Not servicing my gear EVER!

[spoolin01]

I know someone who has been doing just that. He buys a new reg every 3-4 years, never gets it serviced then sells it on ebay after 3-4 years figuring the added cost for the next new reg is not much more than the cumulative annual service he has skipped but at least he is always diving a fairly new reg.

If it's mainly about saving money, why not dive 3-4 years, then pay for the service (or do it himself for next to nothing)? The reg has more than enough life left to justify the rehab.

 

[Ghanguss]

My mares abyss regs are 12 years old and never needed new parts. I pull apart and clean every 2-3 years and they are working great. A 15 yo decor BCD also still working well, although Ive upgraded it recently.

IMO the key to properly working gear is to use it as intended, clean it well after use, and avoid sunlight as much as possible.

 

[dmoore19]

If it's mainly about saving money, why not dive 3-4 years, then pay for the service (or do it himself for next to nothing)? The reg has more than enough life left to justify the rehab.

if the service recommendations are every 1-2 years why risk 3-4 years? Why not just replace it ever7 1-2 years if the problem is saving money, why take the risK. buy a new reg every 1-2 years and take the loss. It just doesn't seem like it is worth the risk of ruiining a dive for you or you buddy to me. If you are spending 2-3000 dollars for a 1 week vacation what is another $100 to get your reg serviced? Buy a new one every 1-2 years (depending on the manufacturers recommendation) and get over it. Seems stupid to me to worry about it if a regulator is your "life support system". Get it serviced or not, just don't put your buddy at risk trying to save a charge for a service charge.

 

[redacted]

if the service recommendations are every 1-2 years why risk 3-4 years? Why not just replace it ever7 1-2 years if the problem is saving money, why take the risK. buy a new reg every 1-2 years and take the loss. It just doesn't seem like it is worth the risk of ruiining a dive for you or you buddy to me. If you are spending 2-3000 dollars for a 1 week vacation what is another $100 to get your reg serviced? Buy a new one every 1-2 years (depending on the manufacturers recommendation) and get over it. Seems stupid to me to worry about it if a regulator is your "life support system". Get it serviced or not, just don't put your buddy at risk trying to save a charge for a service charge.

I wonder what the risk is if you go 2, 3, or 4 years without servicing your regulator

I'll bet that would make a great thread. It would probably get some real good input. But there would probably be some posters who have minimal knowledge about the equipment they think is keeping them alive and just would not understand what folks are sayijng.

 

[spoolin01]

if the service recommendations are every 1-2 years why risk 3-4 years? Why not just replace it ever7 1-2 years if the problem is saving money, why take the risK. buy a new reg every 1-2 years and take the loss. It just doesn't seem like it is worth the risk of ruiining a dive for you or you buddy to me. If you are spending 2-3000 dollars for a 1 week vacation what is another $100 to get your reg serviced? Buy a new one every 1-2 years (depending on the manufacturers recommendation) and get over it. Seems stupid to me to worry about it if a regulator is your "life support system". Get it serviced or not, just don't put your buddy at risk trying to save a charge for a service charge.

Amazing how differently this subject can be regarded. The way I dive, a ruined dive is the only applicable worry - my Abyss went without notice, or should I say: without me noticing, and the dive was ruined. Not servicing the reg doesn't put my life in danger - I don't dive like that, even if you can imagine a way that an unserviced reg would leave me 100% without air, instantly.

So far I've supported 500 dives with two regs. The well used but pro-serviced Abyss went after 200+ dives, and was replaced mid-vacation with a new Titan that went 175 dives before I serviced it for fun. It's still going strong, so that's about $500, my cost, in regs, and 15 years of diving. Being an avid skinflint, I like those economics - as well as the increased confidence in my gear now - saving the purchase price of 7 new regs. That's two trips to Hawaii!!

From what I could see of the reg internals - and I'm just starting at this - I bet if you dive fresh water you might almost never need to service a reg.

 

[DwayneJ]

An IP gauge is to servicing a regulator as a tire pressure gauge is to installing new tires.

Checking IP is not service.

Again, Totally Agree.

 

[Evie G]

The lesson to be learned here is to never get gear serviced then go on vacation. Over the years on this board a general trend has emerged. That is, rapid, major gear failures (major freeflows and the like) almost always happen shortly after service, not after a long time in service. Creeping IP pressures and slight freeflows are pretty much the "normal" problems that pop up after long intervals between services, both fall into the PITA catagory. Get your gear service by a good tech but then do several easy test dive locally before heading off to a remote or advanced dive site.

Precisely why i did a daytrip dives prior to this dive trip. To refresh skills & check my gears. Observing some bubbles trickling out of my inflator & noticing it's sticking a little. I had it checked & serviced by my regular local diveshop. We tested it right there after & its ok. Thats why im sooo disappointed w/ what happened.

& I dnt know anything about any mechanical thing... Prefer to have these things checked & repaired by people in that field..but after this incident...

 

[Evie G]

That's exactly why I do my stuff myself. a) I have a vested interest in doing it right and b) I'd rather my last thought was "oops" not "wtf".

and I dnt know anything about those stuffs...

 

[Buoyant1]

Nah, you won't die, just go get a Spare Air!

Your gonna die!

Just wanted to prepare you for the onslaught.

A quick question would be why? Economics or just out of not seeing the benefit of doing so?

The reason for getting gear serviced or servicing it yourself is that things do wear out, and to catch problems before they become BIG problems. Your life depends on everything working properly. You can never check your cars brakes, and they will work right up until they don't. Coming down a steep mountain pass is not when you want to find that out. Same with Scuba gear- is there a good time for it to stop working properly?

 

[dmoore19]

I wonder what the risk is if you go 2, 3, or 4 years without servicing your regulator

I'll bet that would make a great thread. It would probably get some real good input. But there would probably be some posters who have minimal knowledge about the equipment they think is keeping them alive and just would not understand what folks are sayijng.

I resemble that remark and just don't see the sense in taking any chances.

It's worth the $ to me having that feeling that at least I have done everthing to mitigate possible problems.