Regulator Repair time?

[ScoobaSam]

Any reg techs out there that can tell me what a good average time to perform an annual service on regulators would be per stage.

Before anyone gets on me about it, I am learning under the tutelage of a master. I am not however, convinced that I could ever get fast enough to overhaul regulators at the rate he states to me as possible. I consider myself to be very mechanically inclined, but possibly too much of a detail oriented person to do these tasks quickly enough to make better than minimum wage at it. Really doesn't matter in the long run as this is not my career, but spending all day at the bench for little return doesn't appeal either. If some actual technicians could tell me what is reasonable for an amount of time to spend on a reg, It may help me decide if I will ever be able to perform to the master's standards and wether or not I want to pursue this path with more or less vigor. Either way, I do enjoy the work; but I might rather spend time pursuing other tasks if I can't keep up. Assuming I continue this path, I will soon be attending classes to get the official cert. Until then, master shadows all that I am doing.

Tanks in advance...

 

[scoobydrew]

The ideal situation is when you are working on some regs i.e. your own and there is no time pressure whatsoever. If you are doing this for a living then of course you need to get them done in a reasonable amount of time in order to keep the cost realistic for the customer but that time depends on what needs doing to them.

Sometimes regs in for service have very little wrong with them others may have had some salt water get inside and need alot of cleaning up so take more time.

If you are only ever going to work on your own regs then I would try to avoid making the exercise timebound especially if as you say you enjoy it. Trying to get things done as fast as possible can often lead to inferior results.

So that totally does not answer your question right? I dont know, depending on the brand and the amount of required work a 1st stage could be done in less than an hour and a 2nd in less than half an hour. in order to prove a point they could be done in a much shorter time if you were racing but as above I would not recommend that.

 

[Mopar]

I do not repair regs. but as a paying customer I had rather pay a little more and give you plenty of time to do them at your comfort level and they be right the first time vs. racing through them and charge very little just to be on vacation and they crap out on me.

 

[ScoobaSam]

Great. I felt like three stages (one 1st and two second) in one hour was a bit rushed... and I refuse to be rushed with things that matter this much. I actually am comfortable with the times you suggest as long as it offers time enough to be complete. I had expected that three per hour was simply an exageration, as nothing really works out that way... I have been averaging about an hour per stage, second stages going quicker than first stages. Of course, I have encountered several damaged / needs to be replaced parts that have led to this time like cracked knobs and stripped gualded threads. Additionally, my time includes paperwork and organization. Thanks for the estimate... makes much more sense to me to take the time to DIRTFT. Besides, my prospective clients are all people that I know and like. I wouldn't want to kill them. I think maybe my shop needs to charge more than 20 per stage on servicing. Then maybe they could make it a little better for the tech. At least I can prep my own regs anytime I want for nothing (I have 12 stages so that adds up). And of course some regs like scubapro S600 are more complicated with more parts. Maybe if all the regs were scubapro mark 10 / R190 combos I could begin to approach the time I've been told, but alas that is not how they come in. My desktop computer repairs (career) can be rushed a bit, noone dies if you miss something. Not so with regulators. I'll keep trucking on as I do like the work, but I will be taking my time to do it right.

Thanks again for your input.

 

[Hallmac]

When starting out, those I have trained generally average around 2 hours, Including the in-water testing afterwards. As they become comfortable that time drops. Currently, I have a person, whom like yourself, is very detail oriented, providing I can prevent distractions including his cell phone and family intrusions, he is averaging approximately 1.5 hours per unit. To do the same service, on the same unit, I generally run approximately 50 minutes.

If I wanted to force the issue, I can complete it in 30 minutes with no short cuts, but I hate pushing that hard and would really expect the return rate to jump severely. It is better to have a return rate under 1% and price the service fairly than to be competitively priced and push to get them out.

 

[tstormdiver]

I'm still new & learning it myself. If it is a regualtor that I'm reasonable familiar with,... I can do one in about 3hrs time. That said,... I am constantly testing them & going over them 2 or 3 times to makes sure everything is right.

 

[coldsmoke]

I find that my time is quicker the more I do at one time. Every two of years I do a complete overhaul on all my regs. ~7 sets of 1st and 2nds. It takes an afternoon (maybe 4-5 hours) to do them all but they are all the same and I do all of the same steps back to back and get into a rhythm.

Hunter

 

[ScoobaSam]

Thanks... I find that I am averaging about an hour per stage myself (3 hours per regular set of 3)... Just glad to hear that I am not too slow being a noobie. I think my teacher is just too damned good with 30 years plus under his belt. Anyway, thanks for the input... I feel much better about my skill level. I too find myself double and tripple checking everything. Glad to hear I am not the only one.

 

[redacted]

Any reg techs out there that can tell me what a good average time to perform an annual service on regulators would be per stage.

Before anyone gets on me about it, I am learning under the tutelage of a master. I am not however, convinced that I could ever get fast enough to overhaul regulators at the rate he states to me as possible. I consider myself to be very mechanically inclined, but possibly too much of a detail oriented person to do these tasks quickly enough to make better than minimum wage at it. Really doesn't matter in the long run as this is not my career, but spending all day at the bench for little return doesn't appeal either. If some actual technicians could tell me what is reasonable for an amount of time to spend on a reg, It may help me decide if I will ever be able to perform to the master's standards and wether or not I want to pursue this path with more or less vigor. Either way, I do enjoy the work; but I might rather spend time pursuing other tasks if I can't keep up. Assuming I continue this path, I will soon be attending classes to get the official cert. Until then, master shadows all that I am doing.

Tanks in advance...

Whose regulators are you learning on?

 

[ScoobaSam]

Mostly my own, but also some representative pool regs that they have taken out of service for me to practice on and a reg that has been dedicated to non scuba uses around the shop, they can always tear them back down after I'm done with them...It is slow time of year and they have plenty for me to practice on without impacting business. Until I get the cert. and can actually go to an official class, they are trying to give me a head start on learning the procedures... They have guided me through 3 models of first stages so far and half a dozen models of second stages. Plus I try to hang around the bench and get familiar with other stuff they get in from customers... This way I can learn by observation and discussion with the certified technician on duty.