How do I detune my oceanic reg?

[noobascooba]

Hi all,
I have had a Oceanic Zeta for a few months now. It has always been prone to free flow, but it breathed really well and was ok as long as I remembered to flood the mouthpiece when it was out of my mouth,

I used it yesterday and it is suddenly too sensitive. It free flows when it is out of my mouth. There is a continuous faint hissing coming from it, which I think is the servo priming, and it free flows a little even when it's in my mouth unless I keep my jaw very tightly clamped around it- this is really irritating, especially when the bubbles keep getting into my mask through the purge valve and flooding it!

I guess a sensitivity adjustment has worked loose but I don't know how to fix it.

Can anyone tell me how to detune this reg? I don't even know where to start.

Obviously I am asking for educational reasons only and will get the reg checked over by an authorised technician

Thanks

ns

 

[redacted]

The zeta is not a common, simple design. http://www.adventuresdownunder.com/nonadjregulators.htm

It would probably be best to take it to your friendly professional.

 

[wreckchick]

Make sure to take the whole reg set in. It could either be too sensitive in the second stage which is an easy fix on most regs IF you know how to do it, or the IP in the 1st stage might be too high. Best to take it to a tech who knows Oceanic and let him/her look at it.

How many dives do you have with this reg and in what conditions?

Rachel

 

[noobascooba]

I haven't had the reg for long- it has a weekend of salt water dives and maybe 6 pool sessions on it, but yesterday was the first time it gave me real problems. Maybe it gets bashed around too much, it does sound like it has a lot of sensitive engineering in a small shell (but it's transported in a padded reg bag). To be honest, I mainly bought it for the sealed, balanced 1st stage (CDX5) - it's a cheap deal right now I guess because people generally don't like how twitchy the zeta is.

My main reason for wanting to know how to do this myself rather than always relying on a technician was for 'field repairs', especially since I might be doing some relatively cold water diving soon- I can't loose a whole dive trip because a screw has worked loose making the reg too unstable for cold water. Sorry this has got a bit rambling!

awap thanks for the link, it does look complicated.

 

[deepblueme]

Looks like a remodeled Omega 2nd to me and those can be kind of twitchy, both from salt build up or from even a little grain of sand comming in from the mouth piece.
Could also be 1st stage pressure leaking past 2nd so make sure you get line pressure checked .
Very eazy breating reg though.

Most likley the 2nd main seat has taken a set, even though it is a "brand new reg" you may have no idea how long it set on a shelf. Not using a reg is harder on it than using it everyday.

Find a Dealer that will let you watch(show you) how to fix what is wrong. There is alot a reg system owner can/should be able to feild repair. PADI stores offer an Equipment course based on this. Check with a shop and see if they show you on your reg or find one that is an Oceanic Dealer.

 

[noobascooba]

I like the idea of getting a tec to explain to me what is wrong. The only problem I can see with that is my LDS tec guy seems to be hard to pin down- he isn't there very often.

Maybe if I make an appointment it'd work out though. It's probably better than getting a more knowledgable diver friend to attack my reg with a screwdriver.

 

[DiveMaven]

I was in this exact place a few months ago, wanting to know how to do simple field fixes for a free flowing reg. I took the Equipment specialty course through my LDS and our instructor focused most of the class on field fixes for all gear. We got to break down 3-4 different regs and see how they worked, etc. It was lots of fun!

While on vacation recently, my husband regs free flowed before our first dive. I was able to fix it with utmost confidence and he dove the rest of the trip without any problems. Now he wants to take the class!!

If your tech guy will go over it without the class, that will definitely be just as good....and cheaper.

 

[Ken abucs]

I had a similar problem with a brand new Proton Ice, and it turned out to be a defective HP seat in the 1st stage.

Send it in for a check-up.

 

[oxyhacker]

The Zeta, like the Omega2 it is based on, is way down the list of regulators and inexperienced owner ought to be messing with - the are quirky and oversensitive. Some people love that, others hate it. They have some oddities in how they perform that take some getting used to, mainly the tendency to free flow and give you huge blasts of air if you breathe to deeply or quickly. But your Zeta shouldn't be hissing all the time, so take it back to the shop.

These regs have a very sensitive servo valve, and no cracking pressure adjustment but only lever height (which is adjusted by a screw in the diaphragm assembly, which you have to remove the diaphragm cover plate to access.). So while getting the lever height right can reduce the tendency to freeflow there is only so much you can do with this adjustment, and overdoing it will significantly reduce performance.

BTW, I notice the Omega2 and the Zeta are not in the current Oceanic catalog, or on the website. I think the curse of these designs was that, being very svelte and colorful, then tended to appeal to novice divers, the very people least able to cope with their idiosyncrasies and least able to appreciate their virtues.

 

[ippy01]

I have this very regulator, and have had free-flow problems from the start. I have about 300 dives on it, and experience a free-flow incident on nearly every dive, usually when I first turn the tank valve (I've taken to putting the reg in my mouth when I turn the tank valve to prevent this). Have had it serviced 3 times and my local LDS says they have done everything they can, and that this is very common with the Zeta. I think oxyhacker has it right -- this isn't the reg for someone not into perpetually tweaking their equipment.

On the plus side, it breathes very easy at depth.

Still, I'm in the market for another reg since this thing is just too twitchy.