Mysterious buildup in regs

[BTravlin]

My wife and I both own Atomic Z2's and SS1's. They recently turned 2 years old so I took them into the LDS for the recommended service. The service tech called me yesterday and wanted to know what I'd been diving in. Told him all Caribbean dives: BVI, Cozumel, Roatan & Turks and Caicos. About a 120 dives on each since new. He proceeds to tell me there's a nasty buildup in each and wants me to come see it before he cleans and services them. Says he hasn't seen anything like it in 15 years of work. So I stop by during lunch and he shows me the regs.

My wife's reg has a slightly thick, off white coating of crud all over the inside of both the 1st and 2nd stages. It won't just wipe off with a cloth but requires a soft bristle brush to remove. Almost looks like a dried soap scum but a little thicker. The SS1 on the other hand is practically spotless.

My reg has something that looks like a thin, darkish, burnt looking substance that has coasted the insides of both the 1st and 2nd stages. Peels off in thin little flakes. Again the SS1 is almost spotless.

We have basically done everyone of the 120 some odd dives together. Both regs have been performing well and have had no problems whatsoever while diving, however, my wife has recently developed a better SAC rate than me so I think I'll blame it on the reg.

Other than Roatan, all diving has been with ops who take care of our gear during the entire week. When we return from our trips I soak the regs in a bathtub filled with regular tap water for a couple hours.

The LDS tech says he's seen dirt, spider webs, bugs and other oddities over the years but nothing like our regs. Thought maybe mine might have been hooked up to a bad tank but couldn't really be sure.

Any ideas on this?

 

[Scared Silly]

The off white coating of crud sounds like aluminum oxide. Good chance your wife got a cylinder with water in it.

The thin, darkish, burnt looking substance sounds like rust. Again comes from a steel cylinder that got water in it.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

It is not unknown for tanks in Coz to have substantial amounts of water in them. In one instance, when the tank was inverted, rusty water came out when the purge was depressed. The diver had complained the reg breathed wet when he was head down underwater and the rust stained teeth were a good indication that the problem was not the exhaust valve. That created a thin dark coating inside the reg when it dried.

When ever I rent a tank, I hold it horizontally by both ends and tilt it back and forth listening for sloshing sounds as well as a loose dip tube clinking around inside the tank. If I hear either I ask for another tank.