Is it necessary to get annual reg service?

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ahem, digging a little deeper now, but staying in this century:

Out of 77 fatalities reported to DAN the number and type of equipment failure that was determined to be a contributor to the fatality in 2003 is as follows:

Regulator - 8
BCD - 5
Weight Belt - 1
Depth Guage - 1
Other - 5
 
In every single one of those cases of reg failure, I am 100% certain that had the diver in question followed normal recreational safe diving practices, he/she would not have died. That's why we have the buddy system, and training (however inadequate) for dealing with sudden loss of air.

Look, I'm not arguing that keeping your reg in good condition is a bad idea, in fact, I'm probably a little neurotic about it. That's why I learned to work on my own gear, and most important, understand how it works so that I can interpret it's behavior. The thing I'm arguing is the LDS mantra "service your reg annually or you'll die." Given the state of affairs at my LDS (which I suspect is on the low end but not totally out of the ballpark) I'm pretty sure I would be at far greater risk if I let those guys touch my regs even once, not to mention every year.

Yeah, I know you said "every two years" and I appreciate the fact that you're bending the tradition a little. But it's still arbitrary and not related to actual objective evidence.

Further, the relationship between gear and safety is something that the whole dive industry uses OVER and OVER again to manipulate people into spending money and staying ignorant. I really resent this. I know you personally don't have that attitude, but I will rarely miss an opportunity to point it out in a thread, because I think it's such bull**** and so deeply ingrained into the dive gear culture.
 
well, if they aren't "life-support" do we call them "life-extenders?" And yes, usually it is a gradual deterioration, usually.

Unless the tech screws up, then it could fail quickly and catastrophically. Do you think there is any reason to believe that the $150 service is any better or safer than the $75 service?
 
I work on my own gear and got the overhaul manuals on-line. I have an ultrasonic cleaner, magnahelic guage and IP guages. Most of my regs are simple environmentally sealed Conshelf type designs and are very simple to work on and trouble shoot. I inspect them regularly and check the IP from time to time. I only overhaul them when there is a problem. I am very anal about not letting water get into the first stages. My regs often go for years without needing much attention other than a mouthpiece replacement as I am prone to bite them in half when I get scared.

I have purposely not overhauled one Conshelf SE2 reg I bought new in 1987. It has many hundreds of dives in both salt and fresh water and other than having a factory recall to have the HP seat replaced around 1988 I have never had it overhauled. It is just rinsed after each dive and never had water enter it. I am just curious to see how long it will go before needing attention.

While I don't recommend you do this with your reg, I am just curious as to when this reg will start to leak or become a hard breather. The point being that the LDS wants to do as many annual inspections to make money but I could care less if my warranty is void. For what I saved by not sending my regs in for service and learned to do it myself I saved enough money to have bought many other regs. Most regs are very durable and well designed and can go a long time without service. If a malfunction occurs it is generally gradual such as a slowly leaking second stage, IP creep or may start breathing a little wet. It normally will not just quit giving air. The opposite will likely occur and you may get a freeflow, which can be managed.

The only time I have had regulator trouble has been as a result of an overhaul done by an incompetent LDS that left an exhaust valve improperly installed that came out through my exhaust T and floated off while I inhaled the whole Atlantic ocean. That is when I began working on my own regs.

I also had a dive team reg overhauled by an LDS and upon getting it back opened up the second stage box cover to find the diaphram completely coated with dried silt. The LDS had never opened it up while they had the reg and charged us for an overhaul. Another LDS worked on a set of dive team USD Arctics. I asked for the replaced parts when I picked them up and the tech went back into the shop and brought me a baggie of parts that did not even fit that reg. I guess I caught them offguard but I suspect a lot more of this stuff goes on than you may think.

Your reg may not need attention yet but I would find a shop that is not out to fleece you. They are charging a bit too much in my opinion.
 
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I find nothing to make your case in any of what you posted.

DAN's "regulator" issues are freeflows. As you note, "It is important to note that this does not mean that the equipment failure actually caused the fatality." Recalls are irrelevant but to the best of my knowledge caused no deaths, and the Nicaragua citation is naught but hearsay repeated over and over.
 
Out of 77 fatalities reported to DAN the number and type of equipment failure that was determined to be a contributor to the fatality in 2003 is as follows:

Regulator - 8


and of those 8, how many regs had NOT been serviced in the past year?

:wink:
 
ahem, digging a little deeper now, but staying in this century:

Out of 77 fatalities reported to DAN the number and type of equipment failure that was determined to be a contributor to the fatality in 2003 is as follows:

Regulator - 8
BCD - 5
Weight Belt - 1
Depth Guage - 1
Other - 5

In that case, I had better take my weight belt and "other" in for service....they have never been in the shop since I bought them.
 
Just had my Atomic B-2 and Octo serviced by Scuba Toys
$49.95 (including the up grade of some parts)
Cost of everything except shipping to them.

I have no relationship with this shop
 
yea what's really weird is that when I calles scuba toys and asked them, they told me for a complete tear down that 150ish was a good price... (for a sealed atomic B2)
 
My B-2 is not sealed.
I'm sure filling it with Cristo lube is more expensive but $100 more ?????:shocked2:
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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