pair of Legend LX's last week that I had personally overhauled the year before. The divers who own them do not do a lot of diving - a couple trips per year - but the regs had enough salt crusted on them and in them to a make an annual service worth doing. I really don't think they would have went another year without developing a problem and for these particular customers, the problem would have developed in the middle of a dive trip, making them less than happy.

Compared to Scubapro, Aqualung uses a much harder seat compound in their second stage, so the seat is more likely to last 2 years than is the softer Scubapro seat material. But the Scubapro seat material offers better performance with a lower inhalation effort, so the extended life and service interval of the Aqualung reg comes with a cost you pay on each and every dive.

The moral here is that an every other year overhaul may not be in your best interests as a diver or reg owner. Your regs may pass an inspection and flow test, but that does not mean they will go another year without developing issues. The problem from the tech perspective is that if your tech overhauls your regs every year, they are at risk of being accused of padding their pockets with the higher labor charge of an overhaul. At the same time it puts them in a position of making judgement calls about when is enough enough to justify an overhaul versus an inspection. So if they do an overhaul and cost the customer more money he or she complains, but if they do an inspection and the reg dies on a trip, the customer complains even louder. The result is that the odds of the customer complaining one way or the other are often weighed in the decision process and that really has no business being in the decision process at all.

Basically, unless their regs has been dove lightly and almost exclusively in fresh water and/or been VERY carefully rinsed after each salt water dive, my customers can expect an annual service every year on their Aqualung regs.

Realistically, the big winner in a bi-annual overhaul recommendation is the company offerring the free parts as they end up providing a lot fewer annual service parts over the life of an individual regulator. The customer saves a little (the price between the labor involved in an annual service and the cost of an inspection and flow test), but pays with decreased performance and the tech and the shop get stuck with the liability and customer satisfaction issues.

 

[TheRedHead]

I couldn't imagine being dissatisfied with the performance of my Apeks. It's an excellent breather.

 

[redacted]

Compared to Scubapro, Aqualung uses a much harder seat compound in their second stage, so the seat is more likely to last 2 years than is the softer Scubapro seat material. But the Scubapro seat material offers better performance with a lower inhalation effort, so the extended life and service interval of the Aqualung reg comes with a cost you pay on each and every dive.

How does Atomic get the great WOB numbers and the 2 year overhaul service interval?

 

[Hoosier]

How does Atomic get the great WOB numbers and the 2 year overhaul service interval?

Maybe, better design, quality or less money oriented.......