Need Help with a US Divers/Aqualung First Stage

[AZTinman]

I've got a US Divers/Aqualung first stage regulator that I'm bringing out of retirement to use with a redundant air supply system. If I recall correctly it's a Conshelf XIV. It doesn't carry a serial number that begins with a year of manufacture date. The serial number is: DCA0726. Anyone have any ideas about the year of its manufacture?

It was surplus equipment with a fire protection district I served with. When we 'upgraded' to newer, fancier equipment, this reg was taken out of service.

-AZTinman

 

[captain]

Prior to 1965 the Conshelf regulator was not available.
1965-1969 the Conshelf VI regulator was in the catalog
1970-1971 Conshelf XI appears
1972-1976 Conshelf XII is now marketed
1976 Conshelf Supreme
1977-1982 Conshelf XIV and Supreme
1983-1984 Conshelf 20, Conshelf 20 Supreme, Conshelf XIV, and Conshelf Supreme listed
1985 Conshelf SE Supreme, Conshelf 20, and Conshelf 20 Supreme
1989 Conshelf SEA, Conshelf 21, and Conshelf XIV are available
1991 Conshelf 14, Conshelf 21, Conshelf SEA, Conshelf SE2

As for the exact year yours was produced, Aqua Lung may or may not have a record of serial numbers by years but I highly doubt it.

 

[Fishpie]

Not that it makes any difference as service parts will be the same for any age Conshelf.
You either have an early one or a late one.
How are the numbers marled?
Stamped solid numbers.....early
Dot matrix.....late

 

[Diver0001]

The 2nd stage should have a serial number stamped on it as well. You might find it behind/under the exhaust T. Unless they had stopped with that practice by the early 80's then the first two digits of that number should be the year it was manufactured.

R..

 

[AZTinman]

Thanks for the responses, I'll look at how the serial number is stamped.

Yeah, I've got a couple of Conshelf XIV second stages which have serial numbers dating from the 80's, but most of the dive team members did lots of switching of gear. There's no guarantee that my first stage stayed with its original second stage. The department had several boxes of regs when I signed on to get the team organized. Many of the team members used their old US Divers/Aqua Lung and Scubapro second stage regs as their octos when they upgraded to newer first stages and primary second stages. I know my first stage is a Conshelf XIV.

Team members had to learn how to service their regs and I used to service XIV's. As I don't have the tools to service the XIV myself any more, I dropped it off at a shop to have it cleaned-up and serviced over the weekend. The gal who did the paperwork on it commented that regs like mine are like the Energizer Bunny... they just keep on going... and going... and going. Nice to know since my current Oceanic reg set up has some kind of funky harmonic sound in the first stage when I inhale.

We'll see if they can keep my XIV going. I probably should have bought more of the stuff when the department surplussed it out.

-AZTinman