Regulator Annual Service & Maintenance, Sport’s Biggest Scam???

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Some of the manufacturers actually require a yearly INSPECTION with an overhaul every other year.
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Do you think that is more of a difference in the materials and design of their regulators or is it the difference in their company philosophy or is it just a marketing ploy?

 

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. If you are willing to accept an increase in failure rate feel free to use whatever service interval or disposable reg scenario you like.

Unfortunately, in too many shops, having an annual service is accepting the risk of an increased failure rate.

 

[SDAnderson]

Do you think that is more of a difference in the materials and design of their regulators or is it the difference in their company philosophy or is it just a marketing ploy?

All three, plus their own economics. Don't forget that the mfrs that specify alternate year inspections usually save the price of the service kit. In my experience, inspections should be done at least annually with parts replaced as needed. Once-a-year vacation divers are not an exception to that rule - though I suggest that they bring their regulators in for service just after they get back from vacation rather than just before they leave. A lot of problems sit and fester for month after month and end up being much worse than if the work had been done right away. I've also found that if you need to replace any parts you should go ahead and replace all of the soft parts. There are notable exceptions (Poseiden regs need service more frequently and any reg that has been mistreated or is acting funny should be inspected immediately) but annually works for most regulators. Then again, if the mfr is willing to pay for parts every year, I'd take that deal in a heartbeat.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Ummm, Rick, letting your reg go 14 years without service doesn't do much for your argument about keeping up with the oil changes

Check yer math...
My point was that a well cared for reg will last a long time before the shop needs to break into it. In those days I did my own oil changes too - now I pay someone else 'cause I just ain't as nimble as I used to be... the payment's less than the pain
Rick

 

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I agree that good user maintenance (cleaning & storage) and frequent inspection are the key to minimizing regulator problems. Too bad someone isn't making a scope for inspecting the nooks and crannies like inside the ambient chamber thru the holes or inside the metal barrel on a barrel poppet 2nd. In a professional service environment, if you are doing all the disassembly, inspection, assembly, and adjustment; you might as well do the cleaning and parts replacement also. As a DIYer, I have no problem extending replacable parts usage for years beyond manufacturers recommendations. Got to love the older and simpler regs where the is a new seat on the back of almost every old seat.

 

[*Floater*]

I'm sick this "LIFE SUPPORT" BS. It's not like you'll die if the reg or some other piece of equipment fails, at least not if you know what you are doing. You go to your backup or to your buddy, abort the dive and then fix the problem if possible, or rent a replacement for the rest of your dives.

 

[SDAnderson]

I'm sick this "LIFE SUPPORT" BS. It's not like you'll die if the reg or some other piece of equipment fails, at least not if you know what you are doing. You go to your backup or to your buddy, abort the dive and then fix the problem if possible, or rent a replacement for the rest of your dives.

All reasonable procedures but that doesn't change the fact that it is life support gear and you can die if it fails. If your first stage blows at depth and your buddy shares your devil-may-care attitude about gear maintenance, how reliable do you suppose your backup plan is? Remember, two divers (especially when they're both excited) sharing a first stage can be quite a load.

While we're at it, my buddy is my backup in case I experience a failure, too. I expect him to meticulously maintain and service his gear; somewhere near the top of my "why I won't dive with you" list is "don't take care of your gear."

 

[SteveAD]

While we're at it, my buddy is my backup in case I experience a failure, too. I expect him to meticulously maintain and service his gear; somewhere near the top of my "why I won't dive with you" list is "don't take care of your gear."

OUCH!!

I like it

 

[captain]

Some of the manufacturers actually require a yearly INSPECTION with an overhaul every other year.

Some regs are finicky, while others seem bullet proof. My service interval varies with the particular regs.

Be careful with the word "require", I raced cars and the tracks' rules on safety was written as "recommended", a helmet was recommended, seat belts were recommended, etc. The reason being that if it was required and you happened to get on the track without the helmet and were injured the track would have to assume responsibility for allowing you on without the helmet.

 

[SterlingDiver]

I guess I don't get why the original poster has a zillion regs he's diving with. By my calculations, if he's got that many regs that need to be serviced after that many dives, that leaves about 4.6 minutes left in his average day (accouting for maybe 5 hours sleep a night) after all that diving on all those regs. MAN! On top of being dive monster, gear monger and reg service avoider, he must also be speed typer....

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Ken

Seven family members that dive. So far they are still dependant on their Dad. Oldest dove the rebuilt reg. almost every day last year in Utila for four months. Pretty easy math to me.