Is getting a 30 year old reg serviced going to cost a fortune?

[oreocookie]

ok, title should read: Is getting a 30 year old reg serviced going to cost a fortune. Can a mod fix that, please?

The title of the thread basically sums up my question. I realise that this might be better asked in the Regs forum, but figured it might get more exposure here.

So, basically I've got a 30 year old Scubapro Mk 7 sitting in my basement; it was my mom's and she hasn't gone diving since probably 1981. It was last tested in '86 (I think, maybe '87) for resale value, mostly but at the time they said it worked fine. I asked my instructor about it before my last pool session and he said it would probably cost a ton of money to get it back into the water, since the warranty will be voided by not getting yearly service so parts'll be coming out of my pocket, not to mention said parts may be hard to get. He figured it would be more cost effective to buy a new reg. And oh yeah, I'd need to get an LP inflattor hose too, because there isn't one (though to my completely untrained eye, it looks like there's a couple of closed ports for one to be added).

I figure his response could be driven by 3 possibilities:
1)He's right and it would be better to buy a new one
2)His shop doesn't sell or service SP so my business goes somewhere else (at least temporarily)
3)A bit of both of the above.

So, any thoughts on this?

 

[300bar]

Title fixed.

 

[300bar]

O and answer 2

 

[herman]

Here is pretty much the bottom line. If parts are available (and I think they are) it's going to cost you the service price, which is around $25-35 per stage ($75-105 total) plus parts. Unless something major is wrong the parts are likely in the $30ish range. Even if it was a newer reg that was still in warrenty your going to pay the service price, the warrenty only covers the parts. The addtion of an inflator hose is a simple matter of removing the best LP port and installing the hose.
If it were me, I would find a good repair shop and have it serviced......well actually if it were me, I would find the parts and do it myself but that's a different topic.

 

[sandmanz32]

Id just get it serviced. Find a good SP shop and drop it off. i wouldn't think it'd cost more that 150.00 to get it done, and that is far LESS costly than buying a new reg set.

 

[redacted]

I doubt if you (or your shop) will be able to find a Mk7 service kit. But internally, the Mk7 is a Mk5 (which should still be available) plus a few more o-rings for the honker mechanism which should still all be available from Scubapro. If not, they are all std o-rings available from various sources. You don't mention what 2nd stages are involved. There are a few 2nd stages that may not be servicable but the more common one (108, 109, and 156) are still supported by current service kits and other parts. The Mk5 kit should run about $12. @nd stage kits shouldl run $10 to $17 depending on the model. If it is the 109 or 156 you will also need a new poppet for $8 to $12. If it was cleaned and stored properly, I would expect the diaphragms and exhaust valves may still be good.

If your shop says they can't do it, ask them why. Then come back here and we can talk about it.

BTW, did you know that the Mk7 will stop delivering enough gas to breath through the3 primary when it gets so low on pressure that the honking warning stops? But the alternate will continue to work OK untill the last couple hundred psi are gone.

 

[DPJ]

Probably 2. Take it to a SP shop and ask them about the cost.

 

[RonMurray]

I had a similar issue with a Mk7 purchased in 1976. I was told by the shop the parts were no longer available... they gave me a deal (deal?) on a MK25 first stage.

Now I'm beginning to think I got hosed...

 

[Garrobo]

What Herman said. Look on Ebay for a service kit. They come up sometimes. That's how I got kits for my old Dacors. Watch your reg man and learn how to do it yourself. Regs aren't that complicated. ("Reinstall in the reverse order of removal." sums it up.)

 

[Artimas]

I got my 30 year old Voit regulator serviced for $35.00.