Is the SPG O-ring supposed to be replaced during annual inspections?

[Scubagolf]

My regs were serviced right before our trip last week to Cozumel. On the second day between dives (after three dives) the connection to the SPG was blowing air. It turned out that the very small O-ring in the connection between the hose and the SPG was blown. I had it repaired at the dive shop on Cozumel and I was told that the O-ring was clearly old and had not been replaced during the most recent service. Is the SPG O-ring supposed to be replaced during annual inspections?

 

[redacted]

It's like checking the brake fluid level while doing an oil change. A good tech will at least disassemble and inspect. Other techs will just replace the parts that come in the kit and those little o-rings are not included . And a few may just inspect your reg and decide he is wiling to chance it for another year (and you won't know) - that will be $75.

I suggest you ask the shop that did the work.

 

[halocline]

Those tiny SPG spool o-rings do seem to have more problems than many others. I had one blow once on a boat, ended up doing a couple of dives with no SPG. (not recommended!) Now I carry a spare spool with me.

 

[Doc Harry]

Unless you specify that you want your SPG serviced along with your regulators during annual regulator servicing, you should not expect that the technician will even look at your SPG.

It's simple enough to replace the SPG o-ring. It's an AS568-003 and you can get them at most dive shops, individually or in "Save-a-Dive" o-ring kits.

 

[JahJahwarrior]

I've never really thought about it...It's a simple part that every diver should know how to repair, in my opinion. It takes a dental pick, 20 seconds, one or two wrenches, and a tiny bit of lube to fix. Might need to be done annually, might need to be done more often, it really depends. I've always just changed my own.

 

[Scubagolf]

Unless you specify that you want your SPG serviced along with your regulators during annual servicing, you should not expect that the technician will even look at your SPG.

It's simple enough to replace the SPG o-ring. It's a "dash" 003 and you can get them at most dive shops, individually or in "Save-a-Dive" o-ring kits.

As the OP on this thread, I find this interesting. In over eight years of diving, and having my "regs" serviced annually nobody ever suggested to me that the SPG would not be inspected/serviced as part of the annual servicing. Good to know. Thanks.

 

[fppf]

Its the number one item over looked.

And most shops use standard orings, with the wrong durometer, or hardness.

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

As the OP on this thread, I find this interesting. In over eight years of diving, and having my "regs" serviced annually nobody ever suggested to me that the SPG would not be inspected/serviced as part of the annual servicing. Good to know. Thanks.

I did a quick count for my singles rig. It consists of 2 second stages, 1 first stage, and a SPG there are 27 o-rings total. 8 of the 27 are required to be replaced annually by the service manuals. So less than a third are replaced annually. The remaining 19 are in there until they are visually bad, or they blow out. Or at least that is the policy of most of the manufactures. It is worth noting that the regulator manufactures do not consider the o-rings in the HP hose, or any other hose for that matter to be part of their regulator so they offer no recommendation on the service interval for those parts. Since I service my own I replace them every year or two. For those of you trusting in a shop there is no telling what they do. It would be good to ask them.

 

[Gombessa]

I've also had one of the spindle spool o-rings leak on my spg. I think it has to do with the fact that the o-ring is tiny, it's under high pressure and it actually twists a lot during use (it's not a static o-ring). I just be sure to check it frequently and replace as needed.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Until I started servicing my own regs, I never knew how to change the o-rings on my SPG HP spool. The reg techs were good about changing them during reg overhauls. I was lucky (that the techs were conscientious) and blissfully ignorant.

As fppf mentioned, it's certainly possible that people are replacing HP spool o-rings with the wrong durometer. I replace them annually and lube them judiciously with O2-compatible grease (Tribolube). I get most of my o-rings from Divegearexpress.com; the 75 durometer -003 o-rings are what they sell, so that's what I use. For the people who replace their own, are you using a higher durometer o-ring?

Replacing the o-rings on the HP spool is so easy that it's probably faster just to change 'em myself than compose an Internet post to complain about my LDS not changing them for me.