Really disappointed in my regs right now

[meesier42]

I think netdoc may have hit this one on the head, if both second stages start acting up at the same time your probably having IP issues.

 

[Scott M]

There are several things you are looking for when evaluating if a regulator is fit to dive or due for attention.

The mentioned IP gauge will let you see what IP the 1st stage is delivering. By observing it you can see how the 1st stage recovers when you breathe and you can see if it holds a constant pressure. There is a good chance that yourist stage is creeping and that is what bubblers are relieving. That beats rupturing a LP hose.:11:

The second stages can be checked with something as simple as a pail of clean water. Hook the set to a cylinder and pressurize it. Now lower the regulator slowly with the mouthpiece facing up. Note how deep the diaphragm is when air flow is initiated. This simulates the typical inch or so of cracking pressure. This is not a precise measurement but if you know what normal is you can test this function almost anywhere anytime on a dive outing.

Both of these settings can drift over time even with the regulator out of service especially the second stage behavior.

The 3rd biggie is contamination. A dive regulator can process a lot of breathing air without needing service. However a slug of saltwater through the inlet can cause serious problems in a short time. This is where good practice and being observant comes in. If you do mess up and contaminate the unit you will want to be getting in there to recover. IMO it's this final wild card that often justifies the yearly service mantra. If you are in control you can intelligently choose to do otherwise.

Pete

Pete, You have explained the basic situations in very good simple to understand detail. Along with the link to the speedpress I have a much better understanding of a regulator. I appreciate the assistance and explainations.

Regards

 

[Scott M]

I think netdoc may have hit this one on the head, if both second stages start acting up at the same time your probably having IP issues.

It is certainly sounding that way. I will know shortly as soon as the LDS has a look at them. Had I know yesterday what I do now I would have kept them here and at least done some of the basic investigating on them. I really like the idea of knowing some of this stuff as it gives me a little more piece of mind.

The hardest part might be getting some of the parts with out an authorized dealer.

 

[redacted]

Your primary (and alt) are adjustable so if you can't control the leak with the user adjustment, you almost surely have an IP problem. But the wet breathing is a separate and independent issue. A vacuum test differentiates between a vacuum leak and an inherently wet breathing reg.

OTOH, if you can control it with the user adjustment knob, then a simple adjustment of the orifice shoud correct the gas leak problem.

 

[keyshunter]

...based on info my Apeks dealer shared with me a while back, I'd check the 2nd stage diaphragm condition...I was told those deteriorate over time and become wrinkled/warped causing a poor seal....I own 2 of the new XTX 200's, which I was told don't share the 'problem' that the older Apeks regs suffer from......all I can say is the XTX series are AWESOME regs, my favorites, and I own a BUNCH of regs with which to compare (Atomic B1/Mares Ruby/Aqualung Titan LX/Poseidon Jetstream..to name a few).

Karl

Interesting. After about 60 dives, my ATX suddenly began to breath a little wet. The exhaust diaphragm looked ok, but I changed it anyway--an easy job thanks to the cute little door in the exhaust tee. That solved the problem. Has Apeks made changes to the exhaust diaphragm in the newer models?

 

[The Chairman]

We have two separate problems here.

The primary sounds like it is the victim of an IP problem in the first stage, or some seating problem in the poppet valve in the second stage. Either way, a rebuild of the system will resolve these issues.

The secondary sounds like a torn mouth piece, an exhaust valve issue or a cracked housing.

If you want an IP gauge, then Scuba.com has one: Buy IST 1st Stage L/P Pressure Gauge CT3 with reviews at scuba.com I am sure that ScubaToys has one as well, but I could not find one listed. Perhaps Joe or Larry could give us a link!

 

[Scott M]

Thanks for all the replys and assistance. The results are in. Like I said a friend of mine took the regs to have a look at them. He has a dive shop and has been working on regs for quite a few years but he is not an Apeks dealer so he doesn't have any parts. Anyway what he came up with was the following. The Primary needed to have the IP adjusted and it was working fine now. The back-up........thats another story. The exhaust diaphram was not even the right one for the reg. It was too small and it looks like the shop that did basically made it fit which worked for a period of time. As I said these were rebuilt a little over a year ago, I was not real satisfied with the work at the point because whoever they had do them put a scratch on my first stage and I just wasn't comfortable with the work but they are the only Apeks reg dealers in the area. So much for trusting the LDS with my life support systems.

I will be doing my own from this point forward. Well as soon as I find a source for the kits. I have seen some on ebay so I will have to check those out.

Again, thanks for all the help.

 

[Scott M]

Update:I went and picked up the regs this afternoon. I had a little of the story wrong. It was not the wrong diaphram is was just installed all wrong. It was bad enough that you can see where it was and was not seated and the center disk was folde in half.

Going by the advise that you should only trust your LDS to service life support systems pretty much flies out the window when you see something like this. Scary!

 

[Couv]

Come to the dark side.

 

[The Chairman]

As easy as it is to pin a secondary diaphragm problem on faulty workmanship, it is also possible that debris could also cause it to be displaced.