Failure rate of first stages? what is real need for a spare first stage on a trip

[tridacna]

An actuary friend of mine used to joke that he always carried a bomb on every flight he took. He reasoned that the possibility of two bombs on the same plane were astronomically high and he felt safer that way. Kinda like this argument on this thread.

 

[lexvil]

An actuary friend of mine used to joke that he always carried a bomb on every flight he took. He reasoned that the possibility of two bombs on the same plane were astronomically high and he felt safer that way. Kinda like this argument on this thread.

Has he got a release date yet?

 

[Landau]

I have never seen a first stage fail. I have seen two lots hoses burst. They were both rubber, not flex, but beyond that I can’t comment on their condition as they belonged to other groups at the site or on the boat.

The live aboard one divers failed on replaced it for a reasonable price.

 

[lexvil]

I alway bring a spare reg set when diving locally or traveling, I like how I’ve set my stuff up and don’t want to mess around if there is a problem. I have had first stage failures on new regs, I rarely buy new anymore, primary travel reg is a titanium Atomic, and my current back up is a Zeagle F8, both yoke for ease of use where I don’t have my own tanks.

 

[lowwall]

what would the failure rate be? in my VERY inexperienced mind, I would think it would be less than 1% over that total sample size. Maybe others could weigh in what would be the expected failure rate of first stages?

It's much, much less than 1%. I've never seen one. I only have a couple of hundred dives, but if you include the dives of all the other people on the boats with me during that time, it adds up to a couple of thousand dives with no first stage failures.

The only spare I take when flying somewhere to dive is a prescription mask. My eyesight is bad enough that there would be no point in diving without it. I can live with rentals for anything else that fails

 

[drbill]

In 57 years on SCUBA, I've only had one first stage fail on me and it was a rental unit in Thailand. Unless the one you're diving with hasn't been serviced in years and is an off-brand, I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[jgttrey]

As others note, it's rare. The best advice is to function check your regs before you leave on the trip, preferably with enough time to do something about it if you find a problem.

I think regulators are like boats - they tend to develop problems when they aren't being used. That's when I've found issues like IP creep or, in one case, a diaphram that developed a problem and caused significant leakage. But, I've never had a problem show up halfway through a trip.

If there is a backup rental option, and you've checked function of your own set before the trip, I wouldn't worry about a back up.

While you're at it, check your low pressure inflator. They tend to fail more often. For 15 bucks and a zip tie, it's pretty cheap insurance to carry one of those.

 

[Bob DBF]

As others note, it's rare. The best advice is to function check your regs before you leave on the trip, preferably with enough time to do something about it if you find a problem.

Including diving it after it has been serviced and before you leave on your trip.

I've only had one actual first stage failure that ended the dive, it was ages ago, before I started working on my own gear. Most of my diving is local so bringing extra gear is not an issue. If it was a dive vacation trip costing thousands, I look at it in the same way as a backup computer, it probably won't be necessary, however if it is I'd rather dive my own gear than some random shop gear, if available.

I have had other failures, I don't count, using regs I've picked up second hand and seemed ok, but when I dove them they weren't. I just write that off as sort of the cost of doing business, as with an unknown history I didn't assume they would work properly when I started the dive. Also a couple when I was first checking out my own repairs, nothing major, but failures none the less.

As a new diver with new gear that has been dove a few times, I wouldn't worry about it.


Bob

 

[fmerkel]

I've had 2 failures. Both were a leak past the first stage seal enough to cause bubbling between breaths. Now I carry a spare, and have personally not used it. But I did give it to a guide in the Philippines that was too busy, and probably broke, to get his badly leaking MK25 overhauled.

 

[scrane]

I think it depends on your destination. If you are going somewhere you can't buy, rent, or borrow a regulator set it may be worth thinking about.