Does anyone service their own gear (B/C, regulators, octos, ect...)? If so, how did you learn to do it?
I service my own. I started the same way most adolescent males learn how things work - I took gear apart to see how it was put together, then reassembled it (generally, without leftover parts). I took the PADI Equipment Specialist course, which didn't provide a whole lot of new information as far as prescribed course content, but which allowed me to ask a bunch of specific questions about servicing. My primary interest was in learning more about regulators, so I took a Regulator Service Technician course offered in the Raleigh, NC area (at Air-tech; VERY good course). I then got my LDS to register me for the Zeagle and Apeks seminars (I own Zeagle and Apeks regs) at DEMA as a shop staff member (which I am and have been as a DM/AI/OWSI, but not as a service technician - yet another benefit accrued from being a LDS loyalist, I might add). I took the DSAT Gas Blender course, which included oxygen cleaning, and by necessity, tank valve diassembly, service and reassembly. My progression in learning to service gear has not necessarily been efficient, or logically planned, but it has worked for me.
miller64:
on the same line ,if i ,later down the road,want to be certified to service ,do you have to go to the specific line,,i.e. Aeris,Oceanic,ect.Is it hard to get into the servicing?Just curious
It isn't hard necessarily, but shops generally do want you to be certified by (multiple) manufacturers to work on gear (or, at least by the manufacturers of the gear lines they stock), before they will hire you to do so. So, although regulator function is remarkably similar/identical across manufacturers, you do end up going through training seminars for the specific lines. These aren't particularly hard or long - for regulators, they are usually a half-day, involving regulator disassembly and reassembly. There are also longer technician courses that you can take to get a start. I mentioned Air-tech. There are many others. For example, Virginia Scuba Dive Center in Manassas, Virginia, offers a service technician program. These won't necessarily help you in Houston, but I mention them as examples. I am certain there are quite a few others. Even if you only want to service your own, they are a good source of information and training.