Regulator Parts
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Truva...You are correct that the big killer of HP seats is dirt. Large particles of dirt are also about the only thing that will damage the knife edge on the piston or on the reg body in the reg too.
The filter is a part that should ideally be replaced annually to keep things clean. But the important thing is to ensure you are running clean air through the reg in the first place.
Most of the leaking HP seats I have seen were usually discolored with rust or other material indicating that less than clean air is moving through the reg.
Removing and then replacing an HP seat can cause problems if things are not completely aligned in the reg as you will end up with two separate seating grooves in the seat and the seat will leak at the two spots where the two grooves cross each other.
Sometimes you will have a piston that is not perfectly straight and it can turn on the seat and eat things up over time. A piston that has been dropped on a hard surface (from the table to the floor for example) can cause problems if it gets tweaked a bit or if the knife edge gets dinged. It's a crap shoot depending on how it lands and the best approach is to be real careful when handling them.
The filter is a part that should ideally be replaced annually to keep things clean. But the important thing is to ensure you are running clean air through the reg in the first place.
Most of the leaking HP seats I have seen were usually discolored with rust or other material indicating that less than clean air is moving through the reg.
Removing and then replacing an HP seat can cause problems if things are not completely aligned in the reg as you will end up with two separate seating grooves in the seat and the seat will leak at the two spots where the two grooves cross each other.
Sometimes you will have a piston that is not perfectly straight and it can turn on the seat and eat things up over time. A piston that has been dropped on a hard surface (from the table to the floor for example) can cause problems if it gets tweaked a bit or if the knife edge gets dinged. It's a crap shoot depending on how it lands and the best approach is to be real careful when handling them.
oceancrest67
Guest
I have been diving for about 10 years now using mostly Oceanic equipment.
I sympathize with some of the rants above regarding dive shop servicing of equipment. I am not a dive service technician, but I would certainly trust my own abilities far beyond some 'tech' in some dive shop. Alas, as some have pointed out...most divers are subject to the industry...dependent on the local dive shops and their technical knowledge and experience. How trustworthy...how good are dive shop technicians really? Is there some level of reference, standard, control, industry standard for dive shop technicians...or is it a friend of a friend getting some parrot head beach bum newbie a job at some dive shop to take apart regulators?
I have asked in another thread where one can get technical training on servicing regulators (only through manufacturers workshops?)...I would love to work on my own equipment. I would rather be in control of my own maintenance standards and control.
Any thoughts / rants are welcome.
I sympathize with some of the rants above regarding dive shop servicing of equipment. I am not a dive service technician, but I would certainly trust my own abilities far beyond some 'tech' in some dive shop. Alas, as some have pointed out...most divers are subject to the industry...dependent on the local dive shops and their technical knowledge and experience. How trustworthy...how good are dive shop technicians really? Is there some level of reference, standard, control, industry standard for dive shop technicians...or is it a friend of a friend getting some parrot head beach bum newbie a job at some dive shop to take apart regulators?
I have asked in another thread where one can get technical training on servicing regulators (only through manufacturers workshops?)...I would love to work on my own equipment. I would rather be in control of my own maintenance standards and control.
Any thoughts / rants are welcome.
rescuediver009
Contributor
oceancrest67:
I can definetely start off by saying that it is not simply a friend of a friend who comes in and swaps out a bunch of parts to service your gear. In order to accomplish this successfully, there has to be some form of training involved. When you take apart a first stage there is a mess of parts that have to be re-assembled in the correct method in order for the thing not to blow up when you pressurize the unit.
Yes, I am pretty sure that you have to be employed by an authorized dealer of that product in order to take a course in whatever regulator service you choose. I know for a fact that I would not comfortable only servicing my own equipment every year or two. It is definitely not like riding a bike. It is something that you have to do a couple of times in order to master it. What if you come across a complication that is not in the standard repair manual? What if you simply don't know what to look for in terms of abnormalities in the first stage. Not that I doubt you my friend, but I can say that there is alot of knowledge and experience that goes into being good at this game. Then there is always the different maufacturers that have slight differences in the components of their systems. Two regs that appear to be exactly the same on the outside like a Zeagle TECH50D and an apeks TX50 have quite a few differences inside. Just a thought.
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