Regulator servicing; do it yourself?

[tiberiu]

The price that the dive shop charge for anual service even if you purchase the regulator from them is way to much . I am mechanic and I refuse to pay for the parts or the service . Thanks God for ebay and leisure pro. Scuba pro should sell the parts to anyone that is willing to sign a do it at your own risk form . You should know your limit if you can do it or not. IF you can't fix it pay for it ... but don't punish me by making it hard to get the parts that i want . I don't see that they regulate the brake pads on the car if you want to do your own brakes .I make the tools that I need and I service my MK 16 scuba pro first stage and R390 second stage scuba pro and S550

for the people that are looking for diagrams on different regulators here is a link

http://www.frogkick.dk/manuals/

WARNING!
Do not attempt to service regulators without proper training. An incorrectly serviced regulator can kill. IF you don't know what you doing don't mess with it .

Hi all, I am relatively new to diving, and happen to be pretty mechanically inclined. And I like doing things myself... And I was just wondering if it's realistic to think that regulator servicing could be done yourself, if you have the right tools and parts?

I've never seen the inside of a regulator, so I have no idea wether it's very complex or not, or if this is realistic or not. So I wanted your input? Are regulators magical things that really need qualified technicians to look after? Or not as complicated as they seem, and with a good service manual, the right tools abnd parts, and lots of patience, serviceable ourself?

Just for your reference, I do all my Mountain bike maintenance myself including dissasembling hydraulic brakes and suspension forks. And I always work with a torque wrench...

Thanks in advance for sharing your oppinions on this!

 

[redacted]

WARNING!
Do not attempt to service regulators without proper training. An incorrectly serviced regulator can kill. IF you don't know what you doing don't mess with it .

I think the "proper training" requisite is just another part of the reg repair myth. Training is not necessary - knowledge and understanding are. There are a number of good sources of knowledge available at various internet site and a few excellent books. They may do a lot more for you than some of the 1 day (or less) training classes provided by distributors.

It is extremely unlikely (but not impossible) that an incorrect service will kill you. If you screw something up, it will probably just leak. Screw it up badly enough, and you could seriously damage the regulator.

 

[Creed]

I've rebuilt both single hose and double hose regulators. While I've had some adjustment issues, I've never, ever had one actually fail. There is very little to screw up on most regulators, if you use a bit of common sense and clean your parts before rebuilding. Just don't scratch up the seating surfaces, and properly lube the o-rings, and you're usually golden.

My total training amounts to reading manuals and actually doing it.

 

[blatter]

It is really unlikely that a bad service will kill you - but it is possible.

A friend of mine got her Zeagle reg professionally serviced a couple of months ago. I checked it out afterwards - before it was used again - as she was concerned it hadn't been done properly. We found that the first stage diaphram clamp had not been done up metal to metal - as specified in the service manual - found it was really loose.

If the first stage diaphram fails it results in catastrophic failure of the air supply - you can work out how that may be a problem if you actually go diving with your reg. the loose diaphram made this very likely to occur.

When the servicer was confronted with this he did not seem to understand what the problem was - and went on to describe how he adjusted the intermediate pressure by removing the clamp and turning the adjustment screw from the wrong end because he couldn't undo the ring that holds on the environmental seal although it was only finger tight (the ring was damaged by a tool - maybe he didn't know which way to undo it).

All this is unbeleivable to anyone who knows anything about reg serviceing, but really happened. Apart from anything else the diaphram is suppossed to be replaced whenever the clamp is undone.

Just another reason to be very cautious about who services your reg and another reason why I like to service my own.

 

[divetag]

anyone know how to stop a scubapro mk5 from humming(spring vibrating).

 

[redacted]

anyone know how to stop a scubapro mk5 from humming(spring vibrating).

Lube the HP O-ring a bit on the heavy side and flip the spring. That seems to work for a while but the whistle does seem to be a Mk5 trait.

 

[abjonesiii]

Check with you LDS, some like mine (Gypsy in Raleigh, NC) offer a gear class where you can bring your stuff in and get a personalized cleaning and service course.

 

[divetag]

i have tried the extra lube and flip, worked for abit but then does come back. sp dept. told me the same thing or change the spring, just wanted to see if anyone else had a different approach. i know the mk5 is known for this little quirk, but it was worth asking.

 

[Scubakevdm]

I am the only one who has ever serviced any of my regs. I mostly have SP MK25/s600's, but I also have and x650 and some Sherwoods and a couple of MK10/g250's. I have no trouble at all getting the parts, schematics, specified lubricants and special tools required. Not only does it not void my SP warranty when I overhaul my regs, it renews it. The secret to doing it is all in becoming an authorized factory sevice technician.

 

[Scubakevdm]

Check with you LDS, some like mine (Gypsy in Raleigh, NC) offer a gear class where you can bring your stuff in and get a personalized cleaning and service course.

Tell Bruce Kevin says hello.