First Regulator after Certification

[Jimmer]

Great advice from all. I find myself asking the same question as "salub2007" I'm a very mechanically inclined DIY'er so i'm wondering where does one find parts to service ones regulator.

Well it depends on what brand you have. Some brands you need to beg cheat and steal to get parts. Other are very open about it. If you use Dive Rite you can buy parts at diveriteexpress.com, Salvo at salvodiving.com, Zeagle isn't quite as vocal about it as the other two I mentioned, but their offical policy is that there is no restriction on the sale of parts to the end user, and scubatoys.com will sell their parts kits.

I'm sure there are others, I just cant think of them right now.

Jim

 

[herman]

Great advice from all. I find myself asking the same question as "salub2007" I'm a very mechanically inclined DIY'er so i'm wondering where does one find parts to service ones regulator. I read on my class book (OWD). that only pro's should do the job. But what if I don't trust the guy at the LDS?? what if they charge me for new parts and they did not replace them like the mechanics are known to do on your car??? I trust myself to do it right and only a few honest people that I know to do it for me. As far as my dive equipmnt. I want to learn to do it myself. This way I know it's done right. And, I mean the right way. I can't cheat myself ya know!

Great advice "nereas" it saves me a lot of time looking around.

Do some reading in the DIY section of the board. There is a lot of good advice there on DIY reg repair. A lot of us do our own for many reasons. Search "Regulator Savvy", it is a very good book to read for the reg DIYer.

 

[Nemrod]

Great advice from all. I find myself asking the same question as "salub2007" I'm a very mechanically inclined DIY'er so i'm wondering where does one find parts to service ones regulator. I read on my class book (OWD). that only pro's should do the job. But what if I don't trust the guy at the LDS?? what if they charge me for new parts and they did not replace them like the mechanics are known to do on your car??? I trust myself to do it right and only a few honest people that I know to do it for me. As far as my dive equipmnt. I want to learn to do it myself. This way I know it's done right. And, I mean the right way. I can't cheat myself ya know!

Great advice "nereas" it saves me a lot of time looking around.

The guy at the LDS is not a "Mechanic" and therein lies part of the problem, he is usually some guy that hangs out at the retail dive store until they give him a semi-job.

Some brands are easier to get parts for, other not so easy. Most people who have been diving a long time develop sources or a "collection" of spares from which to service their regs. The O rings can be purchased many places, no problem there. Many parts are more durable than given credit for and can be reused, some springs, some diaphragms etc. After you have used the equipment for a while you begin to get an idea of what is important, assuming as you said, you are "mechanical" and that is your call.

N

 

[Couv]

Great advice from all. I find myself asking the same question as "salub2007" I'm a very mechanically inclined DIY'er so i'm wondering where does one find parts to service ones regulator. I read on my class book (OWD). that only pro's should do the job. But what if I don't trust the guy at the LDS?? what if they charge me for new parts and they did not replace them like the mechanics are known to do on your car??? I trust myself to do it right and only a few honest people that I know to do it for me. As far as my dive equipmnt. I want to learn to do it myself. This way I know it's done right. And, I mean the right way. I can't cheat myself ya know!

Great advice "nereas" it saves me a lot of time looking around.

Hello Fingeorge,

As Jimmer mentioned, some manufactures do allow sales of parts to the end user, others can be purchased on ebay.

To the second part of your question, start off with a service manual or two. Both service manuals usually discussed here are great; Vance Harlow's "SCUBA Regulator Maintenance and Repair"

http://www.airspeedpress.com/newregbook.html

and the Scuba Tools book,​

"Regulator Savvy" http://www.scubatools.com/ are well worth the money.​

I own both and recommend getting one of each. If you are dead set on getting only​

one, then Vance's is a little more suitable for the DIY guy while the ScubaTools​

book is more suitable for the shop worker. ScubaTools has some pretty decent​

tools too, so if you order from there pay a few extra bucks and get the bullets,​

spanners, and regulator specific tools that you need with your first order and​

save on shipping. Get a few old regulators like the ones you will be servicing​

from eBay or Craigs list and practice. After just one or two seasons of servicing​

your own gear, you will have recovered your investment.​

​

Here are a couple of websites with tons of regulator specific manuals:

Regulator manuals

http://www.frogkick.dk/manuals/

Good luck,

couv

 

[fingeorge]

There is hope... Now I know it is humanly possible to DIY and learn to do it right. I've got some reading to do. I'm all for reading something that really interests me. heck I'll be reading those books you guys recommended from cover to cover. I just wanna take a regulator apart and peek inside. I just don't want it to be the one I'm using now, not until I know what I'm doin anyways. This one is due for a tune-up but I don't know anyone locally that I trust with my life..er...Regulator! great advice guys, .....see you in the water.