R
redacted
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I thought the statement "You can put an TX50 on a Scubapro 1st and it's a piston reg" might be confusing.
Regs need servicing...
- Thread starter SeaJay
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I thought the statement "You can put an TX50 on a Scubapro 1st and it's a piston reg" might be confusing.
OP
SeaJay
Contributor
Oh... My... God...
I'm traumatized.
Seriously.
That's the last time I go into ANY LDS. Period.
There's one place that's earned my trust... EE in High Springs. But that's it.
That's the last time I ever go to the Dive Locker.
Too... Much... To... Tell. I can't even think straight.
Some of the conversations that went on while I was there:
"Yeah, that's the new HUB system. It's our best BC."
"Mr. Bayne, some of the components inside your first stage were in backwards... Who else has worked on them?" (They're five months old - nobody's ever worked on them.)
"Wow... I've never seen one of those before." (Referring to the fact that my MK16's got a diaphragm in it.) "There's supposed to be a piston in here."
"You need some hose protectors on there... If the high pressure hose blows, it'll smack you in the face." (How a hose protector would prevent this is beyond me... Not to mention that getting "smacked in the face" is the least of my worries if a high pressure hose goes.)
"Why such a long hose?" (I show him how it goes together, and tell him, "I wreck... So if I'm donating air to a buddy during an emergency, and have to leave through a small opening, the long hose is necessary.") His response: "Hey, Ben, come over here and look at this guy." (Laughs) "Man, I wouldn't want to dive with you, buddy. That thing's gonna kill you." (I wanted desperately to show him that the rig is right out of the PADI AOW manual (p.8), but I just kept my mouth shut.)
(On receiving my regs back - and as he handed it to me, I could just SEE the question marks above his head... Not exactly encouraging.) "I think I fixed the creep problem... Let me know if it doesn't work."
(As he hands me a bill for $119) "I replaced everything." (Remember, the regs are 5 months old) "115 dives is a lot of dives on a reg... You should service it more often."
(On me asking him what sort of lube is used, to ensure that it's O2 compatible) "We only use Cristolube." (Sigh of relief.) "It's like $200 for a three ounce tube."
As I handed the man my money (pretty ticked... What happened to $15 per stage?) I notice a nice new ding in my OMS SPG. "I don't know how that happened... But it didn't happen here. You should have a boot on that thing, anyway." (I mean, it would have taken quite a bit of force to put a ding in that thing.)
Me: "Hey, what are all of these yellow things you put all over my hoses?" Him: "They're certifications. You'll need them to get air fills. All regs must be certified for use. I didn't charge you for the extra service." Me: "Why is there one on my high pressure hose?" Him: "Well, I certified the guage, too."
Then I got this long explanation as to what was "backwards" in my first stage.
...That's the last time I let ANYBODY play with my life support.
Jeez...
At least I got one lesson: I want to do this service - from here on out - myself. Period. Only *I* will work on it as if my life depends on it.
Man, I can't believe it.
I felt comfortable with them for several reasons... One of the reasons was because of the fact that the older gentleman that worked on regs has been diving for many decades... But afterward, when I asked his opinion of the MK16, he told me, "I don't know much about them... I've never dived one." (Remember, he owns a Scubapro dealership.) "Yours is only the fourth one I've ever worked on."
Great. Just great.
Okay, who can help me open this thing up and do an inspection? He gave me all of my old parts back... And of course, they all look brand new. While I think it's still prudent to use the new stuff he put in, I feel that I at least need to open things up and see what he did.
I need to learn how to do this anyway.
That's the last time anybody touches my life support. Ever.
I'm traumatized.
Seriously.
That's the last time I go into ANY LDS. Period.
There's one place that's earned my trust... EE in High Springs. But that's it.
That's the last time I ever go to the Dive Locker.
Too... Much... To... Tell. I can't even think straight.
Some of the conversations that went on while I was there:
"Yeah, that's the new HUB system. It's our best BC."
"Mr. Bayne, some of the components inside your first stage were in backwards... Who else has worked on them?" (They're five months old - nobody's ever worked on them.)
"Wow... I've never seen one of those before." (Referring to the fact that my MK16's got a diaphragm in it.) "There's supposed to be a piston in here."
"You need some hose protectors on there... If the high pressure hose blows, it'll smack you in the face." (How a hose protector would prevent this is beyond me... Not to mention that getting "smacked in the face" is the least of my worries if a high pressure hose goes.)
"Why such a long hose?" (I show him how it goes together, and tell him, "I wreck... So if I'm donating air to a buddy during an emergency, and have to leave through a small opening, the long hose is necessary.") His response: "Hey, Ben, come over here and look at this guy." (Laughs) "Man, I wouldn't want to dive with you, buddy. That thing's gonna kill you." (I wanted desperately to show him that the rig is right out of the PADI AOW manual (p.8), but I just kept my mouth shut.)
(On receiving my regs back - and as he handed it to me, I could just SEE the question marks above his head... Not exactly encouraging.) "I think I fixed the creep problem... Let me know if it doesn't work."
(As he hands me a bill for $119) "I replaced everything." (Remember, the regs are 5 months old) "115 dives is a lot of dives on a reg... You should service it more often."
(On me asking him what sort of lube is used, to ensure that it's O2 compatible) "We only use Cristolube." (Sigh of relief.) "It's like $200 for a three ounce tube."
As I handed the man my money (pretty ticked... What happened to $15 per stage?) I notice a nice new ding in my OMS SPG. "I don't know how that happened... But it didn't happen here. You should have a boot on that thing, anyway." (I mean, it would have taken quite a bit of force to put a ding in that thing.)
Me: "Hey, what are all of these yellow things you put all over my hoses?" Him: "They're certifications. You'll need them to get air fills. All regs must be certified for use. I didn't charge you for the extra service." Me: "Why is there one on my high pressure hose?" Him: "Well, I certified the guage, too."
Then I got this long explanation as to what was "backwards" in my first stage.
...That's the last time I let ANYBODY play with my life support.
Jeez...
At least I got one lesson: I want to do this service - from here on out - myself. Period. Only *I* will work on it as if my life depends on it.
Man, I can't believe it.
I felt comfortable with them for several reasons... One of the reasons was because of the fact that the older gentleman that worked on regs has been diving for many decades... But afterward, when I asked his opinion of the MK16, he told me, "I don't know much about them... I've never dived one." (Remember, he owns a Scubapro dealership.) "Yours is only the fourth one I've ever worked on."
Great. Just great.
Okay, who can help me open this thing up and do an inspection? He gave me all of my old parts back... And of course, they all look brand new. While I think it's still prudent to use the new stuff he put in, I feel that I at least need to open things up and see what he did.
I need to learn how to do this anyway.
That's the last time anybody touches my life support. Ever.
OP
SeaJay
Contributor
Desperately.
I'd kill to be able to do something this weekend, but up and back is like 18 hours of driving... And I just can't get that done this weekend.
...Next weekend I've got a dive offshore... And I need to fix this problem before then.
I was thinking about opening them up before I go... Did you say that you had schematics? Can I rely on you to give advice when I have a question?
Maaaaan... I feel like hopping in my car right now and just bolting down there and getting help.
...Then we'd have to dive the hell out of the regs to ensure that everything went okay...
I'd kill to be able to do something this weekend, but up and back is like 18 hours of driving... And I just can't get that done this weekend.
...Next weekend I've got a dive offshore... And I need to fix this problem before then.
I was thinking about opening them up before I go... Did you say that you had schematics? Can I rely on you to give advice when I have a question?
Maaaaan... I feel like hopping in my car right now and just bolting down there and getting help.
...Then we'd have to dive the hell out of the regs to ensure that everything went okay...
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Definatly get the Airspeed press book. It is excelent. The big drawback to doing your own reg service is the cost of tools. You proably get away with what you have in your house and an IP gage but to really do it right you could be looking at over $1000 in bench tools.
You'll also want to take a look at Peter Built for tool supplies. (BTW they sell christolube for $26 for 2 oz. About 1/5 the price your LDS quoted.
http://www.airspeedpress.com
http://www.scubatools.com/
Will cost under $200 for the most useful ones, less if you can keep it to one type of first stage (e.g. pistons, etc)
That's two reg sets serviced and they're paid for.
I own the tools for the piston line of Scubapro regs. There are no special tools needed for SP seconds.
That's two reg sets serviced and they're paid for.
I own the tools for the piston line of Scubapro regs. There are no special tools needed for SP seconds.
R
redacted
Guest
I suggest you not go carelessly diving in to that regulator. I suggest you make sure that everything is tight and that it breaths OK on the surface. It would be great if you had the IP guage now so you could see what is going on there. For the most part, when you assemble one of these things incorrectly, they will let you know right away.
If your aol email address is your aol handle, you should get a Mk16 schematic shortly. If not, send me a good email address & I'll try again tomorrow.
If your aol email address is your aol handle, you should get a Mk16 schematic shortly. If not, send me a good email address & I'll try again tomorrow.
if the IP is ok then its probably all right - at least the first is.
The seconds are another matter, but require nothing special to adjust.
I think SeaJay's biggest concern is that he got an "underhaul" - that is, parts were NOT replaced.
The seconds are another matter, but require nothing special to adjust.
I think SeaJay's biggest concern is that he got an "underhaul" - that is, parts were NOT replaced.
OP
SeaJay
Contributor
Lol... I own an ISP, and it ain't AOL.
So no, my email address isn't SeaJay@aol.com.It used to be, however. I worked for them. <runs and hides>
Use this email address: SeaJay@LCscuba.com
Thanks a million, man.
I'm not concerned that I got an underhaul, and that parts weren't replaced. Let's face it, man... 115 dives or not, the regs are five months old.
What I'm worried about is that the guy didn't put things back correctly. I'm worried about permanent damage or worse... It simply stops working on me at 110'.
...When I find a supplier, I'll order a bunch of parts kits... And in the meantime, learn how to do this stuff myself.
Gen: The second stages... Can you point me in the right direction for adjusting/servicing those? I've had them open before, and would have no problem doing that again.
Once I'm good-n-comfy with having success with the second stages... And once I've found someone who can advise on what to look out for and what special tools I need... I'll consider opening the first stage and having a peek inside. This schematic should help clue me in to what I'm in for before I go nuts.
I don't think it's as voodoo as everyone seems to think it is. Heck, I've rebuilt hundreds of carburators in my lifetime... I can't imagine that much can get more complicated than those things. Nothing like replacing 85 parts - the largest of which is 2 mm in length - all in a 4" x 4" space.
...And if I screw it up... I'll buy another from Leisurepro. They cost less than what this guy charged me to overhaul it.
Talk about getting raped.
