How to become certified to service gear?

[jay040]

I'm interested in learning how to service gear, particularly regulators. As one poster (mr_v) said, "There is a difference between knowing how to put things together (know-how) and knowing why things are put together the way they are (know-why)." I would like to get certified vs learn from youtube videos. I've asked my LDS about this, and all they would say that they'll send their employees to training (they only service Scubapro), and it requires an agreement you'll only work for them. I'm not looking to get a job servicing gear, but I would like to learn for my own gear purposes. I haven't found clear answers via google.

Is there an official class or cert? Do the companies (Apex, Atomic, Scubapro, Aqualungs, etc) conduct their own training. How does one become certified to do this?

 

[tursiops]

What brand reg do you want to service?

 

[jay040]

What brand reg do you want to service?

At this point, I don't have a preference. I would say whichever has the most reasonable path to becoming trained/certified. A dive shop a little further than my local says they service all brands, but are only licensed dealers for Atomic, Oceanic, Zeagle, and Hollis.

 

[Mobulai]

Being located in the US, I’d say a brand certified class is out of the question except for only 2: HOG and Deep6 (well and ScubaGaskets that’s very new on the market)
The remaining big names, you’d have to be LDS affiliated

If your intent is to be “certified” to service your own -in the “know how and why” sense, and don’t want a cert so you can work at an LDS (liability withstanding) I (among many others here) will gladly recommend the @rsingler class

He’s a wizard, very experienced and delves a lot in the theory behind things; abd why best practices are so is one of the key feature of the class

Fyi: he wrote/revised a few service manuals (eg. Hog)

 

[tursiops]

1) you can take a manufacturer's course, which only allows you to service that brand, and usually is only available through a dive shop with whom you are employed or for whom you are a DM/instructor. sometimes these classes on on site at the shop, or are available at pro shows like DEMA.
2) you can take an on-line generalist class such as that occasionally offered by @rsingler that gives you a TDI cert card, but may not be recognized by any major brands to allow you to purchase service kits.
3) you can take a service class from Deep6 for their regs, and then service your own Deep6 regs.

the question is, why do you want the cert? Is it to service your own regs, or to work for a shop, or just for the fun of knowing how to do it?

 

[jay040]

the question is, why do you want the cert? Is it to service your own regs, or to work for a shop, or just for the fun of knowing how to do it?

A combo of servicing my own and the fun of knowing how to do it. With the comfort of the official cert to know that i'm doing it proper.

 

[tursiops]

A combo of servicing my own and the fun of knowing how to do it. With the comfort of the official cert to know that i'm doing it proper.

And what brand reg do you have? If none, consider Deep6.
In any case, @rsingler 's class is recommended. It is much better than a mfg's class for your purposes. I've taken three mfg's classes and rsingler's class; he wins, hands down.

 

[Mobulai]

A cert means nothing really; the mfg. ones are mainly so you can buy parts/go work at(another) shop

Many certified techs have no clue why they do some things — I believe that’s the context MrV said what he said in

The D6 class can be found in their website, the HOG-TDI class can be found on TDI website
The local hero class:

Thread 'Regulator Technician Training - 2023'

Jan 31, 2023

E-mails or DM's have just gone out to the first batch of folks who have previously expressed an interest in learning scuba regulator repair and restoration.
In seven small seminars, we've now graduated over fifty students from the US and all over the world, including Aruba, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Finland, Germany, Puerto Rico, Romania, Saudi Arabia and Sweden! At least two students have used their diploma as an entry to a repair technician job in a dive shop.

After a brief delay to recharge, we're starting again!
The next seminar will be held May 5-7, 2023, and...

• rsingler
• diy regulator service service technician service your own gear
• Replies: 29
• Forum: Repairing your own Gear

• 
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[Mobulai]

Oh, speaking of “theory behind things”, check out the “bible”: the late Pete Wolfingers “Regulatory Savvy”; hewas a Scubapro engineer that wrote lots of their service bulletin and Manuals — I think he was their original “Master service trainer” or something like that (IDK what title was it, but along the same essence) among other awesome bonafides

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

You can learn to service anything with enough motivation and sourcing the right information and parts. Getting officially “certified” is another thing.
But just because someone is “certified” doesn’t mean they aren’t a total doofus. Some of those so called certification classes are nothing more than a sit in seminar for a day with a few video’s, no real work, and everybody passes.
Unless you want or need to work at a shop I’m not sure I’d worry about it. There are plenty of people who decided to do their own service work after miserable experiences with officially “certified” technicians in shops that royally screwed up their regs (FUBAR)! Fumbling bumbling idiots.

There is a very healthy DIY community here that is incredibly knowledgeable about everything to do with regs. And yes, @rsingler is a reg genius. Incredibly meticulous. He’s a doctor/surgeon afterall, a super solid guy, I know him personally. I’ve heard nothing but five star reviews about his class. I haven’t had a chance yet to take it, but It’s Waaay more than you ever get from a brand name “certification” seminar.