Not servicing my gear EVER!

[redacted]

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.

There is really nothing wrong with that if you are unwilling or unable to put more effort into DIY. But you do need to understand that mfgr recommendations are very much safe sided (or they are just trying to support their retailers). You also need to understand that each time you have a regulator serviced is an opportunity for a maintenance error, some of which can be quite serious.

It is not a problem until you try to tell others who are willing and able to put in the extra effort to make sure their regs are in good shape through testing and inspection that they are taking unnecessary risks.

 

[redacted]

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 believe Halcyon did have a problem for a while with inflators that had a tendency to stick as you described. You may want to research that a bit. There should be a number of discussions on this board. Point is, the cure for your problem may be a replacement inflator rather that frequent servicing and repair of a problem design.

 

[dmoore19]

There is really nothing wrong with that if you are unwilling or unable to put more effort into DIY. But you do need to understand that mfgr recommendations are very much safe sided (or they are just trying to support their retailers). You also need to understand that each time you have a regulator serviced is an opportunity for a maintenance error, some of which can be quite serious.

It is not a problem until you try to tell others who are willing and able to put in the extra effort to make sure their regs are in good shape through testing and inspection that they are taking unnecessary risks.

I always test my regulator and octo in the pool before taking off on the trip. I trust the folks that service my regs. So far, as you can see from my profile, I don't have that many dives on my reg. I have had them cleaned and tested without having to repair or replace anything. Minor adjustments is all they have ever had to do. I am not very trusting of my own work so will leave it to somone who has done it before. My whole thing was not to knock those who want to service their own but an argument against no service at all and just waiting for a failure. That is, in my opinion nothing but asking for trouble.

 

[redacted]

I always test my regulator and octo in the pool before taking off on the trip. I trust the folks that service my regs. So far, as you can see from my profile, I don't have that many dives on my reg. I have had them cleaned and tested without having to repair or replace anything. Minor adjustments is all they have ever had to do. I am not very trusting of my own work so will leave it to somone who has done it before. My whole thing was not to knock those who want to service their own but an argument against no service at all and just waiting for a failure. That is, in my opinion nothing but asking for trouble.

That is not enough for a good test/inspection. Checking IP of a regulator is like checking blood pressure of a person. It is an easy indicator of possible hidden problems. A good IP gauge runs around $25. It is basically a gas engine compression gauge with an $10 adapter to connect it to an LPI. I have even used a $5 water pressure gauge so I can include a real cheap IP gauge in my save-a-dive kit. You can see an incipient failure of an HP seat well before one of your 2nd stages will start bubbling to relieve the excess pressure.

This might be a picture:

 

[Evie G]

I believe Halcyon did have a problem for a while with inflators that had a tendency to stick as you described. You may want to research that a bit. There should be a number of discussions on this board. Point is, the cure for your problem may be a replacement inflator rather that frequent servicing and repair of a problem design.

Yes, I knew about that. There's also some discussions re that in SB forum.
But in all my three years of using it, this is the first time it happened.
Ive had it serviced last year w/ a Halcyon dealer. No prob till this recent incident.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

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.

I love my Mares Abyss regs (one each for the wife and I); but sadly both of ours may have had slightly "subpar" high pressure seats (Mares calls them "poppets") from the factory.

Perhaps a "bad batch" from the factory that supplies the seats? Who knows.

Anyway, at about the 1 year mark the IP on mine began to "creep", so I rebuilt it. At 1 1/2 years the wife's also showed the same symptom, so I rebuilt her's.

Neither reg displayed any overt "symptoms" while diving, but the readings on the IP guage were clearly indicating a developing problem with the high pressure seat.

Since then, both have been 100% rock solid, are going on about 2 years since I rebuilt them, and I expect they will go for a good long while before needing a rebuild.

The point of this rambling post is just to reinforce the importance of routine inspection and testing, even within the first year of owning a regulator; and especially after any service is performed.

Best wishes.

 

[copter53]

I did not expect so much responses. But I am glad that everyone has something to offer. Some negative comments yet they still came with a lesson so I'm glad they were posted. So to give a little more detail. I have an Atomic Aquatics z2 and a oceanic slimline 2 octo. I bought them both at the same time from leisurepro about 3 years ago. I would say I dove about 200 times with them. I have not serviced either one as of yet. No problems have arised so far. I have been pushing off service for a while but then realized that I might be doing something complety retarded by not servicing so I decided to ask. Since I got them from leisurepro I understand that the lifetime warranty does not apply. So I was thinking no service and just buy new regs after 4 years. So basicly I would sell these and regardless of what I got for them would buy a new set of regs in a year anyways.

Let me know what you think?

 

[herman]

If you like them, why not just get them serviced and keep diving them? The parts and labor is going to be a lot less ($100-150 ish with parts) than a new reg of any quality and properly serviced they are basically new again, the scratches on the outside don't have any effect on the internal working.

 

[DwayneJ]

I did not expect so much responses. But I am glad that everyone has something to offer. Some negative comments yet they still came with a lesson so I'm glad they were posted. So to give a little more detail. I have an Atomic Aquatics z2 and a oceanic slimline 2 octo. I bought them both at the same time from leisurepro about 3 years ago. I would say I dove about 200 times with them. I have not serviced either one as of yet. No problems have arised so far. I have been pushing off service for a while but then realized that I might be doing something complety retarded by not servicing so I decided to ask. Since I got them from leisurepro I understand that the lifetime warranty does not apply. So I was thinking no service and just buy new regs after 4 years. So basicly I would sell these and regardless of what I got for them would buy a new set of regs in a year anyways.

Let me know what you think?

The z2 has a 2 year/300 dive service interval. It does not have a sealed 1st stage so I would recommend having this reg serviced soon. What matters is finding someone who is a skilled reg tech. The are techs who will strip it down and only replace whats needed and this can be less than $100. Service the regs, you don't need new ones. Where are you located?

Im pretty sure LP will look after you if you have a "lifetime" issue. I also believe Atomics will look after you if you run into any issues.

 

[redacted]

The best insurance you can have to prevent a dive trip spoiling problem with your regulator is a backup set; especially if you are going to push the service interval. Buy a 2nd set now and service your primary set at the first sign of a problem.