How can I become a regulator repair technician?

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Hello guys:

I am extremely tempted to open my perfectly functional Atomic Z2 and look at how it is put together, mess around and put it back. I have never been inside a reg before but I would like to open up regs for a hobby. Can anyone please tell me if there are any courses for regulator repair technicians that are directed towards us ordinary folks?

Thanks.

 

[redacted]

Start here: SCUBA REGULATOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR by Vance Harlow

If necessary, find a mentor.

 

[buton]

That would be a nice hobby...

 

[Capt.Gene]

Borrow you're buddy's reg. It's been done before.

 

[halocline]

How to become a regulator technician:

1. Buy a regulator.
2. Buy a hammer, a nice big one.
No, wait, it's a joke......

Let's try it again.

1. Get a job at a dive shop.
2. Take a one day course that nobody has ever failed.
Hmmmm...is this also a joke?

In all seriousness, the book awap suggested is a great one, and hopefully you can find a mentor. It is a great hobby for someone with some mechanical inclination and there's always lots of helpful folks on this forum.

 

[GillScales]

Buy an old reg on eBay,maybea repair manual too if you can find one, grab some tools and have fun.

 

[Zen Diving Inc.]

Contact the dealer reps for training. Typically this is reserved for dive shops and repair facilities.

 

[Scared Silly]

I would kindly suggest not opening it up unless you have the proper tools. The reg is chrome plated brass. Brass is soft and you will probably mar it. Further, if you take the piston out and reinstall it with out the bullet you will damage the o-rings.

To start with, read the manuals: http://frogkick.dk/manuals/atomic which has a presentation on tearing down and rebuilding a reg.

If afterwards you really want to play with your regs get Vance's book as well as Pete's book (scubatools.com). Scubatools.com is also where you want to buy tools. Though not all are needed.

FWIW atomic utilizes a piston reg that will help you understand how they work. Piston regs are pretty easy to work on.

As for a course - typically they are offered at DEMA. However and as said above unless you are associated with a shop you will not be allowed to attend. Even if you get into DEMA as a divemaster/instructor you will not be able to attend. That said it is my understanding the course basically covers the presentation referenced above. So you can self study. After that find a mentor.

As for doing it as a hobby - the biggest issue will be getting parts especially service kits. Most mfg. do not allow service kits to be sold except to shops. There is currently one diver shop selling Atomic Kits.

Edit to add my comments on the classes and kits is mostly geared towards Atomic as that is the mfg you mentioned. To my knowledge only Hog/Edge offers class and kits, though Zeagle does sell kits. Might be one or two others.

 

[herman]

Don't let anyone scare you off, regs are fairly simple devices. Some of the manuf class might be good but I got "certified" on a major brand by a factory rep this spring.....spent 3 hrs in a class, opened the regs by hand (no tools), reassembled them by hand and never tested anything. Oh, and I am certified on the entire line although we only dissambled one model. We never did open a second stage but I am now a "certified tech" on that brand.....as is the other person who set there totally glazed over as the instructor talked about how the reg worked. I at least understood what he was talking about.
Most don't require special tools and for those that do, can be made fairly easily. Buy both of the books suggested above, read and UNDERSTAND them and find a few service manuals to read as well. Then find an old reg that is similar in design to your Atomics. Most any flow through piston reg will do nicely reguardless of the huffing and puffing of the manuf and lovers of particular brands, all regs within a given class (flow by piston, flow through piston, the diaphagram regs, ect) are very similar in internal design. The SP MK-5s and 10s are good choices since both have big following here so finding members with lots of experience to help is easy and aftermarket parts are getting easy to find. There are also a lot of clones of those regs that are very similar.

 

[Doppler]

Contact Chris Richardson at EDGE/HOG... edgediving@gmail dot com.

Chris is located in Georgia and was the first reg. "manufacturer" to offer technician's courses to regular punters like yourself. (This caused a stir in the industry because until Chris had the balls to do it openly, regulator service was a sort of closed-guild thing.) He runs clinics at various shows around the country (he will be at DEMA in a couple of weeks). The course is sanctioned by TDI so that's who issues the certification.

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Oh, AND Chris sells parts and service kits directly to customers... not bad regs either.