how often should i service ?

[Zung]

... the lube (Christolube) looked dried out a bit and dirty (dark gray)... Four years and 192 dives ago...

.. 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...

Averaging the 2 statements above, the life expectancy of Christo-Lube is 3 to 4 years.
I'm wondering if I should revert back to silicon grease?

 

[USdiver1]

I think a lot also depends on where you dive. Salt water (ocean) and particularly chlorinated water (confined / pool dives) seem much harder on my equipment that fresh water (lakes and quarries). I have a dedicated pool regulator that I use when I DM. Even though I rinse my equipment well after each dive, It seems to require more servicing than my other regulators that see a combination of ocean and fresh water diving.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Averaging the 2 statements above, the life expectancy of Christo-Lube is 3 to 4 years.
I'm wondering if I should revert back to silicon grease?

This was already mentioned, but I'm also interested to see if Tribolube (what I've been using the past two years) will go a little longer than Christo before starting to degrade...

I think most regs get rebuilt before lube-degradation is much of an issue, except for us "weird" DIY guys of course

Best wishes.

 

[h90]

To add: In Asia the DC like to clean the gear for you. I never let them. One time they were faster than me in Bali and my gear was soaked nicely in murky water with the first stage cap open
at least I know it, but in other cases you may don't know the abuse than an earlier service is good.
Better of course to take care of it.....

 

[SDAnderson]

Averaging the 2 statements above, the life expectancy of Christo-Lube is 3 to 4 years.
I'm wondering if I should revert back to silicon grease?

If you aren't using elevated O2 levels, silicone is fine. It's better at attracting clingy crud than fluoropolymers but it's a lot cheaper and has a superior dropping point - not that the heat range is all that much of an issue inside a regulator.

This was already mentioned, but I'm also interested to see if Tribolube (what I've been using the past two years) will go a little longer than Christo before starting to degrade...

Bearing in mind that there are large deviations in performance based on a host of factors, my experience has been that Christo-Lube in a well maintained regulator can be expected to perform for two to three years before it degrades to a point that it no longer functions adequately as a lubricant/sealant. After four years of expanding trials, Tribolube seems to last about a year longer before it heads south. Krytox is another option for O2 compatible. Let me stress: usage, maintenance, and just plain old-fashioned luck play a significant role in how long any lubricant will last in any particular regulator.

If you're keeping your regulator (1) clean and (2) dry and are also (3) carefully and (4) regularly checking the performance, extending the service interval can save some money. If you fail at any of the above, extending the service interval can cost you a lot of money.

 

[Zung]

Excellent info that deals with the small discrepancy:

• reefraff: 3 years, Christo
• awap: 4 years, Tribo

At our current runrate of about 30 dives a year, 3 years/100 dives seems to be a reasonable interval.
And the saving is 4 sets x 2 unneeded services x $100 = $800.

 

[scubafanatic]

Averaging the 2 statements above, the life expectancy of Christo-Lube is 3 to 4 years.
I'm wondering if I should revert back to silicon grease?

I'm thinking silicone grease won't work as it's likely too 'runny', in a warm/hot environment I'm seeing silicon grease oozing/flowing right out of say, one of my Atomics.

 

[Marek K]

But back to checking IP...

My new IP gauge just came in the mail, and I had some tanks rented over the weekend for some diving. So afterwards, I did the IP-related checks on all our regulators -- 2 Sherwood Magnums (old and newer, both balanced pistons), and 2 Mares R2's (unbalanced pistons). I used couv's excellent Regulator Inspection and Checklist (Rev-7).

Newer Sherwood Magnum 5900: IP was 130 psi, and steady. Sherwood specs are between 135 and 150 psil

Old Sherwood Magnum 3300: IP was 140 and steady. Same specs.

One Mares R2: IP was 125 and steady. Mares specs are 9.8-10.2 BAR, or 144-150 psi.

Second Mares R2: IP was 120 at first; but then crept up to 130 over 90 seconds, and stabilized there.

I talked to the owner of the LDS here where I rented the tanks. He agreed with you-all -- the IPs on the first three regs are acceptable, though not technically within Sherwood or Mares specs. He'd be worried if they were below about 120 or above 160.

But he said the second Mares shouldn't be creeping like that at all, even if it eventually stabilized. He surmised a scored seat (unlikely, since it was serviced four months ago), or a damaged orifice. Or maybe some grit in there. Resonable conclusions?

Oh... regarding the leak test, where you shut off the valve and see whether the HP drops over a few minutes. Remembering the Sherwoods have the dry-bleed system, how much pressure drop is acceptable? The 5900 didn't drop at all over a few minutes, despite the fact that there is a tiny stream of bubbles when underwater. But the 3300 dropped about 200 psi in 5 minutes.

 

[Zung]

I'm thinking silicone grease won't work as it's likely too 'runny', in a warm/hot environment I'm seeing silicon grease oozing/flowing right out of say, one of my Atomics.

It does work. All regs were lubed with silicone grease until the 90's when the EAN thing came into fashon, and everybody changed to the high $$$ synthetic lubricants. The "thickness" of silicone is about the same as that of Christo/Tribo.

I think Atomics specifies Christo for packing the ambiance chamber. If you see any oily (transparent) seepage, it's possibly a case of oil separation: all grease are made of some oil and some thickener, and they don't stay mixed for long. Or someone packed it with silicone.

 

[Zung]

... But he said the second Mares shouldn't be creeping like that at all, even if it eventually stabilized. He surmised a scored seat (unlikely, since it was serviced four months ago), or a damaged orifice. Or maybe some grit in there. Resonable conclusions?...

Even a new seat could have some slight imperfections; also there could be some small nicks on the piston stem where it mates with the seat. My suggestion:

1. Clean the piston and the seat
2. Inspect for any nicks/imperfections, preferably with a loupe
3. Replace the seat or polish/replace the piston as required

An unbalanced piston first should be tuned to the max of its IP range because the IP will drop as you use up the air in the tank.

Good luck