Reg Servicing Blunders

[Geo7]

Hi all,
I haven't seen a thread on mistakes specifically, and thought it may be useful as well as entertaining.

It may help others avoid the same mistakes. Also, it may help some decide whether they really want to get into reg servicing. Many DIY'ers on the forum are IMHO a bit cavalier recommending to just anyone to service their own regs. The reality is that it is an expertise that needs to be learned one way or another.

So, here is what can go wrong:

 

[LI-er]

Many years ago, early in my diving career, I didn't know all that much and trusted my gear to the so-called experts. I got my regulator back from servicing. It started leaking bubbles during the dive.

At end of the dive the DM took a look at it and discovered the second stage wasn't even hand tight to the hose.

 

[Geo7]

Thanks! I got beat to making the start: When I started out servicing my regs I was a teenager still and dove two Mk2/R190 on a twin 7L (50cuft) servicing only one reg at a time and then compare.

I guess I learned by regularly watching a seasoned LDS technician do last minute adjustments on my friend's D400, and for a long time I had no access to materials. The first time I opened the R190 2nd stage I punched a finger through the main diaphragm. Years later, when "I knew what I was doing", I broke a piece off the valve body from a Poseidon Cyklon second stage. It must have been 55$ to replace, but it felt like a lot more at the time...

 

[Geo7]

Many years ago, early in my diving career, I didn't know all that much and trusted my gear to the so-called experts. I got my regulator back from servicing. It started leaking bubbles during the dive.

At end of the dive the DM took a look at it and discovered the second stage wasn't even hand tight to the hose.

Oh yeah, I did that too, on an Apeks reg which had a hose with too narrow flats for my adjustable spanner...

 

[Mobulai]

When I got my 1st reg, I was planning a nitrox class (rec not adv); I panicked when I read the „manual“ and was like I gotta „o2 clean it“
In my head that meant (after light goggling):
Change the orings to viton
Use christolube

I ofc didn’t find a place to service it in time (and I’m still panicked), I decided I’ll change the accessible (surface) ones

I only found the DIN retainer oring in time, I decided to „wipe/relube“ everything else in time

I got to the swivel side of hoses, and in my mind I did this reasoning: „we mustn’t hurt the metal as it would leak, Ill stab the Orings out instead“

Thank goodness it worked out with no incidents

I told that story to my instructor on the boat after the last dive, he laughed so hard he almost fell off board that I got „sold the pyramids“, we put new normal orings after and saved the christolube for later

 

[Mobulai]

don’t think „oh this spg neck is caked in corrosion, I’ll microwave 1:1 vinegar water, and suspend the spg in it“ only to walk out of the room and go play with your kid… you remember it an hour later and it’s bare brass

Too lazy to retype it at the moment

 

[Mobulai]

Oh there’s that one time I rebuilt an mk25 (which had its own service blunder when I bought it used, scored stem oring and missing ring from the 2 that align that oring)
I was rebuilding it as a 100% o2 reg (this time I knew a bit more )
I took my time and used the bushing tool, aligning things and make sure it’s all delicately put, Piston after, I closed up everything… from HP side

The turret was uninstalled

I had to start from scratch


Edit: (adjacent) Oh just remembered, out of like 30 2nd stages I rebuilt, like 15 of them I kept forgetting to have put the top hat seat (not a new one, at all )

Moral: note the order you took things apart in, and follow that exactly in reverse

 

[BoltSnap]

Hi all,
I haven't seen a thread on mistakes specifically, and thought it may be useful as well as entertaining.

It may help others avoid the same mistakes. Also, it may help some decide whether they really want to get into reg servicing. Many DIY'ers on the forum are IMHO a bit cavalier recommending to just anyone to service their own regs. The reality is that it is an expertise that needs to be learned one way or another.

So, here is what can go wrong:

Thank you very much for starting this thread.

I hope that people here would concentrate on what mistakes/blunders they have done working on their own regulators than talking about what LDS have done wrong. There are plenty of stories about LDS blunders but never any talk about what SB members have done wrong on their own dive equipment. I believe that this thread will be much more valuable and educational if participants in the thread focused on talking about their own mistakes.

Thank you again for starting this thread.

 

[Still Kicking]

Many years ago, early in my diving career, I didn't know all that much and trusted my gear to the so-called experts. I got my regulator back from servicing. It started leaking bubbles during the dive.

At end of the dive the DM took a look at it and discovered the second stage wasn't even hand tight to the hose.

Back when the DIR-gospel was first getting spread via the internet, old-hand cave divers talked about finger tightening second stages on stage bottles so that they could be swapped without tools during dives if needed.

I remember one newbie confessing that he had misunderstood the concept and had finger tightened all the hoses to his primary first stage. All the hoses loosened up during a dive .... causing much excitement.

 

[Geo7]

Yes, this was meant to admit one's own blunders.

Dive shop technicians have my sympathy, as they are at a huge disadvantage: They have to service regs under time pressure, even if they have not had that particular model in their hands for a long time. They have to service the worst condition regs that are corroded and hard to open. For my own regs, I can take as much time as I want, and over time I get familiar with the reg (my main reason to stick to one brand).