Equipment Servicing

[Rich Keller]

I have a few questions for the experienced folks out there. What is driving them is I am considering (in the next 6 months) buying my own equipment. First up is BCD, computer and reg set. I am not looking for debate on what to buy first. I have read pages on here for that. I will most probably be buying my gear online as there is one very small LDS here and they will not budge on prices. They are die hard SP also. Please let's not get into the LDS vs online debate. I have read pages of that also. Due to very limited diving here and my having small children who keep most of weekends occupied, I am looking at getting to go diving maybe once every 2 or 3 months for a dive getting maybe 3 dives in. I am fine with that for now. So, after all the upfront stuff, my question is this: I know most manufacturers say to get their regs serviced every year. However, if I am only putting maybe 10 dives on them in twelve months and they are being kept indoors and clean, is that really necessary? I know it voids free equipment deals and warranties and I am ok with that. I am looking at buying a SP reg set online that SP will not honor the warranty on anyway, so that is not a huge deal for me. What are the all knowing folks on here's opinions? Also, I am looking for simple advice too. I am looking at buying a MK25/G250V reg set as I have tried one and really like it. However, I can buy a Sherwood Magnum set that will have a warranty honored. Are they close in breathing ability? I do not want to buy another reg set in a few years, so I need something that will last. About the coldest diving for me would be Lake Ouachita in Arkansas that gets down to around 52 degree F at depth I believe. Thanks!!!!!

If you do not care about a warranty and like SP you should consider getting a used SP reg. SP still makes parts for every reg they ever made and most of the reg parts are the exact same just with different part numbers for each model. Your LDS is an SP shop so they can rebuild just about anything you get. My only concern would be if they are not willing to budge on price they may tell you these parts are no longer available in order to sell you new equipment. Not long ago I sold my newer regs and replaced them with the R108HP, R109, MK3 and MK5 as these are far better regs then what you can buy today and are far easier to do your own service on. BCDs and computers are something you would be better off buying new but as I do not use a BCD or computer I can not offer any advice past that.

 

[eelnoraa]

AFAIK, SP warranty works like this. If you buy from an authorized SP dealer, the parts are free for life IF and ONLY IF you have it serviced annually. You still have to pay for labor (the bigger portion of the cost) just not parts. Once you skip the annual mark, you have to pay for parts.

Economically speaking, it isn't really worth the hassle of own your own regulator if you are doing 10 dives a year. The amount you pay for annual service will be more than your rental fees. Sure you may have a higher performance reg, but with a properly maintained rental reg, I doubt you can notice significant differences.

 

[fjpatrum]

I'm a new diver but I have no intention of servicing my gear every year at ~$100 a pop. (I have a SP MK10/G250 reg set). I will do it every other year or as I notice minute changes in performance while diving. I have already bought "Regulator Savvy" and a couple of other things for purposes of servicing the kit myself but in the meantime, I see no reason to pay extra for the same (or arguably lower) quality of performance. I bought my gear used so I never had a warranty of any kind. The key there is I am doing approximately 20 dives a year and I am deliberately paying close attention to the performance of my reg.

As for BC, computer etc... buy a computer you can replace the battery on yourself and be done with it. There's no reason to have a shop inspect your computer unless it starts acting strangely. (I compare my computer performance to that of my buddy every couple dives. I dive with instabuddies most of the time so I get a good variance of performance comparisons this way.) Give your gear an inspection every time you go dive and treat it well. BCs can last 20 years (or longer) if well cared for, especially if you're using them that infrequently. I know this because I bought a 20 year old BC that works just fine. (4 or 5 actually.)

Other people on here will tell you that "it's life support" and "isn't your life worth it" and all that but the simple fact is gear maintenance is actually not that difficult. People who dive 10-20 dives a year simply don't put that much stress on their gear just as those people who drive 5000 miles a year don't put as much stress on their cars as those that drive 30000 miles a year.