Does anyone have a rebuild kit for an Aqualung Deepstar I first stage? I purchased this first stage several months ago for my pony bottle. Air leaks out of the vents in the cap. I suspect it's the large o-ring under the cap that needs replacing. If no one has a kit, can anyone tell me the size of the o-ring? I am hoping it is a common size that can be easily gotten. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Need Rebuild Kit for AL Deepstar I First Stage
- Thread starter oldschool
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No one is likely to have a service kit for that reg and even if they do have a NOS one, the orings are older than I would want to use. Looking at the manual on it, you will need both Orings and backup Orings. Odds are they are generic size but without having them in front of me, I can't tell. You will also need a HP seat which may or may not be standard. I don't have one of those regs. If are you interested in a trading, I have an older Scubapro MK-2, same general age and similar design but MK-2 kits are easy to find.
Try taking the O-rings off, and rubbing a lot of silicone grease (restaurant grade) into the O-rings. Many times the O-rings simply dry out and need lubrication. Let them sit for a week with the silicone grease on them (available in any dive shop), then wipe them down and put them on the regulator. That may be all they need.
SeaRat
SeaRat
John, you are kidding…. right??
We are talking about orings that cost pennies, are commonly available and are handling fairly high pressure differentials. The proper durometer and elasticity of the orings is critical for proper operation. That trick may be fine for unavailable main diaphragms used in pool dive regs but using it to halfass restore pressure sealing orings for primary diving equipment is begging for trouble.
We are talking about orings that cost pennies, are commonly available and are handling fairly high pressure differentials. The proper durometer and elasticity of the orings is critical for proper operation. That trick may be fine for unavailable main diaphragms used in pool dive regs but using it to halfass restore pressure sealing orings for primary diving equipment is begging for trouble.
That is extremely bad advice.
Silicone grease will tend to soften old rubber, but will not restore its structural properties.
Old rubber parts will develop micro-cracks (you may not be able to see them, but they are there) and there is no way to truly repair the damage of age on the rubber.
Note: I am not a materials engineer, but I have discussed the subject with several material engineers. In one of my previous jobs we had a materials engineer that specialized in elastomers (rubbers) used in sealing applications (O-rings, etc.)
Okay Luis, I stand corrected; my assumption was that from Herman's earlier post the O-rings were not generally available. OldSchool is trying to talk him out of the regulator, and Herman is saying he also needs a HP seat. I doubt the need for a HP seat, as piston regulators do not seat the valve until pressure is applied from the tank, and many times (Scubapro, for instance) these seats are reversible (not sure for this USD Deepstar though). I have used O-ring lubrication on my regulators with success. But if they are available, it is definitely good to replace them.
John
John
Ed Palma
Contributor
Just for clarification, Oldschool is trying to talk whom out of a reg?
No one, that was my suggestion. I don't have a Deepstar but do have a couple of MK-2s that you can get kits for....I offered (and we did) an even swap. He gets a reg that parts are easily available for and I get one I don't have. Parts are not an issue for me as I make what I need...seats anyway, orings are easy to source and if not, I am mainly interested in it because I don't already have one, not necessarily a diving reg...although odds are it will be servicable after I detemnine the correct orings.
John, "odds are they are generic size" means you can most likely buy them but since I did not have a reg at hand I can't measure them so I can't be sure...once I get the reg in hand, I can fix that. As for the HP seat being flipable, it is IF no one has done that already. Since this is a fairly old reg and that was a common practice in the day, there is a fair chance of that having been already done so planning on finding a new one is the best course of action. It is also possible it has hardened to the point that it will not seal well, flipped or not. For a pool reg thats fine, he wants a pony bottle reg so it needs to be right. Now that I think about it for a second, there is a good chance one of the Trident seats will fit but again unitl I have it in hand, I can't tell for sure.
John, "odds are they are generic size" means you can most likely buy them but since I did not have a reg at hand I can't measure them so I can't be sure...once I get the reg in hand, I can fix that. As for the HP seat being flipable, it is IF no one has done that already. Since this is a fairly old reg and that was a common practice in the day, there is a fair chance of that having been already done so planning on finding a new one is the best course of action. It is also possible it has hardened to the point that it will not seal well, flipped or not. For a pool reg thats fine, he wants a pony bottle reg so it needs to be right. Now that I think about it for a second, there is a good chance one of the Trident seats will fit but again unitl I have it in hand, I can't tell for sure.
John, I am a crusty old diver but new to the "vintage" world of dive gear, especially the refurbishing and repairing. But even the idea that rubbing grease (restuarant grade?) on o-rings will restore them sounds suspect. As far as talking anyone out of a regulator, it was herman who suggested the trade. He's happy, I'm happy. So what was your point?
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