Regulator service intervals

[halocline]

My understanding is this. 1st stage HP seat is only engaged when pressurized. So if you clean your reg properly, no water intrusion, and storage it in the right environment, I don't how 1st stage can develop issue for a long time. Well, unless O-rings become dry and rotted. Most 2nd stage (except atomic), orifice is engaged to LP seat, so even not using it, seat can degrade. I don't know what would be the life time of the seats. But you should be able to notice the LP seat issue easily. With Atomic 2nd stage, I think the time limit should be rubber parts drying out and rotted.

This is basically an accurate statement. I would add, though, that atomic is hardly the only 2nd stage with a seat-saver feature, and in general balanced 2nd stages put a lot less pressure on the seat during storage than unbalanced. My D series 2nd stages don't have a specific seat saver, but the pressure is so light and the circumference of the seat is larger than most (spreading out the pressure) that they can easily go 5-6 years without developing a problem. For adjustable 2nds, it helps to store them with the adjustment all the way 'out' or easiest breathing. Some adjusters will take more-or-less all the pressure off the seat this way.

And it's not like the seat actually degrades, it's more that a groove gets imprinted in the soft seat. A quick 1/8 turn on the orifice can usually correct for that. What happens is the cracking effort increases slightly and overall performance suffers just a bit with each adjustment.

1st stages basically do not wear during storage, even the o-rings are protected from UV and air flow which could dry them out. But, the first stage does the heavy lifting, reducing pressure thousands of PSI, so the seat/orifice (or piston) seal is under a lot of pressure during use. This invariably shows up as IP creep over time.

For me its a crapshoot whether the 2nd stage or 1st starts to show signs of wear over time. I have several 2nd stages that I never use, so eventually if they come out of the closet (hehe) they'll probably need some attention.

Oddly enough, it's often hose o-rings that derail a dive trip. Those little HP spool o-rings on the SPG and the power inflator are prime candidates for failure on a dive boat.

 

[buddhasummer]

The only failures I've ever had from memory gear wise isre the SPG spools and yes, twice on a boat in the middle of nowhere. I always carry spares.

 

[Freewillow]

Once you understand how regulators work (and how they fail), and how to inspect them; it is easy to recognize when they are ready for service. If you adopt this approach, you need a spare set in case a problem develops in the middle of a dive trip. Then again, you really should have that spare even if you subscribe to periodic service as problems can crop up at any time, with the first few dives after a service being a prime time for problems resulting from service errors.

Thank you awap for the sound advise. CAn you give a few links talking about " how to inspect them". I have aqualung titan.

Thank you

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Thank you awap for the sound advise. CAn you give a few links talking about " how to inspect them". I have aqualung titan. Thank you

couv et. al. (couv and the "Usual Suspects") put together a handy dandy list of things the average diver can do to check their own regulators. It is "stickied" at the top of this forum: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/regulators/346813-regulator-inspection-checklist-rev-7-a.html Best wishes.

 

[ev780]

I subscribe to the theory that lack of use is worse than regular use. Since I am a landlocked diver who gets to one or two trips a year, I have mine done every couple trips. {shrug} May be too much but it is dry as a bone here and all that rubber stuff dries out pretty quickly.

 

[redacted]

I subscribe to the theory that lack of use is worse than regular use. Since I am a landlocked diver who gets to one or two trips a year, I have mine done every couple trips. {shrug} May be too much but it is dry as a bone here and all that rubber stuff dries out pretty quickly.

Your theory probably holds true for divers who don't do a good job of post dive cleaning, drying, and storage. It may take a bit of time for damaging residue and deposits to harden to the point they can damage seals. "Dry" is a good thing for a clean regulator.

You might want to save your service fees and buy a backup kit.