seabat
Contributor
I hate annual equipment inspection! 
no diving until Jan 05
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JasonH20
Guest
How long does it normally take? 2 weeks seems kind of excessive?seabat:I hate annual equipment inspection!
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JasonH20:
Actually, depending on where you take it that's not bad. Proper regulator maintenance requires a dynamic tester, tools, and parts kits that are expensive to keep in inventory. Therefore most shops around here don't do their own regulator maintenance ... but instead send them out to have them done. So you have shipping both ways, plus the time it takes to get them through the work queue. FWW - I think most of the local regulator maintenance is actually performed at either ScubaSet, Bubbles Below, or Seattle Underwater Sports.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Camerone
Contributor
I know Silent World does all their own regulator work, too. I just got mine back from annual service last Friday; took three weeks, but things were pretty backed up. Seems December is a popular time for the annual service in these parts...plus the rebreather service is rather limited to a few qualified techs versus the general bench guys...
My drysuit zipper replacement seems to be taking forever, though. It's down at AME, and it's been there since the week before Thanksgiving. They're promising it the 28th, now... if I'd have known they were going to take so long, I'd have shipped it off to Superior Drysuit Repair in Minnesota instead of taking it to the local guys. The last drysuit work we had done (for my girlfriend) was to MN and back in under 10 days. Five weeks for just a zipper replacement is bothering me...
My drysuit zipper replacement seems to be taking forever, though.
It's down at AME, and it's been there since the week before Thanksgiving. They're promising it the 28th, now... if I'd have known they were going to take so long, I'd have shipped it off to Superior Drysuit Repair in Minnesota instead of taking it to the local guys. The last drysuit work we had done (for my girlfriend) was to MN and back in under 10 days. Five weeks for just a zipper replacement is bothering me...
Jason,
It normally takes around two weeks for my maintenance (wife and my equipment). It was the same when I was in Hawaii. I get them done at my "Not so Local Dive Shop" (NSLDS). I am sure there are places that will do it faster but I am going with the ones I trust. They did ask if I needed it sooner which I informed them no.
I also travel 3 hours to and 3 hours from to have the NSLDS perform the annual's. There are a few shops that are closer but again, I am going with the ones I trust.
All kidding aside, I consider the annual's very important and would not allow elimination of a non-diving period to over ride the maintenance.
BTW Camerone is correct, Silent World does perform in shop maintenance. FWIW, I trust them.
It normally takes around two weeks for my maintenance (wife and my equipment). It was the same when I was in Hawaii. I get them done at my "Not so Local Dive Shop" (NSLDS). I am sure there are places that will do it faster but I am going with the ones I trust. They did ask if I needed it sooner which I informed them no.
I also travel 3 hours to and 3 hours from to have the NSLDS perform the annual's. There are a few shops that are closer but again, I am going with the ones I trust.
All kidding aside, I consider the annual's very important and would not allow elimination of a non-diving period to over ride the maintenance.
BTW Camerone is correct, Silent World does perform in shop maintenance. FWIW, I trust them.
JasonH20
Guest
Bummers. I'm inheriting some equipment over Christmas and will get it all serviced before using. I just figured it took a day or two! BTW how much should I expect to pay to have a BC, 1st / 2nd stage, dry suit, and 2 tanks serviced? Tanks will probably need their 5 year hydrostatic.
Thanks,
Jason
Thanks,
Jason
Camerone
Contributor
Your hydros on the cylinders will add some time to the service process. Usually it's about a week to two weeks, depending on what day the hydro pickup run from the shop is made. Almost all the shops farm out the hydros to one or two places, as it's kind of a dangerous process if a cylinder doesn't make it.
If you want your tanks oxygen cleaned for nitrox service it'll cost you more than if you're just using air. Many shops don't bank nitrox; rather they partial pressure blend, so if you will use nitrox this year, you will need to have the cleaning done.
Hydros are usually in the $20 - $30 range per cylinder; I don't remember how much I paid last year for my pair of 19's that were due. Simple VIPs on each are around $15, or $40 more-ish if you wanted them O2 cleaned. Shops vary around town in their service rates (and the service quality of their techs, too...)
BC and regulator and drysuit should probably be around a couple of hours of shop time, total, depending on condition, make and model, etc. Shop labor is in the $85/hour range, and you'll have parts on top of that, if you're not the original owner.
For what it's worth, I just came out of annual service, and it was in the $800 range for me - but I have a drysuit zipper replacement in there, which is a huge chunk of that. The rebreather service is also a lot more expensive than open circuit gear. I also had two additional open circuit regulators done (argon reg, bailout reg) plus the Air2 second that's on the rebreather inflator. There's no hydros in that, but there were two VIPs + O2 cleanings for two cyinders, as well... I'll bet you're in the $300 range when you get out, but that's a complete SWAG, not having seen your stuff.
On the plus side, if you've got common make stuff (and I think you said you did), most larger shops that do a reasonable volume of work will have all the parts in stock, so once you make it to the top of the queue, you'll be done in no time.
My personal preference is not to trust any place where I can't talk to the techs directly who service my gear. I'm picky about how my gear is set up, and I want to know everything that they've done when I pick up the gear. I like to know that my intermediate pressure is where I want it, see the old parts that were replaced, and I like to question the techs when I get the gear back about what they did to make sure it's all done to my standards. YMMV, but I don't like the idea of "ship it off to someone you don't know" with this kind of stuff...
If you want your tanks oxygen cleaned for nitrox service it'll cost you more than if you're just using air. Many shops don't bank nitrox; rather they partial pressure blend, so if you will use nitrox this year, you will need to have the cleaning done.
Hydros are usually in the $20 - $30 range per cylinder; I don't remember how much I paid last year for my pair of 19's that were due. Simple VIPs on each are around $15, or $40 more-ish if you wanted them O2 cleaned. Shops vary around town in their service rates (and the service quality of their techs, too...)
BC and regulator and drysuit should probably be around a couple of hours of shop time, total, depending on condition, make and model, etc. Shop labor is in the $85/hour range, and you'll have parts on top of that, if you're not the original owner.
For what it's worth, I just came out of annual service, and it was in the $800 range for me - but I have a drysuit zipper replacement in there, which is a huge chunk of that. The rebreather service is also a lot more expensive than open circuit gear. I also had two additional open circuit regulators done (argon reg, bailout reg) plus the Air2 second that's on the rebreather inflator. There's no hydros in that, but there were two VIPs + O2 cleanings for two cyinders, as well... I'll bet you're in the $300 range when you get out, but that's a complete SWAG, not having seen your stuff.
On the plus side, if you've got common make stuff (and I think you said you did), most larger shops that do a reasonable volume of work will have all the parts in stock, so once you make it to the top of the queue, you'll be done in no time.
My personal preference is not to trust any place where I can't talk to the techs directly who service my gear. I'm picky about how my gear is set up, and I want to know everything that they've done when I pick up the gear. I like to know that my intermediate pressure is where I want it, see the old parts that were replaced, and I like to question the techs when I get the gear back about what they did to make sure it's all done to my standards. YMMV, but I don't like the idea of "ship it off to someone you don't know" with this kind of stuff...
Camerone,
I too have had a dry suit at Silent World for over three weeks to get a set of dry glove rings put in and the wrist seals removed.
It seems like a long time for the work.
I like Craig and intend to buy an inspriation from him this week, but the Dry Suit is frustrating for sure.
If you need a rebreather srviced they are the best place in the area for sure.
Mike...
I too have had a dry suit at Silent World for over three weeks to get a set of dry glove rings put in and the wrist seals removed.
It seems like a long time for the work.
I like Craig and intend to buy an inspriation from him this week, but the Dry Suit is frustrating for sure.
If you need a rebreather srviced they are the best place in the area for sure.
Mike...
Camerone
Contributor
My drysuit problem isn't Craig's, actually. He's been more than fantastic to me with regards to equipment and stuff. The zipper replacements and major drysuit repairs, other than seals and the like, are all farmed out to a place in Auburn. From the phone call to that shop, seems like the repair guys "misplaced" my suit for a couple of weeks. It just irks me that they've had it since before Thanksgiving. On the plus side, Craig's been nice enough with his rental fleet to not make it much more than an inconvenience on my part to go in and borrow a suit each time I want to dive. There are a lot of reasons why buying my gear from the LDS has turned out to be an excellent choice for me...and this has been one of them.
I'm on the fence about an Inspiration... I'm leaning towards it, and I need to make my decision this evening, but I need to discuss it a little more with my better half. I want her to take the Dolphin from me, and quit blowing all those bubbles which scare off the fish
-C
I'm on the fence about an Inspiration... I'm leaning towards it, and I need to make my decision this evening, but I need to discuss it a little more with my better half.
I want her to take the Dolphin from me, and quit blowing all those bubbles which scare off the fish -C
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