Question on gear repair

[rbahr]

Hi all,

This may be a bit heretical and a rant - so apologies...

We live in Boston and like all good divers we get our gear serviced. EVERY time we end up with gear that has a problem. This has happened virtually EVERY time.

I have a full machine shop in my basement, I service my race car, and am prepared to take responsibility for my actions (what a concept) yada, yada, yada.

I don't trust any of these 'folks'. How does a non-dive-shop person get the training and parts?

Thanks and sorry about the rant - having lost dive time to fix things...

 

[JohnnyC]

If you've got a tec ticket of some sort TDI offers a Hog regulator course.

That being said, if you are even remotely mechanically inclined, Regulator Savvy by Pete Wolfinger and Regulator Repair and Maintenance by Vance Harlow will give you a good start.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Manuals for many regs can be found here www.frogkick.dk - /

Two very good books on general gear servicing are here: Regulator Savvy Book | Scuba Tools

and here: SCUBA REGULATOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR by Vance Harlow

Given what you posted you likely have most of the tools you'll need already. What you should do though is not use the ones you use on your car on your reg. Gasoline, grease, etc. and scuba regs do not go well together.

Some of the specialized tools you need can be bought from scubatools above with the Reg Savvy book. Others can be made or modified from tools you find at Sears.

Your next task will be to find service kits. Those can be easy to locate or as rare as an honest politician depending on the brand and how well your dealer likes you. Ebay is your friend as are some on line retailers. Some brands actually have no problem with dealers selling you kits.

My main line (HOG) allows me to not only sell you kits but to also train individuals to service their own gear. I have certified about a dozen home techs. 1 1/2 day course.

Certain mfg's will actually pull the dealership of a shop if they find out they sold you service kits.

---------- Post added November 23rd, 2015 at 05:56 PM ----------

The course is offered by qualified independent TDI Instructors. There are about 50 of us now I think worldwide. Not every TDI instructor can offer the class and the class content does vary. That Tech card can be TDI Nitrox or any Recreational overhead such as Ice or Cavern with the TDI Nitrox card.

If you've got a tec ticket of some sort TDI offers a Hog regulator course.

That being said, if you are even remotely mechanically inclined, Regulator Savvy by Pete Wolfinger and Regulator Repair and Maintenance by Vance Harlow will give you a good start.

 

[Keith.M]

^^^^This.

Both those books are very good. Written in entirely different styles. But if you have your own machine shop... These books should be all you need.

 

[divad]

Hi all,

This may be a bit heretical and a rant - so apologies...

We live in Boston and like all good divers we get our gear serviced. EVERY time we end up with gear that has a problem. This has happened virtually EVERY time.

I have a full machine shop in my basement, I service my race car, and am prepared to take responsibility for my actions (what a concept) yada, yada, yada.

I don't trust any of these 'folks'. How does a non-dive-shop person get the training and parts?

Thanks and sorry about the rant - having lost dive time to fix things...

You're not just a disgruntled "regulator technician" troll, right?

 

[rbahr]

Thanks folks,

I am not a disgruntled tech, just tired and nervous of trusting my lifeline to these guys...

I promise to keep the grease & oil away from these parts

Ray

 

[Hickdive]

I'll pitch in with the old standards:

You'll die!

Only a 'scuba professional' should service gear'!

It's life-support equipment!

You'll die! Again! Your dog will probably die too!

 

[herman]

First step is to get and read both the books listed above and some service manuals.
The next step IMO is to find an inexpensive reg off ebay or the like, preferably one of similar design as your own and service it for practice. Once you read the books you will discover there are only a few designs and every reg is a variant of one of the basic designs. For a practice reg, it's a good idea to pick one that parts are easily available for and not a bad idea one that there are followers of. Scubapro MK-2/5/10 for piston regs and USD/AL Conshelf or Titan are good choices for diaphragm regs. They have a good following on this board, parts are easy to come by and are very good regs to boot. All can be had on ebay for reasonable prices (got a MK-5 and second stage for under $35 the other day) and when properly serviced they are as good or maybe better than your current reg.
Depending on the reg, most can be serviced with no special tools other than an IP gauge but the special tools do help. As for difficulty, if you can rebuild a carb, regs are not problem at all. Welcome to the dark side !

Oh, yea, your dog will be fine, just don't let him chew on the HP hoses....

 

[divad]

Thanks folks, I am not a disgruntled tech, just tired and nervous of trusting my lifeline to these guys...
Ray

What took you so long? By all means, forge ahead.

RE parts; what brand are your regulators?

 

[redacted]

Hi all,

This may be a bit heretical and a rant - so apologies...

We live in Boston and like all good divers we get our gear serviced. EVERY time we end up with gear that has a problem. This has happened virtually EVERY time.

...

Why were you having your gear serviced? Good divers understand the pitfalls of having their gear serviced unnecessarily.

Good advice above on getting started DIY if that is what you think you want. Regulators are really fairly simple. More like a brake job than a carburetor rebuild.