Regulator Service Interval

[RoyalScubaAustin]

Reg service is one of those things that is important and yet gets over looked by some. Is it important to get them serviced at the suggested intervals ... definitely. On that note, it is an unfortunate occurance that regs will come back on occasion and the tech will have made a mistake. Generally this is because they replaced the necessary parts but didn't take the time to tune and test the reg themselves. No matter how well you trust your tech or what their record has been it is always a wise choice to hop in the pool and test the reg yourself before going and diving on it. Most shops shouldn't have a problem with you doing that if you ask them.

Another thing to think about for those you who spend more time in the water than out of it. The time limits that reg service is based on takes into consideration the number of dives per year. If you are diving far more than the average diver then I would recommend getting your regs serviced more often. The cost of a reg service is nothing compared to having to deal with a failure or issue 100ft down.

 

[redacted]

Reg service is one of those things that is important and yet gets over looked by some. Is it important to get them serviced at the suggested intervals ... definitely. On that note, it is an unfortunate occurance that regs will come back on occasion and the tech will have made a mistake. Generally this is because they replaced the necessary parts but didn't take the time to tune and test the reg themselves. No matter how well you trust your tech or what their record has been it is always a wise choice to hop in the pool and test the reg yourself before going and diving on it. Most shops shouldn't have a problem with you doing that if you ask them.

Another thing to think about for those you who spend more time in the water than out of it. The time limits that reg service is based on takes into consideration the number of dives per year. If you are diving far more than the average diver then I would recommend getting your regs serviced more often. The cost of a reg service is nothing compared to having to deal with a failure or issue 100ft down.

The primary importance of getting your regs serviced IAW the manufacturers' recommended service interval is to maintain a steady cash flow to your LDS. Why do yhou think some mfgrs recommend annual service and other ever 2 years? The designs, materials, and manufacturing standards are basically the same.

Regs that are well maintained by owners can go for 100 or more dives which would be 2 to 4 years for years for most divers.

Regs that are poorly maintained will likely not make it through an entire year without service.

If the entire idea of having to deal with a regulator problem at 100 ft scares you into wasting $75 for an unnecessary annual service, perhaps you should consider switching to golf.

 

[h90]

ORings if they are in Viton (don't know what is installed in normal regulator) should stay for many years without any problems.....NBR age relative quick (a few years)

 

[Tim GGD]

The one thing you don't to fail on you is your regulator. If you have regulator problems during a dive and your buddy is not close too assistt you it cuold be a fatel mistake.

My suggestion is service your regulator each year, is should'nd matter if you only put 5 dives on it that year.

 

[herman]

The one thing you don't to fail on you is your regulator. If you have regulator problems during a dive and your buddy is not close too assistt you it cuold be a fatel mistake.

My suggestion is service your regulator each year, is should'nd matter if you only put 5 dives on it that year.

No doubt a reg failure is a serious problem but catastrophic failure is rare, the vast majority of problems are minor. The assumption that somehow an annual service will prevent problems and not servicing a reg for a reasonable time, all be it extended, will cause reg problems is simply invalid. There is no evidence that this is true. Quite to the contrary, there is story after story of regs failing shortly after service and in contrast there are plenty of stories of regs that have gone for many years with no problems. Granted, annual service will cover up a lot of improper care of the reg by the diver but this is a user issue, not a service issue. There also seems to be some idea that the orings and other rubber components in modern regs are fragile and deteriorate quickly. This is not the case, modern materials used in regulators are very stable and will last for many years as long as they are not abused. While needed maintenance is important, any experienced technician or mechanic knows the wisdom of the saying "If it isn't broke, don't fix it". The issue here is what is needed maintenance, what maintenance is to cover bad diver behavior and what is maintenance for the sake of maintenance.....or maybe profit.

 

[redacted]

No doubt a reg failure is a serious problem but catastrophic failure is rare, the vast majority of problems are minor.

Time and usage, with adequate user care, will tend to produce those annoying failures involving leaks and reduced performance. Catastrophic failures are more commonly produced by assembly errors involving under or over tightening of connections. Defective parts may also produce catastrophic failures. Service with caution.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Posts #15 and #16 above by Herman and awap should be "required reading" prior to entering the Regulators forum.

Every time a "how often should I service my reg?" topic pops up (which is a good topic by the way), the "it is life support, have it serviced every year or you are gonna die" posts are sure to follow.

Are there situations in which a regulator NEEDS to be serviced annualy? Sure. With heavy use and abuse, maybe even more frequently.

Does a well-maintained regulator that is working perfectly need to be serviced every 12 months? No. Inspect and test frequently (refer to some of the excellent posts regarding how to do this yourself), service when needed.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

When a first stage is depressurized, the seat is not resting on the orifice and no wear occurs. So in essence, it it does not get wet or contaminated with salt, dirt, etc and is properly stored, it can have a very long shelf life.

Aside from water, contamination and/or related corroision, the number of cycles is what matters most so a reg that is not used much (and is properly cared for) is a potential candidate for less frequent servicing. On the other hand, a reg that sees 50-100 dives per year, probably needs an annual service.

The same is not entirely true for most second stages. Most second stages leave the seat resting on the orifice and this results in wear in the form of an excessiver seatign groove over time - even if the reg is never dove. In some cases you may only get a couple years before the seat needs to eb replaced - even if it only sets on the shelf. Some second stages have various means of keeping the orifice off the seat - but that then exposes the system to posible contamination with moisure, dust or insects, so how and where it is stored is critical.

I see only one thing that lead to expensive service costs - delaying service too long. that may be goign 5 years with a bit of water or corrosion happening that a more frequent service would have caught or it may only be a 2 week delay after you think you have have left the dust cover off the reg when you rinsed it in the dunk tank. So get it serviced when it needs it, but if in doubt, get it serviced anyway.

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

Not that I recommend this to anyone , I do not touch my regs unless they show signs of leakage . Most of the time a reg will tell you it needs service . The rest of the times know your CESA .
At the current rate of regulator overhauls , get your 5 + years , sell it and start over with a new reg , cheaper than yearly service . As stated above , most of the time reg failure is due to poor service.

 

[halocline]

I would like to hear about a single documented case of death due to failure to keep annual service on a reg. This whole argument about servicing your reg annually, because "your life is worth it" is just ridiculous.

99% of reg "failure" results in freeflows or leaks. Regs don't exactly deliver air, they regulate it's flow from the tank. While something like a sudden HP seat failure (very rare!) can be pretty scary, especially to a new diver, if it's life threatening, something is seriously wrong with the way that diver is handling the situation. A sudden uncontrolled free flow is no fun, but hardly life threatening, as long as the basic fundamentals of OW diving are being followed. Those include the buddy system, staying out of overhead and mandatory deco situations, and having unimpeded access to the surface at all times during an OW dive.

This is even true if you make the incorrect assumption that annual service will prevent reg problems. Just as often as a good service will prevent a problem, a poor one will cause one. Don't forget, some of these guardians that "keep us alive" through their professional servicing of our regs have gone through an exhausting 2 days of training.

If reg failure was truly life threatening, don;t you think the qualifications for professional service would be a bit higher than simply working at a dealer and attending a 2 day 'no-fail' seminar?