Parts kits for Aqualung 1st and 2nd stages

[nldiver1984]

Would a balance chamber be easy to come by even if I needed to replace it at some point?

The valve seat seems pretty tricky to remove. I put a small amount of compressed air (from a can) into an LP port but the seat didn't budge. What's the best way to do this?

 

[herman]

To remove the balance chamber oring I use a straight SS dental pick. I carefully stick/impale the oring and pull it out. Finding a Dacor balance chamber may prove to be difficult. Hopefully you have not done damage to the one you have.

To remove the HP seat I remove the diaphgarm and pin support first then push it out from below using a plastic or wood dowel. Thats a little different method than Dacor suggested.

 

[Fishpie]

The seat should just fall out, there's nothing there to hold it, failing that just pull it out with some needle nose pliers.....don't loose the pin that's behind it.
Don't try and blow it out or you will be crawling around on your hands and knees looking for that pin.

Remember you really have a Mares reg and there's plenty of spares for them.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Would a balance chamber be easy to come by even if I needed to replace it at some point?

The valve seat seems pretty tricky to remove. I put a small amount of compressed air (from a can) into an LP port but the seat didn't budge. What's the best way to do this?

The first few MR-12's I serviced I religiously "blew" the seats out using compressed air (ditto for the diaphragms). The trick with the seat is to create some back-pressure (so the diaphragm and all other plugs need to be in) using an pencil eraser to "block" the orifice in the seat.... getting the correct amount of pressure on the eraser was the trick, but when you get it just right it will "pop" the seat free (the O-ring on the seat holds it fairly firmly in place).

Now.... I do exactly as Herman suggests, and just carefully press the seat out from behind (after removing the diaphragm, which I also carefully press out)...

Funny story: I decided to learn how to service our Mares regulators (MR-12's and MR-22's), so I bought an older MR-12 on ebay to "practice" on. I "blew" out the diaphragm like the service manual recommended, but I did not have a rag over end to "catch" the diaphragm, and the tiny push pin went flying.... I spent 20 frantic minutes on hands and knees searching the darkest corners of my work room for it.... :shocked2:

The MR-12 survived my clumsy "servicing" just fine, and I still use it as a trusted backup reg today.

I'm sure your Dacor will be just fine.

Best wishes.

---------- Post added June 19th, 2013 at 05:38 PM ----------

The seat should just fall out, there's nothing there to hold it, failing that just pull it out with some needle nose pliers.....don't loose the pin that's behind it.
Don't try and blow it out or you will be crawling around on your hands and knees looking for that pin.

Remember you really have a Mares reg and there's plenty of spares for them.

I think by "valve seat" he means what Mares calls the "Poppet Seat", but many of us would call the orifice or volcano orifice, that the HP seat (aka "HP Valve" or "Poppet" in Mares terminology?) contacts....

The terminology get confusing, depending on the brand....

Best wishes.

 

[herman]

He is refering to the HP volcano, not the HP seat/poppet. If that one falls out, odds are there is an oring missing.

I completley rearrange the dissambly procedure to make life easier, the dissambly order and to some extent the assembly order is not critical.
I remove the diaphragm and pin supports first (and one LP port, the rest stay plugged) then blow the diaphragms out with compressed air. Just cover them somehow to prevent them from flying across the room. Now remove the HP components, pushing the HP seat out from behind and all the other parts like port plugs.