Questions on Regulator Maintenance

[Random Dude]

Hi, I'm interested in trying to maintain my regulators by myself.
Will probably be doing "workshops" with LDS willing to teach the process, albeit without official certification.
However, I have a few questions before even going for the class, to make sure that I am up for DIY maintenance at this point of time

1. When it comes to regulator maintenance, how bad could things go in a worst scenario when servicing the reg?
For example, when pressurising, would a improperly assembled reg merely leak gas, or explode and punch holes in my roof? Would appreciate it if anyone has experience about the hazards of DIY regulator maintenance

2. What do you guys do to make sure the newly serviced reg is reasonably reliable?
Will breathing them while on dry land suffice? Or do you guys bring them to pools or shallow areas first? If so, are there general guidelines around how many dives before the reg can be regarded as reasonably safe?

3. Lastly, if dealing with regs like APEKS DST/XTX50 , SPMK17/G260, HOG D3, do I absolutely need a lot of brand-specialised and expensive tools to maintain them? Or can I make do with generic tools?

Would love to hear your views on this, thanks in advance!

 

[snowdog61]

How mechanically inclined are you? would be my 1st question. There's nothing magical about a regulator - it's a very simple device. I do find diaphragm types much easier to service than the pistons - my opinion. AFA tooling - a good multi tool can service most. Having a pin spanner and an IP gauge is about it for specialty tooling 'need' (along with a bench vise and some soft bristle brushes (nylon and brass)). An ultra sonic cleaner is certainly nice to have as is a 1st stage holder (you can use a 7/16" bolt otherwise which is what I use). Manuals are available online for most regs (frogkick). If you can understand the parts stack-up and get rebuild kits you're mostly there. Cleanliness and attention to detail are a real good trait. The IP gauge will tell you how your 1st stage is behaving and when it wants/needs attention. If it lock ups good and has little or no drift at its correct IP you should be golden. New seats will typically drift a little until they establish themselves (takes a set ) during the initial cycles so you may need to adjust both stages to get a good tune. Follow the manual

 

[halocline]

Hi, I'm interested in trying to maintain my regulators by myself.
Will probably be doing "workshops" with LDS willing to teach the process, albeit without official certification.
However, I have a few questions before even going for the class, to make sure that I am up for DIY maintenance at this point of time

1. When it comes to regulator maintenance, how bad could things go in a worst scenario when servicing the reg?
For example, when pressurising, would a improperly assembled reg merely leak gas, or explode and punch holes in my roof? Would appreciate it if anyone has experience about the hazards of DIY regulator maintenance

2. What do you guys do to make sure the newly serviced reg is reasonably reliable?
Will breathing them while on dry land suffice? Or do you guys bring them to pools or shallow areas first? If so, are there general guidelines around how many dives before the reg can be regarded as reasonably safe?

3. Lastly, if dealing with regs like APEKS DST/XTX50 , SPMK17/G260, HOG D3, do I absolutely need a lot of brand-specialised and expensive tools to maintain them? Or can I make do with generic tools?

Would love to hear your views on this, thanks in advance!

I'll answer your questions one at a time, but first welcome to the DIY world. Working on my own regulators is definitely the best dive-related decision I have ever made. The scuba gear industry's approach to regulator sales and service is fraught with B.S. and hype, and learning how regulators work and how to maintain them gets you past the nonsense.

1. The worst thing that usually happens if you screw something up is that you ruin a part or even a regulator. It's a good idea to start working on older, simpler, cheaper regulators until you get some confidence. Nothing's going to explode.

2. To check my work on a regulator, I carefully check for leaks, both bubble check and vacuum leaks. There are threads about doing this if you search. I also leave the regulator pressurized for a few hours with an IP gauge on the inflator hose to make sure there is absolutely no IP creep. I often pressurize, then turn the valve off. If everything is right, both the IP gauge and the SPG will not budge even after several hours. If the SPG drops significantly, there is a very slow leak someplace. It's usually the tank valve. Going on a quick post-service check out dive is a good idea, especially when you are new to DIY service.

3. I only have scubapro and older USD regulators, so I only know about tools for those brands. I think you can do the jobs you need to do with a modest assortment of tools. There are also some threads that discuss this in detail.

I would start with the Vance Harlow book on regulator repair. It's well written, mostly accurate, and gives a newcomer a great introduction to how regulators work and how to fix them. After you finish that book, you can try Regulator Savvy by Peter Wolfinger. That book is more in depth and advanced. It has a lot of very valuable conceptual information, unfortunately it also pushes the use of expensive specialized tools, which he sold at the time of his writing the book. Still it's a must-read for anyone seriously interested in doing regulator service.

Have fun!

 

[Couv]

Hi, I'm interested in trying to maintain my regulators by myself.

Hi Melvin,
Welcome to "The Dark Side." you've come to the right place with your questions and over time the kind folks here will get you moving in the right direction. I'll try to answer a few-expect some editing as I dig up threads and links. Don't be bothered if "this person said this, and somebody else said that" we all have different approaches and that's a good thing.

1. When it comes to regulator maintenance, how bad could things go in a worst scenario when servicing the reg?

Good question and an excellent place to start. Usually nothing can go wrong and cause injury to the technician, but let's address safety first. Anytime you pressurize a first stage you must have some sort of pressure relief device in place. Normally a second stage serves this purpose. As you know, the first stage takes high pressure from the tank and reduces it to a lower pressure (intermediate pressure) before sending it to the second stage. If it fails to do that, most second stages valves will be overridden and open allowing the excess pressure to vent. There might be some cases where a second stage in not attached (or not a downstream valve) so an over-pressure relief valve must be used. Over-Pressure Relief Valve (User Adjustable)

2. What do you guys do to make sure the newly serviced reg is reasonably reliable?

Start here: Regulator Inspection and Checklist (Rev-7)

Next download and read the article Halocline inserted in post 1 of this thread:
Beginner's Guide to Regulators

Continue your education by acquiring Vance Harlow's (Oxyhacker on Scuba Board and elsewhere) "SCUBA Regulator Maintenance Repair." SCUBA REGULATOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR by Vance Harlow and the Scuba Tools book, "Regulator Savvy" Scuba Tools

While you're waiting for your books to come in, as mentioned above go to frog kick or www.vintagedoublehose.com , scroll to the bottom and find the link "Manuals & Catalogs" find and read the repair manuals for the regulators you're interested in.

Vintage double hose has also produced some helpful You Tube videos that you'll find interesting. Vintage Double Hose VDH Worldwide LLC

Don't be afraid to buy a few "junk" regulators to tear into and get the feel for DIY. Try to have one of your downloaded service manuals and parts diagrams handy to guide you along. Taking pictures of each step is also a good idea.

 

[АлександрД]

I made a try to translate my short manual of regulator problems, recognizable by IP gauge Intermediate pressue gauge - Recognizing regulator problems

Also some important notices:
Most wrong thing, that novice can do - scratches. (but if you are not in England )
Most dangerous scrathces is on the seat and on the pistone cylinder.
To repair it you can use polishing tools, like Dremel (or chineese analog) and polishing tip
Air Barrel question - corrosion? Scubapro G250V

To prevent jammed nut facets - use NON ajustable wrenches in the beginning.
Or you can use paper stripes between nut and wrench

Most of regulators also require one special key: The Pin Spanner Wrench
Pin Spanner Wrenches???

and read Harlow at least

 

[KeithG]

Hi, I'm interested in trying to maintain my regulators by myself.
Will probably be doing "workshops" with LDS willing to teach the process, albeit without official certification.
However, I have a few questions before even going for the class, to make sure that I am up for DIY maintenance at this point of time

1. When it comes to regulator maintenance, how bad could things go in a worst scenario when servicing the reg?
For example, when pressurising, would a improperly assembled reg merely leak gas, or explode and punch holes in my roof? Would appreciate it if anyone has experience about the hazards of DIY regulator maintenance

2. What do you guys do to make sure the newly serviced reg is reasonably reliable?
Will breathing them while on dry land suffice? Or do you guys bring them to pools or shallow areas first? If so, are there general guidelines around how many dives before the reg can be regarded as reasonably safe?

3. Lastly, if dealing with regs like APEKS DST/XTX50 , SPMK17/G260, HOG D3, do I absolutely need a lot of brand-specialised and expensive tools to maintain them? Or can I make do with generic tools?

Would love to hear your views on this, thanks in advance!

Are you mechanically adept?

Worst case is that you fail to reassemble properly and you end up with a handful of random parts in your lap BEFORE your next dive....

After service it is very easy to verify proper operation.

Tools depend on the reg. Some need nothing, others require custom tools.

 

[Random Dude]

Thanks a lot everybody, really helpful replies!

To answer some of your questions, I guess I'm not too bad with mechanical stuff. I used to fiddle around with my electric guitar's tremolo, intonation, height etc to good results. Scuba wise, the most I've done is to change hoses, and take apart my second stage to have a look (without disassembling the barrel)

I also purchased Vance Harlow's book, read through it, and am going to purchase Regulator Savvy soon.

It's really nice to know that nothing major will really be at stake even in worst case scenarios, definitely allows me to not be too reserved when it comes to trying. That said, please do keep sharing experiences regarding safety if you have it, since safety is a more dominant factor to me.

An additional question, if I may. Let's say I have a smaller IP gauge now, is it going to affect the accuracy when I'm setting the IP pressure? And are ultrasonic cleaners a must when maintaining regs? Are there any other more costly tools that are a must more reg maintenance?

Also, are there so called beginner regs that would be easier to learn maintenance from? Something like maintaining unbalanced pistons first before going to balanced diaphragm?

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

Do you have a GoPro? If so when you punch a hole through the roof can you post it to youtube and place a link here?

But...seriously the chance of something happening in the water that is not detectable on dry land is pretty slim. The two books mentioned are a good place to start. Are you going to be more interested in taking care of yourself than the guy at the local shop who took a four hour course on regulator maintenance and is earning scarcely more than minimum wage? Is that a bit cynical, yes. Is it typical, yes.

 

[herman]

The accuracy of the IP gauge is not really important- within reason- since all manuf give a range of acceptable IPs, usually in the 130-145 psi range, it is not critical to have the exact value. What you are really looking for is a constant return to a value within the range - the reg returns to xxx psi every time you cycle it and that the pressure does not change- the IP does not creep. Any gauge, even one way off calibration, can show you that information.

Another nice to have tool is one to measure cracking and exhaust pressure of the reg. While Magnehelic gauges are cool, you can easily build a U-tube manometer for very little money that will work quite well. It's accurate and fun to make. Here is a discussion we had a few years back you might find helpful. DIY regulator test/flow panel

A general comment on regs servicing is don't over tighten parts. Most everything in a reg that is sealed uses an oring. Orings, unlike gaskets, do not require a tight torque to function, tightening them more only makes things worse. Obviously, you don't want things coming apart by themselves but there is never a reason to crank down on regulator.

 

[snowdog61]

another general comment is on lube. Use Cristolube but use it sparingly. It is a far superior product to silicone and a must if you're doing enriched gas. Static o-rings only need a thin film - sealing is accomplished through compression of the o-ring, not by the lube. The lube is there to help assemble the parts so you don't drag and tear the seal. Dynamic o-rings need a little more - not globs. What Herman says is spot on about torque. The o-ring is making the seal not the torque. BUT, for a diaphragm reg, the diaphragm itself is the seal (gasket) so it is very important it gets clamped correctly. Most other fittings are 'snug tight' so they don't back off - inlet nut/DIN bolt being the exceptions. You will likely notice a loose inlet fitting via a leak but nothing catastrophic. Loosing torque on a diaphragm clamp will be a very bad day. Follow the manual and you shouldn't go wrong.