HP seat upgrade on MK16

[stevenq99]

I called my LDS that has had my regulator for over one month looking for status on the rebuild. When I brought it in he stated the IP was creeping up. I had the same issue the last time I had brought it in for service a year earlier. He now states it needs some sort of hp seat upgrade and he was ordering parts. dose that make any sense? The MK16 is about 4 years old.

 

[halocline]

Maybe, there is a seat upgrade that's the same seat as the MK17. I thought that the upgrade was in a standard repair kit, so you should have already had it done. I certainly could be mistaken about that, though. DA aquamaster will know for certain.

A month, huh? Nice....well, at least it's not dive season.

 

[Kupu]

I just installed the upgrade kit on my MK16 today. The old style plastic HP seat is replaced with a metal HP seat. It is included in the new upgrade kit which has been available since at least 8-9 months ago, which is when I bought a couple. The kits are already on E-bay, not sure why it would take extra time for your LDS to receive the parts. Having to wait 1 month for a annual rebuild does seem unusual.

Annoyances with IP creep on my MK16 and lack of agreeable communication on the part of my LDS are exactly what caused me to start learning how to do my own regulator repair a couple years ago. It feels great to know how to diagnose and repair my regulators, and not depend on someone else.

 

[BlueWaterDiving]

If your LDS is a ScubaPro store it should have them in stock.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

If your LDS has a current Mk 16 annual service kit - or one made in the last year - he has the parts in stock. The upgrade is automatic as the annual service kit has all the required parts for the upgrade.

I would also not regard the "upgrade" as an option but rather a neccesary improvement.

The lack of an on hand Mk 16 annual service kit makes we wonder whether the LDS is really an SP dealer.

 

[stevenq99]

Thanks everyone for your input. I am glad that other people think a month is a long time. I double checked to make sure they are still a dealer and they are listed on the SP website.

What will this "improvement" do? I have a 2nd set of identical regs and have never had to rebuild them but if needed I will have that set worked on when I get back from my trip.

Unfortunately around here we do not have many choices and normally I get great service and prices from them.

 

[halocline]

It should stop the creep. I put one on a MK18 (same as MK16 with a swivel) once and it locked up at a more stable IP.

 

[Couv]

I am not familiar with the MK16/18, does it use a metal to metal seat?

 

[Kupu]

Old version on the left with plastic HP seat. New version on right with metal HP seat.

 

[Couv]

OK...got it, the hard seat and soft seat positions have been reversed.

Thanks,

c