Older regulator service

[Easterling]

I am a “sometime diver’. It’s been several years I went to have my dacor Viper Reg serviced only to find they dont make them any more and no one services them. Amy suggestions on getting it serviced or should I get a new one? If so, what companies have been in business for a while and seem that they won’t be going out soon? Recommendations, please. Thanks! Deborah

 

[Polarorbit]

Get a new one. Nothing is certain but there are quite a few big names that have been around a long time: Scubapro, Apex, Aqualung, Atomic Aquatics, Sherwood.

 

[jellycatsdad]

The Dacor Viper was the basis for the Mares MV series, it was made after the Dacor-Mares merger. I’d talk to a Mares dealer or get/rent a new setup.

My octo is a Mares MV Octo, and I was able to get it serviced recently.

 

[Belzelbub]

Amy suggestions on getting it serviced or should I get a new one?

New one. Mares bought Dacor, then killed the brand. For a bit, kits were available to service Dacor regs, but that’s been many years. Highly unlikely that any will be found now.

If so, what companies have been in business for a while and seem that they won’t be going out soon? Recommendations, please.

Location will matter. Take a look at what the Dive shops near you sell and service. A recommendation here will do you no good if you can’t get it serviced.

When you check, ask a question about the regs they service. For a particular brand, how many service kits are there. A low number is better in this situation. As an example, I have 4 regs at home. 3 are the same brand. The oldest is around 22 years old. A reg bought today from that brand uses the same service kit. To me, that is more of an indicator. No one can predict which brands will be around in the future, but even if they are, there is still a question of support. A company with one or a couple of different kits for their entire line is likely to have support availability for years.

 

[Ghost95]

Normally I'd tell you to learn to service something vintage yourself but in this case, in my opinion, a Dacor regulator is probably not worth it. Most of the old Scubapro and US Divers/Aqualung have standard parts that can be found but Dacor is not as easy to source parts for.

It's not that the regulators are necessarily bad but just hard to find parts for.

I'd vote new or more serviceable vintage regulators before trying to rework your reg.