how often should i service ?

[scubafanatic]

Also, servicing is more important if you have a big $ dive trip approaching, and if that dive trip is going to be under demanding conditions.......if you lose a lake dive due to a bad reg, not a big deal, but if it negatively impacts an expensive dive trip that's a bigger deal. Also, after servicing, try to test dive it locally (lake/pool) as it's said one of the most common reg failure modes is improper servicing, better to find out there is a problem than on your expensive trip.

 

[knowone]

In other words, if you buy a reg for yourself then you inspect frequently and service when required or when you choose.

If you buy a regulator for a manufacturer that demands servicing whether required or not you are buying the regulator for the manufacturer.

 

[redacted]

Thanks for this valuable datapoint, awap.

If I may extrapolated a little: your lady did 192 dives over the last 4 years, so that's 50 dives a year. The 1st sign of warning (IP high) was last year, or about the 150th dive, give or take. That's perfectly in line with what DA said in others threads. Then you have this 2nd warning at the 200th dive.

From this, we can derive a fairly reliable rule of thumb for the MK25/20/10Plus which all use the same seat:

• 100 dives between service is safe
• 150 dives between service is achievable, with a little attention (de-shimming)
• 200 dives is push it a little far

Note that SP claims 1 million cycles for those seats: assuming 15 breaths per min. and 1000 breaths or cycles per 1h dive, that's 1000 dives.

I inspected the seat and could see nothing wrong other than a little dirt in the sealing area which I suspect would have been easily cleaned. I believe that accounts for the 5psi of creep it was experiencing that was not bad. Both piston o-rings still had plenty of lube but it looked a bit dried out and dirty. Plus the ambient chamber sealing surface has some deposits on it. I suspect that these conditions increased the friction forces the piston had to deal with resulting in the increase in the set IP. In the end, I installed both piston washers (shims) that were there and reinstalled the washer between the body and the seat retainer ending up with an IP of 132 which is about where it was in August '06 (130 psi).

Well, in spite of my general rule of "if it ain't broke, don't F-- with it"; I cleaned up the old seat and put it back in. Result is IP initially stops at 132 psi with 1 to 2 psi of creep between breaths, 3 to 4 psi of creep total after a minute, and no further creep after that. I believe that seat has plenty of life left in it. But I am going to put the new seat back in. (Did I mention that this is my wife's reg?)

I don't see anything here that would contradict Scubapro's claim. I'm putting that seat in my used but good stash.

 

[Zung]

Since I new to DIY, I don't have any historical record: that's why your datapoint is extremely valuable. I do have 1 seat that's clearly marked, but it's from a second hand reg with unknown lineage.

Nevertheless, 100-150 dives between "service" still sounds reasonable to me, where "service" could mean taking the reg to a shop, or, for the DIY'ers, cleaning, and optionally part replacement

You didn't mention the bushing system for the HP o-ring. Do you keep the old one? I wonder which, the bushing or the seat, last longer?

 

[redacted]

Since I new to DIY, I don't have any historical record: that's why your datapoint is extremely valuable. I do have 1 seat that's clearly marked, but it's from a second hand reg with unknown lineage.

Nevertheless, 100-150 dives between "service" still sounds reasonable to me, where "service" could mean taking the reg to a shop, or, for the DIY'ers, cleaning, and optionally part replacement

You didn't mention the bushing system for the HP o-ring. Do you keep the old one? I wonder which, the bushing or the seat, last longer?

I reused the old bushing, but don't tell her. Heck, I inspect the filters and if they are clean I reuse them also. But I have stopped cleaning dirty filters as my stock looks like it is going to out-live me anyway.

But I also opt for the best insurance against a regulator failure detracting from a dive trip. I always carry a spare reg set and often a few extra pieces in addition.

 

[SDAnderson]

I run the service department at a dive shop that sees upwards of a thousand regulators a year from our local divers and a brisk internet mail-in business; here are some experience based observations on how to delay the inevitable need for a full overhaul...

• Most people don't rinse well enough. We see the salt build up under the swages and in crevices that takes a loonnngggg time to dissolve. For those able to rinse well immediately after a dive in truly fresh water, an hour is probably long enough. For the salt water vacation diver who only had access to the usual skanky rinse tank, 24 hours in the tub immediately upon your return home is probably just barely enough.
  
• Most people aren't careful enough about water getting inside the first stage. The rinse tank is your friend but only if you use it properly. Whether water penetrates through the inlet or up the 2nd stage hoses, once salt water gets inside the 1st it's time for a full overhaul. Period. It won't work to blow it out. Most 2nds are a little more tolerant of salt water but even they have bits that can corrode quickly if left to dry salty. Salt crystals are sharp and hard as rocks, they scratch and tear at anything soft and can shred o-rings, seats and even brass. The best solution is to pressurize the regulator and submerge the whole assembly in a bathtub or large barrel full of fresh water for at least a full day.
  
• The lubricant is often the first thing to go when you follow long service intervals. There is very little you can do to avoid this. If your regulator is lubricated with Christo-Lube, we can pretty well date how long it has been since the last overhaul by the condition of the lubricant. After one year there are barely any changes, after two years the Christo-Lube starts to clump into a ricotta-like consistency, after three years it looks like cottage cheese and after four years it can actually dry so much that it starts to flake. When the engine light goes on in your car you know you have to take it in. There isn't an engine light on your regulator but running it without functional lubricant can result in much the same kind of damage that your engine suffers.
  
• The inspection checklist posted earlier is very good but it requires diligence and an investment of time and energy. Be honest with yourself - if you aren't willing to do it, have it done for you. Your gear will last longer and you'll get better (and safer) performance from it.
  
• When you observe a problem, it's time for service. A green inlet filter doesn't mean replace the filter, it means break the regulator down and service it. You may be able to adjust the IP on a MK20 by removing or adding a shim but you haven't fixed the problem, you've masked it.
  
• Store your regulators clean, dry and curled up so there isn't any pressure on the hoses. Most hose failures occur at the swage, usually because they've been left hanging for years. If you can, store the regulator inside a bag or box to keep the dust and bugs off (some of them like the taste of regulators) on a shelf in a cool room where they won't be exposed to heat or ozone.
  
• It bears repeating: anybody interested in working on their own regulators (or avoiding having us work on them) should start by investing in a few critical items:

• A good IP gauge.
• Regulator Savvy by Peter Wolfinger.
• Scuba Regulator Maintenance and Repair by Vance Harlow.

Finally, learning to service your own regulators is rarely cost effective. It takes time and money and practice (and failures) to become competent. Unless you're a geek (like me) there isn't any reason to do this yourself - it's almost always going to be cheaper in the long run to have somebody do it for you.

Steven Anderson
Chief Repair Geek
The Best Little Dive Shop on the Internet

 

[Belce]

And one of the things about getting your reg serviced by a pro is they do that work often and we humans actually get better doing a task over and over.

 

[jpirtle2003]

q d r t y

 

[redacted]

And one of the things about getting your reg serviced by a pro is they do that work often and we humans actually get better doing a task over and over.

Are you suggesting one should send their regs off to the larger service centers with good reputations since they have full time reg repair techs rather than take them to a small local shop where reg repair tech are often part time and sometimes have little experience or mechanical ability? My experience is that some smaller shops are challenged just to swap out the parts correctly never mind dealing with regulator problems that require some mechanical knowledge and troubleshooting skills.

Experience is a good thing but it is not a substitute for good mechanical abilities and knowledge sorely missing in some of the shop techs I have encountered.

 

[Zung]

And one of the things about getting your reg serviced by a pro is they do that work often and we humans actually get better doing a task over and over.

Yes, but a true professional has to be profitable, so he/she does it in half an hour. I take half a day (or more) to do the same thing, but it's my own time.