Service frequency
Hello David....Welcome to Scuba Board,
Service frequency is an issue that comes up from time to time and like all other issues here will be debated ad nauseam. So brace your self for a deluge starting with my two cents.
If you are determined to keep the useless and expensive warrantee intact, you must follow the manufactures suggested service interval. However, even if keeping the useless and expensive warrantee intact is not an issue, learning to check your equipment yourself is very important and will help YOU determine if your equipment needs service. The following checks should be done even if there has been a fresh service done by a reputable repair shop and of course before any dive trip.
Regulator inspection
There are a few checks that everyone is capable of doing. One is the intermediate pressure check. Get a simple 300 psi pressure gage from Ace Hardware (I like the helpful hardware man better that the giant store types) and adapt it to your quick disconnect
http://www.diveriteexpress.com/regs/hoses.shtml. Find out the what the IP range should be for your regulator (most are ~ 135 +/- 10 psi).
Another check is the cracking pressure of each second stage. Fill your kitchen sink and immerse the regulator with the mouth piece up and see if it begins to flow before the diaphragm gets more than a 1 1/2 of inches deep. You may have to put plastic tubing in place of the mouth piece to do this. If you want to get fancy (there is no reason to get fancy) make a simple manometer from plastic tubing and a yard stick
http://www.komar.org/faq/manometer/ Finally, a water tight check is also very easy to perform. Hook the first stage up to a tank and without turning on the air (if you have a good tight dust cap you can use that instead) draw a breath until you hear the second stage diaphragm retract. You do not want to draw too hard as it will collapse the exhaust valves and cause a leak. Will the reg hold vacuum? If so, it is probably water tight and vice-versa.
The BC....as you mentioned you have an Air II the same second stage rules apply to the regulator function. The inflator/deflator should operate as advertised. The bladder should hold air fairly well overnight. If you feel comfortable removing the cover off of your overpressure valve do that and make sure the valve is not stuck.
These simple checks can be done by anyone. They should be done often, not to mention when new out of the box or after shop service.
Check early, check often.
couv
