putting together regulator

[miketsp]

It's really pretty simple, but "if you have to ask, don't do it."

The big problem is that a newbie doesn't normally have any prior knowledge to evaluate the LDS that he is asking to tweak/check his reg.
I'm assuming that the 1st stage and the main 2nd stage already came screwed together in a sealed box and went through some Quality Assurance process from a reputable manufacture. If so they should work together safely and adequately.
The alternate and the SPG/Console just need screwing in to the right holes just a little more than finger tight.
Now personally I would trust a reputable manufacturers QA process far more than an unknown LDS tec and I would not trust an unknown person to tweak my reg. I've had some bad experiences.
One year down the line when it comes to the 1st revision, this same newbie will have talked to a lot of fellow divers in the area and heard opinions about the various shops. He will also know how a regulator should breathe.
He will know where to take it and what to expect.
I would use it the way it came.

 

[SDAnderson]

I'm assuming that the 1st stage and the main 2nd stage already came screwed together in a sealed box and went through some Quality Assurance process from a reputable manufacture. If so they should work together safely and adequately.

It's been my experience that a significant portion of regulators coming directly from the manufacturer require adjustments after assembly. By the time a customer buys his new regulator it can easily be several months old. The manhandling they get during shipping and even the effect of time on new parts that haven't found their equilibrium means that tension settings will often need tuning.

To the best of my knowledge, every manufacturer calls for new regulators to be inspected and adjusted by a qualified technician - it's part of the manufacturers process for insuring that the equipment is working safely and adequately.

 

[miketsp]

It's been my experience that a significant portion of regulators coming directly from the manufacturer require adjustments after assembly. By the time a customer buys his new regulator it can easily be several months old. The manhandling they get during shipping and even the effect of time on new parts that haven't found their equilibrium means that tension settings will often need tuning.

To the best of my knowledge, every manufacturer calls for new regulators to be inspected and adjusted by a qualified technician - it's part of the manufacturers process for insuring that the equipment is working safely and adequately.

I agree that there may be some drift and the regulator may not give optimum performance, the question is will it put the new user in any danger which may well be the case when put in the hands of a non-skilled "qualified" tech.

Discussing this with friends, they all used their regs straight out of the box.

 

[SubMariner]

Moved from Introductions & Greets forum.

 

[liberato]

The first sentence did conjure up images of a regulator in pieces but he is only asking how to set it up the various items. Instead of having the dive shop do it I would suggest having them show you how to attach the hoses (the difference between HP and LP, how not to crossthread, how much torque to use, etc). Hard to imagine not being interested in how to do that...