Equipment repair tech?

[Just phil]

Simple/stupid question:

My question is, what is needed if I wanted to become a equipment repair tech at a dive shop down the road(meaning retirement)?
I'm taking the Equipment specialty at the end of March, and I understand that it's just an "intro" to your equipment.
Just wondering what's involved.

Thanks
Phil

 

[Jim Lapenta]

It depends on the shop and brand. Some brands you must be employed by a shop to take the mfg classes. Others can certify you to work on gear you own without any shop affiliation. You would though have to set up some kind of business with insurance and such to work on other people's stuff for pay. What you want to do now is buy two books, Scuba Regulator Repair and Maintenance for Airspeed Press and Regulator Savvy from Scubatools or other dealer. Study them. Then pick up a cheap reg from ebay that you can get parts for, a few tools, and take it apart and rebuild it. See if a local tech will oversee you or let you watch them. Some may not as they won't be able to keep up the façade that some try to. It's not rocket science.

As for the equipment specialty that can vary from instructor to instructor. I have seen instructors teach one of those courses who are not trained tech's and have never cracked open a reg or looked inside a tank. If that is the kind of course you signed up for and that is who is teaching it, get your money back. On the other hand my Equipment Specialty course early on was taught by a shop owner who did service gear, did do tank inspections, and was a very good course. The course I offer is similar to that. We take regs apart and open tanks, service tank valves, and go over setting IP's, cracking pressures, swapping hoses and HP spools, etc. Stuff that may save your dive day.

But get those two books to begin with and study them.

 

[Bob DBF]

You need to be the shop owners best friend and know how to repair regs and anything else that comes in. Probably spend most of your time answering phones, filling tanks, and selling gear to whoever opens the door. All of this is part time and the new guy gets the bad shifts. Most of the gear techs at my LDS are also instructors and DM's, who are trying to make as much of their living in the industry as they can.

I've been servicing and rebuilding SCUBA gear for decades and couldn't get a job there on a bet because I'm not dedicated enough to do the rest of the job.



Bob

 

[Nemrod]

Simple/stupid question:

My question is, what is needed if I wanted to become a equipment repair tech at a dive shop down the road(meaning retirement)?
I'm taking the Equipment specialty at the end of March, and I understand that it's just an "intro" to your equipment.
Just wondering what's involved.

Thanks
Phil

I am going to let you in on a little industry secret, shhhhhhhhh, there really is no such thing.

There is no industry wide, agreed upon, inclusive curriculum that in the end result certifies you as a SCUBA equipment tech. Most who label themselves as such have learned it on their own, showed a nack for it (you can hope), then attended manufacturers seminars (I have attended a few, pretty worthless) and then got themselves some tools (maybe) and went to it. The scary part, in many retail dive stores, it is the new guy, lowest on the totem pole, one step up from the tank schlepper.

N

 

[chrispete]

What Nemrod said...

 

[tplyons]

Sadly, you will need manufacturer's certifications for many of the bigger brands. Some manufacturers require affiliation with a dive shop that is a dealer, and others will let you certify without any affiliation.

I got my OTS Guardian Technician certification without any affiliation because there isn't a local shop that I want to work on my mask, so I'd rather do it myself as well as for my buddies that use them.

I'm sponsored by my LDS so I can get another certification later this month. It's the top brand the shop sells and about 90% of the repairs that come through the door. The shop owner is certified by the other manufacturers so it doesn't make sense for me to get those extra certifications.

Cylinder inspections are yet another certification.

It's not cheap to be certified. If you want to work for someone else, you'll need them though. Hopefully you can find a dive shop to sponsor you and pay for the manufacturer technician courses.

 

[Just phil]

Thanks, I appreciate the info. It seems that I'll have a chat with my local shop...

thanks again.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Jim got this one spot on. Take a basic class, be available to watch and lean from and experienced tech, start your library with the books he mentions, and start collecting and reading manufacturer's diagrams and specs, creating an appropriate library. Be willing to attend manufacturer's classes on line or in person. A good service/ repair person will always find work.
DivemasterDennis

 

[ams511]

Simple/stupid question:

My question is, what is needed if I wanted to become a equipment repair tech at a dive shop down the road(meaning retirement)?
I'm taking the Equipment specialty at the end of March, and I understand that it's just an "intro" to your equipment.
Just wondering what's involved.

Thanks
Phil

The equipment specialty can be anything the shop wants it to be. I have seen some shops advertise that they teach rebuilding of equipment.

 

[Pedro Burrito]

I'm certified to repair Legend LX, Titan LX and XTX50 regulators. To access the Aqualung/Apeks online training, you must log on to the aqualung website using a dealer account. To get Scubapro training, you must be sponsored by a Scubapro dealer.

You need to be on good enough terms with a dealer to get userids or sponsorship. Many are in need of part time regulator technician help so ask. That's how I got started.