regulator inspection
- Thread starter bowhunt69
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Hey Bowhunt69,
There are a few things that you need to consider.
First off did you buy the reg from a reputable source? If not you should most likely get it serviced.
If you just bought the reg from a shop then it should be good.
In general Regs should be serviced about once a year (or how ever often according to the manufacture) I will go out on a limb here though and say that most people wait over a year to do the "annual service"
I hope this helps,
-Will
There are a few things that you need to consider.
First off did you buy the reg from a reputable source? If not you should most likely get it serviced.
If you just bought the reg from a shop then it should be good.
In general Regs should be serviced about once a year (or how ever often according to the manufacture) I will go out on a limb here though and say that most people wait over a year to do the "annual service"
I hope this helps,
-Will
*Most* manufacturers recommend getting your equipment serviced once a year. Some equipment manufacturers have a "replacement parts warranty for life" & for that warranty to be valid, you must be the original owner & the equipment must be serviced once a year. Usually things that wear with time are replaced, like valve seats & O-rings. Can you get by with not servicing it once a year? I would say, Yes, that is a possibility, but the longer the equipment goes without service, the more you are playing with fire for a malfunction. Would I recommend it? I personally go with the manufacturer's suggestion.
ajduplessis
Contributor
At the end of the day the decision lies with you. I stick to manufacturers recommendations. I know for a lot of folks its all about $$$.
I service all my tanks and regs once a year. Regs (scubapro) cost $35 per set and includes a t-shirt, cap, jacket or some kind of marketing material. Visual on tanks are $20. Its not a lot of cash for me and consider it "cost effective" as I complete 100 + dives per year (less than .55 cents per dive on maint).
I service all my tanks and regs once a year. Regs (scubapro) cost $35 per set and includes a t-shirt, cap, jacket or some kind of marketing material. Visual on tanks are $20. Its not a lot of cash for me and consider it "cost effective" as I complete 100 + dives per year (less than .55 cents per dive on maint).
There are really 2 parts to your question.
YOU should inspect your regs and other gear for that matter before every dive and more extensively before a dive trip, see Couvs link. This should be part of your dive routine.
Next is tech level inspecting and servicing. This needs to be done by someone who understands the equipment and at a reasonable interval. Some will argue that that means by a dive shop on a yearly (or some other manuf recommended time) schedule. This is a matter of a lot of debate on this board and one that you have to make up your own mind about.
MY OPINION on the subject is there is no reason to have your equipment serviced at any particular interval nor is it necessary for it to be done by a "professional". Service and inspection do need to be done but a lot of experience on this board suggest that a much longer time frames are acceptable. There is simply no reason to dissemble and replace good condition parts in a perfectly functioning regulator for no better reason than it has been a year since it was done. The same logic is applied to who services the reg. Contrary to what some will tell you, they are to difficult to service and most do not require special tools (a few do and some special tools make life easier but are not "necessary"). You do need an understanding of how they work and how to do the job but it is not difficult, if it was, the official factory classes that make someone from a dive shop a "professional" would be a lot involved more than a few hour no fail class in a hotel room.
Now there will be a lot of folks will disagree with me, often times making a point that they are an instructor or divemaster. Thats nice but that means nothing. I know plenty of great instructors and DMs that do not have a clue of what goes on inside of a reg, they do on the other hand had a dive shop to bring business into and reg service is a money making item for a shop.
YOU should inspect your regs and other gear for that matter before every dive and more extensively before a dive trip, see Couvs link. This should be part of your dive routine.
Next is tech level inspecting and servicing. This needs to be done by someone who understands the equipment and at a reasonable interval. Some will argue that that means by a dive shop on a yearly (or some other manuf recommended time) schedule. This is a matter of a lot of debate on this board and one that you have to make up your own mind about.
MY OPINION on the subject is there is no reason to have your equipment serviced at any particular interval nor is it necessary for it to be done by a "professional". Service and inspection do need to be done but a lot of experience on this board suggest that a much longer time frames are acceptable. There is simply no reason to dissemble and replace good condition parts in a perfectly functioning regulator for no better reason than it has been a year since it was done. The same logic is applied to who services the reg. Contrary to what some will tell you, they are to difficult to service and most do not require special tools (a few do and some special tools make life easier but are not "necessary"). You do need an understanding of how they work and how to do the job but it is not difficult, if it was, the official factory classes that make someone from a dive shop a "professional" would be a lot involved more than a few hour no fail class in a hotel room.
Now there will be a lot of folks will disagree with me, often times making a point that they are an instructor or divemaster. Thats nice but that means nothing. I know plenty of great instructors and DMs that do not have a clue of what goes on inside of a reg, they do on the other hand had a dive shop to bring business into and reg service is a money making item for a shop.
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