How often does a regulator NEED to be serviced?

[scubaskipper]

The biggest thing I've noticed about service intervals is the number of dives between service and or the time between service. The difference being the type of lub used during the service process. Some types seem to dry out over a period of time. It doesn't matter if I dive the reg. or it sits on the shelf. Other types of lub don't dry out as easily but seem more water soluable so number of dives, not time is the issue. If your service provider is good, tell them the number of dives you average and they should know the best way to proceed.

As someone working in the boat end of the business, don't get your reg. serviced and then go on a dive vacation. Do at least one dive BEFORE you go on vacation. Check the GEAR and your SKILLS. With any group, at least 10% have reg. issues, at some time during the week. Another 10% have some sort of skill issues during the week. For those of you leading shop trips, nothing makes the shop look worse than a bunch of gear problems with everyone saying, " I don't know what's wrong, I just had all my gear serviced before the trip." A night of scuba refreshers wouldn't be a bad idea either, before the trip.

 

[rstofer]

I would rather dive with the well used regulator I used yesterday than the one I had serviced today. I don't have real good luck with newly serviced regulators. Of the three I recently had serviced, all started free flowing withing minutes of being put back in service. Pretty much a 100% failure rate.

Sure, the shop made adjustments and eliminated the free flow but that's not the point. Why did they fail immediately after service? What adjustment was required? How can I assume the regulator is now properly adjusted? If it was only going to take minutes before the regulator 'creeped', why didn't they just wait it out and deliver the regulator properly adjusted?

If I had a source for Oceanic parts, I would never take my regs to the shop. This stuff ain't brain surgery.

I bought a Dive Rite Hurricane regulator and I am considering buying more. Why? Because the service manual is online and the parts are readily available from DiveRiteExpress. Although my little herd of 4 divers has a collection of regulators, maybe the right thing is to replace them all with Hurricanes.

Richard

 

[CaptBill]

I have to agree with the free-flowing regs right after service. The last thing I was taught to do was to purge the reg 20-30 times to seat everything. It's amazing how many times you'll think you've got a reg adjusted just right, and it will free-flow just a tiny bit after this purge. Another trick is to leave it "on pressure for about 5 minutes to double check your work. Then remove the pressure, leave it on the IP guage, but do not purge. Walk away for about 10 minutes, good coffee break time, and when you return check the IP. If it hasn't moved more than 1 or 2 degrees then you're OK. Now return the air, purge again to check, if OK, you're done. Is this overkill on a repair. Maybe, but like I said I've never had a diver say a reg I worked on failed after service.

 

[beanojones]

The thing I noticed about service intervals is that the manufacturers themselves do not support them. I have always dove gear with 'free lifetime parts'. And the manufacturers only give you free parts once a year, even though they say the service interval is one year or 100 dives.

Four dives a day, seven days a week, is 112 (or more) a month. And never did I get free parts every month. They only give one O/H kit a year.

 

[redacted]

If I had a source for Oceanic parts, I would never take my regs to the shop. This stuff ain't brain surgery.

I bought a Dive Rite Hurricane regulator and I am considering buying more. Why? Because the service manual is online and the parts are readily available from DiveRiteExpress. Although my little herd of 4 divers has a collection of regulators, maybe the right thing is to replace them all with Hurricanes.

Richard

Give Scubatoys a call. They are an Oceanic dealer and I believe they might take care of you.

 

[redacted]

I have to agree with the free-flowing regs right after service. The last thing I was taught to do was to purge the reg 20-30 times to seat everything. It's amazing how many times you'll think you've got a reg adjusted just right, and it will free-flow just a tiny bit after this purge. Another trick is to leave it "on pressure for about 5 minutes to double check your work. Then remove the pressure, leave it on the IP guage, but do not purge. Walk away for about 10 minutes, good coffee break time, and when you return check the IP. If it hasn't moved more than 1 or 2 degrees then you're OK. Now return the air, purge again to check, if OK, you're done. Is this overkill on a repair. Maybe, but like I said I've never had a diver say a reg I worked on failed after service.

That will take care of the 1st stage but I think some techs are tuning the 2nds without detuning them the extra 30 degrees for the new seat. In most cases, that seat takes a set as a function of time rather than usage as the downstream pressure reduces the force of the seat against the orifice. So if the reg breathes better than ever when you first get it back, it may be leaking (just a little) after a few weeks or months when that LP seats takes a set.

 

[halocline]

Another trick is to leave it "on pressure for about 5 minutes to double check your work. Then remove the pressure, leave it on the IP guage, but do not purge. Walk away for about 10 minutes, good coffee break time, and when you return check the IP. If it hasn't moved more than 1 or 2 degrees then you're OK. Now return the air, purge again to check, if OK, you're done. Is this overkill on a repair. Maybe, but like I said I've never had a diver say a reg I worked on failed after service.

I assume you're talking about leaving the reg pressurized on a tank but without the air on, correct? If so, this is a good thing to do, but it's not the IP gauge that's likely to move, it's the SPG, which would indicate some leak in the HP area.

Checking for IP creep is probably best done with the tank on. And I usually leave it on for far more than 5 minutes; a couple of hours or overnight is more typical for me. Then again I'm doing this at home on my own schedule. I don't know if there's much gained by leaving the newly-serviced reg pressurized for such a long time, but my feeling is that it might help set the new HP seat. Plus, I've seen very slow IP creep in some regs; maybe 10-15PSI over the course of an hour. While this is hardly a cause for immediate concern, it's indicative of a less-than-perfect seal in the HP area and could turn worse.

The idea of taking a newly serviced reg on a dive before going on a dive trip is a great one.

 

[CaptBill]

"I assume you're talking about leaving the reg pressurized on a tank but without the air on, correct? If so, this is a good thing to do, but it's not the IP gauge that's likely to move, it's the SPG, which would indicate some leak in the HP area."

While you're correct about an IP movement showing a problem with the HP seat, it can alsio show a small leak elsewhere in the system. Next time you're working on your reg leave it connected to the IP guage with the air off and hit the purge. I also agree with checking for IP creep as an indication of a HP problem with the air on.
BTW, if any of my customers say they're going on a dive trip I always ask them to do a dive locally before to test all their equipment. Never had one say a trip was ruined because the reg failed I worked on, but there is always a chance. I'm not perfect, and with some of the manufacturers having parts made in questionable areas there is always a concern.

 

[CaptBill]

That will take care of the 1st stage but I think some techs are tuning the 2nds without detuning them the extra 30 degrees for the new seat. In most cases, that seat takes a set as a function of time rather than usage as the downstream pressure reduces the force of the seat against the orifice. So if the reg breathes better than ever when you first get it back, it may be leaking (just a little) after a few weeks or months when that LP seats takes a set.

Good point. I always detune the ones I work on just that little bit. I also ask my customers if they're familiar with how to detune if needed. I explain how easy it is to do and I give a warranty on my work so if this does happen they can bring it right back to be re-adjusted at no charge. I know some shops will charge if a customer comes back in 3 months and will give them an attitude. Why they go back to these people I'll never understand.

 

[beanojones]

That will take care of the 1st stage but I think some techs are tuning the 2nds without detuning them the extra 30 degrees for the new seat.

I am just curious where the 30 degrees comes from? I always heard 1/4 turn but I was working on rental so... (On my own gear I wait for the leak to detune.)