Live in College Station, got a quote of $150 to get my regulator serviced. I've got three in need. Houston is close and I'm there often enough to make it worth my while. Maybe Austin too. Anyone have a recommendation on a good, reasonably priced service shop? I don't even mind shipping them off if that's a better option.
Regulator maintainence
- Thread starter viejo
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which regulators? and is the $150 including parts or not?
Remember that labor on regs is typically $30/stage give or take, so you're in for $90 for labor. You then have parts kits if you don't have a parts for life program. Typicaly prices are about $30 for a first stage and $20 for a second stage. Some are as low as $20/$10, others as high as $50/$30. "Nitrox" kits are more expensive and unless they're used for deco bottles with hot mixes, Nitrox kits are a waste of money, O2 cleaning is a waste of money on second stages, and is on first stages unless you using with >40% O2. If you have a sealed piston regulator, there is extra cost associated with packing the chamber, typically $20-$40 depending on which lube they use.
Now, here are some other fun facts. MOST dive shops don't keep good inventory of parts and kits, and MOST shops will not have dedicated service staff. These guys aren't doing it all day every day so quality may not be as good. One of truths of regulators is that they are most likely to fail immediately after service.
Some shops to look at
Scubatoys-$60+parts. Never used them, but hear good things
Scuba Regulator Repair - Scuba Equipment Dive Gear Best Prices
@Dive Right In Scuba is $30/stage+parts, dedicated service technicians, good parts inventory
Drysuit Repairs | Regulator Repairs | BCD Repairs - Dive Right in Scuba
Air Tech Scuba is $35/stage. They do nothing but service scuba gear, these guys are on staff, with benefits, etc etc and do nothing else. They are expensive, but shops from all over the country send regulators here for repair.
Our Services and Rates
I can't tell you which of those three you should go to. I only have experience with Air Tech. I know that when you get them back, you get the old parts back as proof of service, I know you get a sheet showing all of the bench testing results *IP, cracking effort, etc*. I know they have an ANSTI machine in house to check total work of breathing and believe they provide that to you.
Remember that labor on regs is typically $30/stage give or take, so you're in for $90 for labor. You then have parts kits if you don't have a parts for life program. Typicaly prices are about $30 for a first stage and $20 for a second stage. Some are as low as $20/$10, others as high as $50/$30. "Nitrox" kits are more expensive and unless they're used for deco bottles with hot mixes, Nitrox kits are a waste of money, O2 cleaning is a waste of money on second stages, and is on first stages unless you using with >40% O2. If you have a sealed piston regulator, there is extra cost associated with packing the chamber, typically $20-$40 depending on which lube they use.
Now, here are some other fun facts. MOST dive shops don't keep good inventory of parts and kits, and MOST shops will not have dedicated service staff. These guys aren't doing it all day every day so quality may not be as good. One of truths of regulators is that they are most likely to fail immediately after service.
Some shops to look at
Scubatoys-$60+parts. Never used them, but hear good things
Scuba Regulator Repair - Scuba Equipment Dive Gear Best Prices
@Dive Right In Scuba is $30/stage+parts, dedicated service technicians, good parts inventory
Drysuit Repairs | Regulator Repairs | BCD Repairs - Dive Right in Scuba
Air Tech Scuba is $35/stage. They do nothing but service scuba gear, these guys are on staff, with benefits, etc etc and do nothing else. They are expensive, but shops from all over the country send regulators here for repair.
Our Services and Rates
I can't tell you which of those three you should go to. I only have experience with Air Tech. I know that when you get them back, you get the old parts back as proof of service, I know you get a sheet showing all of the bench testing results *IP, cracking effort, etc*. I know they have an ANSTI machine in house to check total work of breathing and believe they provide that to you.
$150 is not unreasonable if it includes all parts and labor.
noj3333
Contributor
+1 for AirTech... not the cheapest, but I like to have faith in my service, and know I'm getting what I paid for... I don't want cheap, I want a good value.
Anything less than $100 or so for labor and less than $50 for parts is not going to really get you a full service. One first stage kit and two second stage kits is going to cost the shop $30-40 alone. Atomic charges shops $69 per stage for labor and parts.
So for less than $150, you might not get a complete disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly and may only get a low pressure second stage seat replacement, not a complete factory service kit.
I actually see reversed low pressure second stage seats all time. So maybe they don't even give you a $1 seat either. Ask to see the replaced parts. They should be in a bag with your name and the date on them.
The biggest issue we see with people who mail out their regs is when they have a problem and it happens more than you might think. We once had a regset that we sent out to a service center be sent to back to different customer of the service center. The shipper just left it at the other persons doorstep. We were lucky to even get it back. After that we stopped sending anything out.
Reputable places will fix the problem for free, but it still takes weeks round trip to fix the problem. A decent lds will fix the problem in real time on the spot.
So for less than $150, you might not get a complete disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly and may only get a low pressure second stage seat replacement, not a complete factory service kit.
I actually see reversed low pressure second stage seats all time. So maybe they don't even give you a $1 seat either. Ask to see the replaced parts. They should be in a bag with your name and the date on them.
The biggest issue we see with people who mail out their regs is when they have a problem and it happens more than you might think. We once had a regset that we sent out to a service center be sent to back to different customer of the service center. The shipper just left it at the other persons doorstep. We were lucky to even get it back. After that we stopped sending anything out.
Reputable places will fix the problem for free, but it still takes weeks round trip to fix the problem. A decent lds will fix the problem in real time on the spot.
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Require this at the very least. I didn't for 11 years and it has since bitten me in the arse. I ended up with no warranty on a high dollar regulator bought from an authorized dealer.
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Scubatoys is in Dallas and I believe they offer 1 week turn-around. You get test results back with the reg (and old parts if wanted) also. Shipping is extra afaik.
I buy from them regularly but have never had them service anything.
and divezonescuba might be using scare tactics to hustle business...Scubatoys has an excellent reputation for at least the past decade.
I buy from them regularly but have never had them service anything.
and divezonescuba might be using scare tactics to hustle business...Scubatoys has an excellent reputation for at least the past decade.
All you have to do is look at the economics if you really want to know what is going on. Anybody who says they are going to do a complete and thorough reguator service for $60 is either not doing everything they need to do or is paying their technician less than minimum wage after you deduct shop expenses, take your pick.
As a trained service technician for Atomic, Tusa, Mares, and others and having serviced hundreds of regulators, I hope I have an idea of how long and what it takes to service a regulator set.
We don't need to scare up any business, because we provide free lifetime servicing for anyone who buys a complete regulator set from us.
By the way, the well regarded Malibu Dive Repair operation, run by Glynn Palmer, charges $120 for a regset plus parts. If you don't know who he is, he is the guy who instructs the atomic service classes at DEMA every year. I have had the pleasure of taking his class three times.
As a trained service technician for Atomic, Tusa, Mares, and others and having serviced hundreds of regulators, I hope I have an idea of how long and what it takes to service a regulator set.
We don't need to scare up any business, because we provide free lifetime servicing for anyone who buys a complete regulator set from us.
By the way, the well regarded Malibu Dive Repair operation, run by Glynn Palmer, charges $120 for a regset plus parts. If you don't know who he is, he is the guy who instructs the atomic service classes at DEMA every year. I have had the pleasure of taking his class three times.
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