Equipment Inspections

[garyw90]

I suspect I know the answer on this board, but I wanted to find out yor experiences with equipment inspections.

We are told they need to be done annually. How many people really do inspect their equipment (most notably your regulators and a pressure test on the guage or computer) or have their equipment inspected? I suspect most divers on this board probably would do the annual inspection.

Now for the second part of this, for those that have someone else do their inspections, what has been your experience with the turn around times? I am now going on 3 weeks since I took my regulator and computer in for inspection. Given that I am hopping on a plane in about a week to go diving, I am getting really antsy that it has not come back yet, and am getting close to demanding a store credit for replacement.

So what are some of your other thoughts?

 

[ptyx]

A personal rule: don't ever send your equipment for maintenance just before a trip.

Murphy says that there is a pretty good chance it comes back the day after your plane left, or that the tech made a mistake you'll find out only once you're on a boat in the middle of nowhere with no access to parts.

Either it's working - and then it will keep working for a couple more weeks - or it's not - and then it should have been sent for repairs a long time ago.

 

[knowone]

Ring them. Go there first. Mine get done when the SPG spindle starts changing behaviour, or any other time, or if they seem unhappy, or they look at me a certain way. Reg course is a very good SPECIALTY, so is CPR, so is Oxygen provider. Is there a Self rescue before Rescue? I would leave home without my Amex but I wouldn't leave for home, with my new offspring without CPR. My car just took me to my next address?????

 

[Edward3c]

Hi Gary,

As a rule of thumb I get my kit serviced about every 2 years, cylinders 2 1/2 (as required by UK standards). And then AFTER I've returned from a major trip, not before.

Because I'm diving all year I don't have to worry about winter deterioration and things perishing from lack of use.

Has worked so far for 30 years.

Regards

Edward

 

[Bubbletrubble]

There's a DIY theme to how I approach gear maintenance and repair.

For regs...
I do the servicing/overhauls of my regs and only when they "need" it. This translates into a service interval of 100-150 dives over a period of approx. 2.5 years. Every few dives I'll check the intermediate pressure (IP) with an gauge to ensure that the IP is still within normal limits. I do a comprehensive inspection and functional test during my pre-dive checks.

For SPGs...
I have multiple SPGs. If I thought one of them was "off," I'd simply compare readings across the SPGs for the same tank. If I still had issues telling whether a SPG was malfunctioning, I could always ask any number of dive buddies to compare their SPG reading to mine. The only maintenance I perform on the SPG is servicing the HP spool, which allows the SPG to swivel when the reg setup is pressurized. Approx. every year I'll replace the o-rings on the HP spool with freshly lubed new ones and clean off any corrosion on the HP spool itself (vinegar:water bath or ultrasonic cleaner).

For dive computers...
After a dive, I'll soak the computer in fresh water. I'll replace the battery when it runs low. Periodically, I'll check my computer readings against my buddy's to verify that the unit is displaying reasonable numbers. I've never had any of my computers serviced by a repair shop.

For BCDs...
I inspect them and do a functional check as part of my pre-dive ritual. If the power inflater assembly starts to leak, then I'll go through the trouble of servicing/overhauling the power inflater. Essentially, this amounts to just replacing the old o-rings with new ones. No big deal. I've never had any of my BCDs serviced by a shop.

I agree with ptyx and Edward3c about the timing of getting your regs serviced by someone else. The worst time to get a reg serviced is right before you leave for a vacation. Reg techs are human and can make mistakes. Even with a properly serviced reg, you may have to take the reg back for some fine-tuning adjustments as the seats inside the reg take a set. Simply put, you are asking for trouble by getting your regs serviced right before a trip. The best time to get your regs serviced is right after you return from a dive vacation. This gives the reg tech plenty of time to do the overhaul and, once you get the reg back, it gives you ample time to do a few "test" dives in local waters before heading off on another far-off dive vacation.

Three weeks is a long time for a tech to do a reg overhaul. I'd advise you to contact the shop and inquire about the delay. If this is a standard turnaround time for the shop, I'd recommend that you take your business elsewhere. My LDS repair shop has a waiting list that can range from 1 day to a couple of weeks. The way it's done here is that you make an overhaul "reservation," bring in the reg on the day before its scheduled servicing, and then pick it up on the following day. In total, the shop has your reg for 2-3 days. That's very reasonable IMO.

 

[TSandM]

I try very hard to get my regs in for service once a year, but given that we have a passle of them and I don't keep good records, I sometimes miss the date and go a year and a half or so. We dive a LOT, so I feel as though stuff really ought to be serviced regularly. I do not take freshly serviced gear on a trip, though; I always set things up so I have a chance at least to get in the pool before leaving. I haven't had any post-service problems, but Peter has (different service shops, because our local one doesn't do Zeagles).

Turnaround time on reg services around here seems to run between 1 and 2 weeks.

All the rest of my gear, I service myself, usually if I notice something isn't working correctly.

 

[muddiver]

The state university requires that I have my gear inspected annually. Therefore I have the complecated parts, like regulators, inspected by a certified tech as required, and I check all the other parts that don't have as many moving parts, like my BCD and dry suit. I havn't found a shop that can or usually will test a computer, and I am not going to ship it back to the manufacturer just for a pressure calibration, most self calibrate anyway.

Turn around times: Air regulators approx. 1 day because I bring really good beer as a bribe, oxygen clean regulators about a week, cylinder visual 1 hour because I am inspecting them with the tech, hydros can be a week or two.

 

[garyw90]

Thanks for your inputs. It was not my intention to get the reg back right before going on a dive. I took it in on March 31. My tank needed its annual viz inspection, so that seemed like a good time to get the other parts inspected as well. The tank was inspected in store and back the next day. The reg only has about 40 dives on it so far in the last year.

There are local dive clubs that go out every weekend and I wanted to get out there, but this sports chain where I took the reg has taken way too long. I have actually been in there a few times, "Hi, I came to pick up my regulator!", then "Oh, it's not ready yet". They send the equipment elsewhere for inspection. I'll be paying them another visit tomorrow evening. However I get a regulator, whether it is my own, or a store rental (don't want that), or a replacement (best case, I've been thinking about a console / computer upgrade), sounds like I'll be playing in my pool this weekend before getting on the plane.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

So Cal. Sports chain. Sends regs out for servicing. Say it with me...Sport Chalet.

I'm just curious. Once you get the reg back, if it requires additional tuning, will they have to send the reg out again? That would suck.

What brand of reg do you have? The reason I ask is because Sport Chalet is a big Aqualung dealer. Aqualung/Apeks regs, according to manufacturer recommendations, require overhaul every other year with only a cursory reg inspection on in-between years. The reg inspection (IP check + check cracking pressure on second stages + subjective breathing test) can be done very quickly. It takes 5 minutes, seriously. It would be a shame if your Sport Chalet location sent your reg away for just a reg inspection.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

I suspect I know the answer on this board, but I wanted to find out yor experiences with equipment inspections.

We are told they need to be done annually. How many people really do inspect their equipment (most notably your regulators and a pressure test on the guage or computer) or have their equipment inspected? I suspect most divers on this board probably would do the annual inspection.

Now for the second part of this, for those that have someone else do their inspections, what has been your experience with the turn around times? I am now going on 3 weeks since I took my regulator and computer in for inspection. Given that I am hopping on a plane in about a week to go diving, I am getting really antsy that it has not come back yet, and am getting close to demanding a store credit for replacement.

So what are some of your other thoughts?

Three weeks sounds a bit long to perform a service that should just take a couple hours at most. If the shop does not have a very good explanation for why it is taking so long to do a routine annual service... time for a new shop. You could have mailed the regs off for service and had them back faster than that.


Good luck.