Regulator care and cleaning.

[kelemvor]

How do folks go about cleaning their regs? They covered it a bit in my OW class last year, and I thought I had been doing a good job cleaning mine. Not long ago I had a problem with my reg and took it to the LDS. They made a few comments about how it looked like I hadn't been cleaning it! I actually took a little offense until they showed me the thing and it was definitely not clean. The problem wasn't due to the salt (or sand?) inside, but I digress.

I'd been considering ordering a sonic cleaner or something because washing it in freshwater after dives doesn't seem to get the job done. There's a few parts on my first that I was able to remove and clean in vinegar. I don't think I can get the seconds apart without a special tool.. based on watching them disassemble at the LDS.

I've got a scubapro MK25 with an S600 primary and r295 secondary.

 

[buddhasummer]

I religiously soak my regs in fresh water and then rinse. My first stage just gets rinsed as I'm not confident that dust cap is waterproof. I remove the face plates of my second stages when soaking rinsing.

 

[whaylonsmithers]

Mine get soaked for about 30mins in water. Lukewarm water and regs on the tank if possible (generally not).
Then back on the tank to blow air through them and hang with the 1st stage upper-most.
I also use a weak solution of Salt-X about once a quarter. I'd be reluctant to use vinegar a lot due to impact on the chrome.
Feedback at last service was they're in good condition. Regs are MK25/S600 and MK10/G-250.

What did the LDS identify as a problem with your cleaning routine? What sort of diving are you doing?

 

[herman]

I would like to know what the cleaning issue was as well.

I use the rinse tank if available at the dive site to remove the worst of the saltwater followed by a good long soak in warm water. Using a hose, I flush the second stages out by running water into the mouthpiece and out the exhaust. When I am done soaking, I purge the regs with air to remove most of the water in the second stages. I don't worry too much about getting clean fresh water into the reg. The dust caps with Orings do a good job and a little clean fresh water in a reg is not a big deal, purging it will remove it.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

For regs that see saltwater use I always recommend not using the rinse tanks on the boat or dock. After a couple people use them they are now saltwater with much finer salt crystals to deal with.

What I do is take my regs back to the room, if I'm diving saltwater I am nowhere near home, and take them into the shower with me if I don't have a tank to preasurize them. Rinse them under the warm to very warm shower and then hang to dry. The key is to use running water.

Once I get home they get pressurized again and soaked in the kitchen sink in hot water from the tap. Soak for a few minutes, drain, rinse, another warm soak, and then rinsed with running water again before being hung up to dry.

If there are hose protectors on the reg, cut them off and leave em off. I see more crap under them than anything.

Removing the second stage covers are also a good idea and make rinsing the seconds easier. Salt, silt, mud, sand, etc. will get into places you'd think would be taken care of in a good rinse. Problem is many people don't do as good a job as they think. This is why I'd never own a reg that requires tools to get the cover off. It also makes it impossible to fix underwater unless you have the tool with you. I have taken a few regs apart under water to fix a wrinkled main diaphragm, get duckweed out of an exhaust diaphragm, and remove other debris. I even show OW students how to do it in the pool.

Do not get an ultrasonic unless you are ok with completely disassembling your reg and rebuilding it. Plastic, rubber, silicone, and viton do not do well in them. They will start to break down at the molecular level. Wanna ruin a reg? Throw the non metal parts in an ultrasonic.

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[Scared Silly]

If there are hose protectors on the reg, cut them off and leave em off. I see more crap under them than anything.

If you leave the hose protectors on at least move them away from the metal fittings so they can properly dry. Moving them around also squeezes the water out.


To reiterate the basics: a quick rinse is not enough, do not bother with the rinse tank at the dock, soak the regs in warm for 30-60 minutes. Dry thoroughly before storing.

 

[Xaryo]

When I rince my reg, (and I don't do it often since I dive almost exclusively freshwater) I make sure it is ALWAYS pressurized. No pression, no rince.

a dust cap is just that DUST cap, not water. and water can enter from the second stage with just about 1 inch of water over it.

 

[halocline]

Actually I thnk the rinse tank on the dock or boat is still a good first step even if it's not the cleanest water. Salt dissolves in water, there are no 'crystals' in it, and salt moves through water by osmosis. Even the saltiest rinse tank will still have far lower salinity than actual sea water, so dunking/soaking the reg in it will definitely dilute the salt water on the reg, and IMO it's important to dilute the salt water before it dries. I agree wholeheartedly that soaking for a long time in really clean fresh water is ideal. I've never had an issue with fresh water intrusion into the first stage from the dust cap. I think far more potentially damaging is the salt water in any exposed threads, i.e. those threads are not protected on the outside by an o-ring. There are always a few spots like that on regulators, even environmentally sealed ones. The soaking in fresh water causes the salt to migrate out of the water in the threads into the lower-salinity water that surrounds the reg. (at least I think that's how it works) I do notice a big difference between regs that have been soaked well from those that have only been dunked.

 

[Instructor_Tom]

maintain your regulators is a good reason to either buy a stage/deco bottle for home to do a pressurized wash of the 1st and 2nd stage.

I put my regs back under pressure once I get home and then clean them the same way I clean all my other gear. wash in a rubber made tub with Dref ( purge several times underwater), then rinse in a tub with downy ( purge again). purge to get most of the water out of the regs and hang to dry by the first stage.

a day or 2 later hit the first stage, hoses, fittings, second stage inside and out with food grade silicon spray to prevent any corrosion and pack in there regulator bag to store in a cool dry place.

I do not store my gear in the garage.

I just had my regs serviced and other than the mud and rocks in the open diaphragm section of my first stage all the internal parts that where replaced looked like new.

DM T.


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[halocline]

When I rince my reg, (and I don't do it often since I dive almost exclusively freshwater) I make sure it is ALWAYS pressurized. No pression, no rince.

a dust cap is just that DUST cap, not water. and water can enter from the second stage with just about 1 inch of water over it.

I really disagree with this. First, no water is going to enter from the 2nd stage unless the purge is depressed, or there's a seat saver that completely separates the seat from the orifice. Second, dust caps are designed to keep water out of the 1st stage; that's exactly what they'e there for. If you don't believe it, try installing the dust cap and then taking a breath from a 2nd stage; if the regulator is in good working order, you won't be able to draw any air. That means there's an airtight seal at the dust cap. If you can pull air, and it's not from a different 2nd stage with a seat saver attached to the first stage, then there's something wrong with your reg.