How important to have same regulator setup for tec

[Magnus Lundstedt]

N
I don't know why this would matter to you unless you are a registered regular tech and you are only certified to service a given number of models.

I see a great advantage of only need to stock service kits to one (or a few) model of regulator. I have i few different regulators that uses the same kit, I use only 2 brands, but i use models in the brand that uses the same kit.

Now maybe I have to many regulators, but to many regulators is not eunogh ;-)

 

[fullytek]

except they aren't exposed to identical conditions. May be on separate tanks, one isn't always being used, one sees inherently less cycles since it isn't always in use, etc etc.
Most common regulator failure is HP creep. That is not an exposure failure, it's a use failure. Just because one failed, does not increase the risk of the other failing.
In ice diving, most common failure is an ice block in the second stage which causes freeflow. Just because one failed does not increase the risk of the other failing that hasn't been used. One could argue that the operator error that caused the first will repeat the second, but in that case the regulator chosen was not up to the task at hand. I.e. buy NORSOK approved regs for ice diving, Apeks and Poseidon

See now you are starting to talk about the hundreds of contributing factors. And all will play a part. 3 year ago I was on a superior trip when 2 guys in the same team had first stage failures on the same dives.
Both were DS4s both services in the same shop
But one machine had atleast 50 trouble free dives since service well the other had less then 10.
Hummm my scuba flows did not fail on that dive hummm.

Funny my scubaflow dill reg sufferd a hp seat failure this summer just a few weeks after service.

If Bill Main is practicing this philosophy then who am I or who are you to argue?

 

[Diver0001]

Most common regulator failure is HP creep.

Only if you own Scubapro regulators.

They are built with more O-rings than the space shuttle and Scubapro has a well earned reputation for creeping.

In my experience (having owned mostly Aqualung and Apeks regulators) regulator failures of any kind are exceedingly rare. In fact, I have an Aqualung regulator from 1972 that hasn't been serviced since 1988. I recently had it on a tank and the IP is still stable after all that time.

Certain Scubapro regs are unlikely to have a stable IP 3 weeks after servicing in my (admittedly limited) experience.

R..

 

[PfcAJ]

Equipment Configuration | Global Underwater Explorers

 

[jgttrey]

@Diver0001, I agree with you the function is the non-negotiable priority.

You seem to presume that I am proposing to compromise on function in order to achieve some other goal, whether it is to simplify my service supply chain or simply have matching socks. No. That's not what I'm saying.

When functionality is satisfied and equal, then those "secondary" goals are perfectly legitimate reasons to prefer one model over another. Service convenience and spares is one legitimate secondary goal and, yes, I do service my own gear.

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

regarding the socks i have a higly functionalistic approach.

I buy one model of socks, and i dont have to care about matching them and when one sock get past ULT I just throw that one away and do not need to worry about unmatching pairs.

 

[Diver0001]

@Diver0001, I agree with you the function is the non-negotiable priority.

You seem to presume that I am proposing to compromise on function in order to achieve some other goal, whether it is to simplify my service supply chain or simply have matching socks. No. That's not what I'm saying.

When functionality is satisfied and equal, then those "secondary" goals are perfectly legitimate reasons to prefer one model over another. Service convenience and spares is one legitimate secondary goal and, yes, I do service my own gear.

Fair enough. Once the main goal is met than other goals can and should be addressed.

R..

 

[tbone1004]

If Bill Main is practicing this philosophy then who am I or who are you to argue?

who is he to make that doctrine? Also how do you know that is his argument for using different regulators?

Who's to say that the same shop didn't service both scubapro and apeks? Who's to say it wasn't the technicians fault? Who's to say it wasn't a mass bad-batch of HP seats that are shared from different manufacturers *which is a thing btw*. Those failures are arguments for not servicing both posts at the same time with the same batch of parts, but not for using different regulators altogether.

Case and point, the link that @PfcAJ has a lot of incorrect information on it in the discussion of regulators. There is nothing inherently "better" about a balanced second stage, it is less sensitive to fluctuations of IP, but it is not an inherently "better performer". The higher IP does not make more gas "available" to a diver, even at 80psi it will deliver more gas than you can breathe, but it does help counteract the spring pressure "better" on unbalanced second stages which will make them breathe more smoothly.
There is discussion that unbalanced regulators should only be used shallow and for low-demand. They still depth compensate and the lack of balancing is as a function of tank pressure not depth. There is nothing about them that makes them able to respond slower or provide less gas than a balanced equivalent. It certainly applies to a MK2 vs a MK25, but that is on a specific regulator, not a design of regulators.
This is coming from a highly lauded training agency and there is incorrect information on their site. Who's to say that Bill isn't using those regulators because he's been using them for 30 years and doesn't have a need or desire to get new/different regulators?

 

[Diver0001]

regarding the socks i have a higly functionalistic approach.

I buy one model of socks, and i dont have to care about matching them and when one sock get past ULT I just throw that one away and do not need to worry about unmatching pairs.

Although my example was true to life, I never expected people to take it so literally. Apparently I am not the only person to have given up on trying match socks. In my case it originated from being severely colour blind and having to spend WAY too much time matching socks, but once I "gave up" on sock matching it was very liberating.....

That said, leave it to the Swedish guy to invent a system that is SO efficient that he neither needs to worry about matching socks nor needs to worry about them being unmatched....

They'll write songs about this!

R..

 

[fullytek]

who is he to make that doctrine? Also how do you know that is his argument for using different regulators?

Because I asked him.

Do you know who Bill is?