purchasing a new old regulator

[etoile03]

Hi - Looking to purchase my own gear. But, wondering if I purchase an older model regulator (5 years) from someone that was never used - does this regulator still need to be serviced? Would this be serviced the same as if it was a used regulator? And, also would this cost the same as servicing a used regulator?

 

[Scuba Scott]

It is probably fine but the only way to know for sure is to have it serviced. From that point on you will know how it has been treated, stored, used, etc.
Are you really really sure it was never used or is that what you are being told?
Why would someone buy a regulator and never use it? Is it just old stock in a dive shop?

 

[fmerkel]

There's no way to tell by posting here. The only absolutely sure way is to service it, which will cost the same as if it had been used.
You may be able to have a shop 'safety check' it for a more reasonable fee and get some assurance out of that.

 

[tbone1004]

service is service whether the reg is 5 days old or 5 decades old. I would have it serviced since o-rings tend to dry out and what not.

what specific reg is it?

 

[etoile03]

Thanks for the responses. I kind of figured it would most likely require servicing if it wasn't used but an older model. Someone had a Titan LX that she had won at a local diving event but never used from 5 years ago. I was going to offer $100 for it...not sure if I'm not better off purchasing new and not having to deal with servicing.

 

[tbone1004]

Thanks for the responses. I kind of figured it would most likely require servicing if it wasn't used but an older model. Someone had a Titan LX that she had won at a local diving event but never used from 5 years ago. I was going to offer $100 for it...not sure if I'm not better off purchasing new and not having to deal with servicing.

if they'll accept $100, grab it, send it to Scubatoys, Air Tech, whoever, and eat the close to $200 it will take to service it. Do it once, and don't worry about it for another 5 years. Alternatively, you can learn to DIY service it which is not hard and I think vintage double hose has parts and manuals on it. Either way, you shouldn't have to replace hoses or anything else.

is it a full reg set or just the first and second?

 

[Bryan@Vintage Double Hose]

I'd service it for way less than $200.00...Under the assumption nothing is missing or damaged..

 

[halocline]

If it truly has never been in the water, and was made 5 years ago, it's probably fine to dive. It definitely needs to be inspected, but that's easy to do. The first stage likely has no wear, because the seat is not in contact with the orifice when the reg is unpressurized. The 2nd stage might need a new seat, but since it's the LX model, that has a balanced 2nd stage with a lighter spring, and those tend to wear the seat less during storage.

The titan is one of the all time great regulator designs and if you can really get one that has never been used for $100, you should jump on it.

As I mentioned, you need to inspect it, but a full service is very likely not necessary. The o-rings and plastic parts in these regs do not spontaneously wear out or 'dry-rot' in 5 years as long as the reg has been stored in reasonable conditions.

As an example, many service kits sold by the manufacturers probably have o-rings that are more than 5 years old. (from their date of manufacture) Modern synthetic rubber compounds like EPDM have a shelf life far longer than that.

You could send it to Bryan at vdh and ask him to inspect it for you; he's an expert with these regs because they are the same design and parts as the old US divers double hose regulators and conshelfs. I don't think you'll find anyone with more experience than him.

But, if it were mine, I would simply hook it up to a tank, listen for any hissing, submerge the tank, look for bubbles, shut the tank valve off, breathe down the residual air, and keep trying to draw air. If you can't, it means the reg holds vacuum. Then buy or borrow an IP gauge, put it on the LP inflator hose, and turn on the tank. I would bet that it holds IP perfectly and is ready to go.

 

[fmerkel]

+1 on what halocline said.

I've tested regs that were 20 years old, used a lot, not rinsed well, looked bad, and worked fine.
I.....just....overhauled a Mares MR12 that is similar to the one you are talking about. The reg is 18 years old, been used on a 2 week trip only about 5 years ago, looked like new when I took it apart, and passed all the tests halocline indicated before the overhaul. I only overhauled it because I'm selling it and wanted to make sure there was nothing wrong with it.

 

[buddhasummer]

A $100 is steal, if I could buy for that I would. Agree with most other posts. I'd not be surprised if it didn't need servicing but for piece of mind you could take it/send it somewhere for a "professional" to check. Even if servicing runs $150 you still got a great deal. Assuming it is actually NOS I'd almost guarantee the first stage is fine and most likely the second stage is too, although may need a tweak if seat has imprinted.