Poseidon Service Problems?

[muddiver]

Has anyone had problems getting their Poseidon regulators serviced in a timely manner?

I recently decided to switch from my trusty Sherwood regulators to a higher performance set of regulators and now it seems that getting parts will be an issue.

Is Apeks any better?

 

[scubafanatic]

.....well, I own several Jetstreams that I bought some years ago......and Poseidon does have something of a shaky record over the years with respect to parts....they've gone through several different US distributors over the years. My Jetstreams were always reliable and certainly were high performance, but I'll admit in recent years I've been using Atomics (M1 and T2) and Apeks XTX 200 (2) as my primary regs as they are more common with respect to parts and especially service......it isn't easy to find a good Poseidon tech. I haven't really kept up with Poseidon recently, so I don't know if we're back to the bad 'ol days to having parts 'issues' ...I'm not sure why you are reporting that getting parts will be an issue....where/from who did you discover this ? .......I'd suggest you post over on the Poseidon manufacturer's forum....and also do some SB searches for 'Poseidon servicing' ....there are some good people on this board who either service Poseidon or know good techs who do service Poseidon. I don't know how much $ you've invested in your Poseidons...I think it's a little early to give up hope....they're good regs....just a bit harder to get parts/service for, also be prepared for the possibility of higher parts prices, especially if you have problems with the 2nd-stage pilot-valve.......but I'm sure there are those on this board who can point you in the right direction.

 

[muddiver]

Thanks, it was the tech that runs Malabu Dive Repair, great guy and good service. He had an issue getting the parts which held up my regulator for an extra week.

As far as the second stage pilot valve, I don't plan to use a Poseidon second stage. I am mating my Superflow 350's up with Xstream first stages. Originally I was going to go with the Apeks DS4 but the Poseidon's kind of fell into my lap first.

 

[W8less]

Try to make a long story short, been diving Poseidons for 40 years from 300's to 5000 Cyclons. I love them and have been a Poseidon diehard and blowhard on other threads. Still use original 300. Parts in the Seattle area have never been a problem although they are more expensive to repair??

Last summer I was interested in a GUE Fundies class, talked to the instructor and he indicated that poseidons were not thought of very highly for DIR. I thought this guy has to be crazy, I have been diving these things in ALL environments my entire dive life, there is no way in hell I am spending a grand for new regs just to take a class.

Since that mental declaration, I have had several 5000 free flows due to the higher intermediate pressure that Poseidons employ and the valve seats that were prematurely worn. 2 different regs, different dives had to shut down the posts and abort.

I was also told that because of the higher intermediate pressure the chance of an embolism was greater. I'm like wait a minute, come on?????????????? Sure enough, inside the 5000 2nd stage is a collar surrounding the piston that can be rotated manually to adjust pressure/air flow. In the process of adjusting the flow (knowledge enhancement) I raised and lowered past mid point to get a feel for the difference, when I raised the pressure and inhaled my left lung landed somewhere in Kansas.

Maybe the Fundies/DIR guy was right after all. Sometimes through ego or arrogance we will be attached to a product literally to the death.

I am now the proud owner of a pair of MK25's /S600's

 

[muddiver]

Another reason to use the Superflow 350 second stage's.

Oh, BTW, I remember having one of those masks like the one in the photo you are using as an avitar. Scuba Pro I think?

 

[donooo]

Try to make a long story short, been diving Poseidons for 40 years from 300's to 5000 Cyclons. I love them and have been a Poseidon diehard and blowhard on other threads. Still use original 300. Parts in the Seattle area have never been a problem although they are more expensive to repair??

Last summer I was interested in a GUE Fundies class, talked to the instructor and he indicated that poseidons were not thought of very highly for DIR. I thought this guy has to be crazy, I have been diving these things in ALL environments my entire dive life, there is no way in hell I am spending a grand for new regs just to take a class.

Since that mental declaration, I have had several 5000 free flows due to the higher intermediate pressure that Poseidons employ and the valve seats that were prematurely worn. 2 different regs, different dives had to shut down the posts and abort.

I was also told that because of the higher intermediate pressure the chance of an embolism was greater. I'm like wait a minute, come on?????????????? Sure enough, inside the 5000 2nd stage is a collar surrounding the piston that can be rotated manually to adjust pressure/air flow. In the process of adjusting the flow (knowledge enhancement) I raised and lowered past mid point to get a feel for the difference, when I raised the pressure and inhaled my left lung landed somewhere in Kansas.

Maybe the Fundies/DIR guy was right after all. Sometimes through ego or arrogance we will be attached to a product literally to the death.

I am now the proud owner of a pair of MK25's /S600's

WOW. this answer blows my mind. Lets see, first, the only place the Cyklon has a higher IP is as the tank pressure decreases, Yep, the IP starts low( if I remember right, around 142 at 3000 PSI ) and increases to about 172 at 300 PSI. So, the adjustment of your 2nd stage, and only the 2nd stage effects that free flow that you are feeling. What was great at 3000 PSI starts free flowing (slightly) at 1500 or so. That is about an 1/8 of a turn of adjustment on the 2nd. Somebody missed the part about adjusting the 2nd at low pressure.

There might be some other shops in the PNW, but I took mine to the shop in Woodinville. They do a great job. I have the Poseidon technician certificate, but I let them do my 1st's until I learned my 2nd's. Now I do both.

The reason the DIR guys don't like Poseidons is because you can't rebuild them if they silt up in a cave. Take a look at the pictures of tech divers and you will see a lot of Poseidons. Especially deep.

I use my Scubapro in the pool and on a pony.
adios don O

 

[e zi]

The 2 reasons why DIR don't like Poseidon are:
1. The hose connector [to the second stage] is not "standard" *.
2. The second stage is "upstream".

* In 2009 model, the hose become "standard": The IP Over Pressure Valve (necessary because of the "upstream" second stage) is removed from the hose-connector to the second stage, & become part of the first stage.

 

[scubafanatic]

The 2 reasons why DIR don't like Poseidon are:
1. The hose connector [to the second stage] is not "standard" *.
2. The second stage is "upstream".

* In 2009 model, the hose become "standard": The IP Over Pressure Valve (necessary because of the "upstream" second stage) is removed from the hose-connector to the second stage, & become part of the first stage.

...it might be correct to say the Poseidon hose became 'more standard'......it's still not exactly 'standard'. My Jetstreams have a 'special' 2nd-stage hose that allows the Jetstream 2nd-stage body to be screwed into the end of the hose...so there is no way a non-Poseidon hose can be used....unless, in the years since I bought my Jetstreams Poseidon has also updated/changed their proprietary hoses ?