I took his comment as a faux paux and meant hot tuned. If I got it wrong, I am sorry. But hot tuned is what I meant. I do not like that term really.
Poppet engraving prevention
- Thread starter Kendall Raine
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I took his comment as a faux paux and meant hot tuned. If I got it wrong, I am sorry. But hot tuned is what I meant. I do not like that term really.
@Kendall Raine, there are way more inventive and interesting (and, as @rhwestfall points out, some off-label) ways to accomplish your goal than I would have guessed but to return to your above question: your scenario and question were discussed recently at the October @rsingler reg service seminar. A look at my seminar notes confirms my recollection that the storage method in question should not deform the spring as the compression under which the spring would be placed is within the spring's working range. Have fun picking among the suggestions!
Regarding your other question...though I have Apeks regs, I have no idea about their seat material durometer so I'm unable to comment (and know better than to speculate
) on that.
Sorry... You can tune the thing to always be in freeflow rather than hard to breathe. Sure, "detune" often means making it harder to breathe, but it can be either way from being optimally tuned.
If it's going to be in storage a while, go ahead and remove the HP seat
FWIW, I'm not a proponent of making regs harder to breathe. That's what adjusting knobs are for.
admikar
Contributor
Reason why shops won't hot tune 2nd stage to the edge is the possible free flow after seat takes a set (which it will sooner or later). I do it on my own regs, because I don't mind to retune it after few dives.
If stored, long-term, remove the knob clip and turn counterclockwise until there’s only a thread or two attached. Your seat and spring won’t be compressed.
OP
Kendall Raine
Contributor
Thanks everyone.
Much appreciated.
Much appreciated.
Most SMs for single hose regulators require a cracking effort of 1.0 to 1.6 inches of water to initiate flow. Flow, not free flow. Most SMs also require that the second stage free flow when the Venturi Assist is in the Dive position (Max) when the regulator is purged. Again, most SMs also require the regulator second stage to not free flow when the purge is used in the Pre-Dive position (Min) .
When people, me for instance, hot tune a regulator for their personal use the cracking effort is reduced to essentially zero becaue with the knob fully out the regulator will very slightly leak. This is NOT free flow. When adjusted in such manner it is needed to turn the adjustment knob in about a half turn in normal use to stop the leak.
When the adjustment knob is fully out, since there is a slight leak, hot tuned, there is little or no pressure of the seat on the orifice and it will not indent. Not all second stages have an adjustment knob and in such case, I set those to the minimum spec in the SM for myself and readjust after the seat takes a set and likely begins to leak. For a customer regulator, going by feel and experience with the type, I would set the cracking effort to the middle or higher side of specification so that once the seat breaks in the regulator will be on the low end of the SM specification. I set my adjustable regulators to less than specification such that when the seat then breaks in I may need to readjust the orifice/micro-adjust so that with the knob fully out there is the slightest hint of a leak or is on the verge of doing so. Such adjustment, between slightly leaking and not, can be as little as 1/16 of a turn of the orifice or less.
Most shop serviced regulators and even those new out of the box are usually set to the high side of spec. This is done so that when the seat breaks in to the orifice there will not be that slight leak that some of us set for intentionally and for which most divers return the regulator to said shop of service or purchase complaining of a leak or free flow as if there was no knob, that big round thing that they can turn in and out, to adjust.
The pin that was mentioned in one post to be removed and then turn the knob out while in storage thus removing all pressure of the poppet seat to the orifice by the spring. Some regulators, actually most, the (knob limit) pin is trapped inside the barrel by the collar of the adjustment knob. Older types such as the (greatest of all time) G250/109/156 are external and can be easily popped free and removed and then turn the knob out even further, till it falls out in your hand even
.
And, of course, some regulators like the G260 (above) have a manually activated seat saver lock that lifts the seat away from the orifce and the Atomic regulators have an automatic (pneumatic) seat saver function that accomplishes the same thing.
When people, me for instance, hot tune a regulator for their personal use the cracking effort is reduced to essentially zero becaue with the knob fully out the regulator will very slightly leak. This is NOT free flow. When adjusted in such manner it is needed to turn the adjustment knob in about a half turn in normal use to stop the leak.
When the adjustment knob is fully out, since there is a slight leak, hot tuned, there is little or no pressure of the seat on the orifice and it will not indent. Not all second stages have an adjustment knob and in such case, I set those to the minimum spec in the SM for myself and readjust after the seat takes a set and likely begins to leak. For a customer regulator, going by feel and experience with the type, I would set the cracking effort to the middle or higher side of specification so that once the seat breaks in the regulator will be on the low end of the SM specification. I set my adjustable regulators to less than specification such that when the seat then breaks in I may need to readjust the orifice/micro-adjust so that with the knob fully out there is the slightest hint of a leak or is on the verge of doing so. Such adjustment, between slightly leaking and not, can be as little as 1/16 of a turn of the orifice or less.
Most shop serviced regulators and even those new out of the box are usually set to the high side of spec. This is done so that when the seat breaks in to the orifice there will not be that slight leak that some of us set for intentionally and for which most divers return the regulator to said shop of service or purchase complaining of a leak or free flow as if there was no knob, that big round thing that they can turn in and out, to adjust.
The pin that was mentioned in one post to be removed and then turn the knob out while in storage thus removing all pressure of the poppet seat to the orifice by the spring. Some regulators, actually most, the (knob limit) pin is trapped inside the barrel by the collar of the adjustment knob. Older types such as the (greatest of all time) G250/109/156 are external and can be easily popped free and removed and then turn the knob out even further, till it falls out in your hand even
.And, of course, some regulators like the G260 (above) have a manually activated seat saver lock that lifts the seat away from the orifce and the Atomic regulators have an automatic (pneumatic) seat saver function that accomplishes the same thing.
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