Looking for experienced Scubapro tech to rebuild older regs

[herman]

You can ship the regs to Airtec if you like, no need to drive up.
If you do drive up, there are 2 quarries within 30-40 minutes of Airtec you can dive in, might as well make a day of it.
By the way, they are located INSIDE of Gypsy Divers so look for Gypsy, not Airtec.

A little reg 101 for you. Regs take a "set" - create a ring/indent in the soft part of the HP seat assembly during the break in period. This is normal. With a new soft seat, the hard seat creates this ring in the soft seat and all is good. When you remove the soft seat then reinstall it, it is almost impossible to get it back in exactly the same spot so the hard seat creates another ring that is almost always slightly off from the first. Where these 2 rings meet creates a channel that air can leak from. Sometimes you get lucky and with some more break in your reg may seal but I wouldn't bet on it. This is why it is very important to replace the soft seat any time the reg is dissembled.....or at least when the soft seat has been disturbed. Between your description of the symptoms and no part returned, I am highly suspicious the old seat was reused and is leaking for this reason.

 

[Pawleysdiver]

Follow up question. Does anyone dive with an Air 2 and not use an octo reg? I have a later model Air 2 that I use but a octo reg seems very redundant. I only want to do resort diving, not techincal or cave diving.

 

[herman]

Many dive with similar inflator/octos, it can certainly be done but a lot of us don't like them due to the dual purpose. If you have to use it, now you have to control your buoyancy and possibly the other divers while breathing off of it. I would not use one but that is just my preference. I don't consider the positives to outweigh the negatives.

 

[Couv]

Follow up question. Does anyone dive with an Air 2 and not use an octo reg? I have a later model Air 2 that I use but a octo reg seems very redundant. I only want to do resort diving, not techincal or cave diving.

Using an AIR 2 is a subject for a different thread. However, if you like your AIR 2-dive it. I did for years and found it convenient until I started diving a double hose regulator where I had to have an octo to donate anyway.

 

[shurite7]

The only reason I am trying to use these regs is all of the comments on this board that the mk 10 and G250 combo is one of the best combos ever.

Not sure how you are defining "best". The reg was excellent for its time. It is still a respectable reg and it is serviceable. The difriculty you'll have with the reg is getting it serviced, as in your case. Many of the newer techs do not have experience with it.

I have read that the newer models are not as good as the better designed older regs.

This is definitely not an accurate statement. If this were true, then the newer regs would have been shelved in preference for the older ones. The newer follow on regs (such as the Mk25/G250V and Mk25/G260 and the list can go on) can be tuned to breathe easier than the older. The reliability of newer regs is just as equal.

I used to own a Mk5/Adjustable (I miss this reg in terms of age and being all metal), Mk10/G250/G200B, Mk20UL/G250HP (I had really good luck with this reg, even though many complained about the G250HP), Mk25/G250V (the G250V looks much better than the G250 or G250HP), and now have the Mk25/G260. The Mk25/G260 is by far the better performing reg and just as easy to service.. While all the others were great for their time, I wouldn't go back.

 

[Kupu]

The difriculty you'll have with the reg is getting it serviced, as in your case. Many of the newer techs do not have experience with it.

Without disagreeing since the point seems to have been proven here, but it is hard to see how a tech would have difficulty understanding and servicing a MK10/G250/108 if they have the knowledge and skill for something newer such as MK25/G260/R195. The lack of experience part seems a bit of a dodge, service manuals are easy to follow and repair kits are available. Diagram shows HP seat on MK10 as annual replacement in the event a tech should have any doubt.

There is of course the obvious answer that some shops are inclined to discourage servicing of older regulators in order to make a sale. I would not be surprised if SP discourages techs from working on models that have not been trained on. But really, if someone agrees to do the work in this sort of situation, how hard is it to get the job done correctly?

 

[happy-diver]

mate it's easier than the schematic

put the middle bit in a soft vice or wrapped in rubber and give the big bit a few taps left

mate I put so much silicone grease on the threads I can undo them by hand
and look at the disgraceful state I let this stage reg achieve

it's alright folks o2ability is still maintained as a different finger is used for the Krytox
and the body threads are outside the o2 oring sealing the reg

Here's the hand

with a 300mm adjustable and another friend