Regulator setup

[onefastpony]

A buddy of mine owns a naval rescue equimpment mnfg co. hence he is a dealer for Aqualung and IST. He said that he can get me some gear at cost and was going to take him up on it. The question I have is, if I buy the reg setup it will come seperate, is it that difficult to put together myself or do I need to take it to a LDS. Now my friend is not a LDS, and does not carry scuba gear but is a dealer for the above mentioned.

 

[RJP]

A buddy of mine owns a naval rescue equimpment mnfg co. hence he is a dealer for Aqualung and IST. He said that he can get me some gear at cost and was going to take him up on it. The question I have is, if I buy the reg setup it will come seperate, is it that difficult to put together myself or do I need to take it to a LDS. Now my friend is not a LDS, and does not carry scuba gear but is a dealer for the above mentioned.

It's not hard to put the pieces together, but it's kind of one of those "the fact that you're asking the question gives you the answer" sort of things.

There's slightly more to it than just putting the pieces together. A reputable dealer - LDS or online - will set it up and TEST the reg for you before handing it over. Doesn't sound like your buddy (who doesn't sell scuba gear but is an Aqualung dealer) can do that for you. Sounds like you'll save a decent bit of money, but do you know enough about what you want in order to ensure you're buying the right thing?

Also, might want to find out if your LDS will set up and test the reg before buying it.

PS - you may want to look at a punctuation fix in the "interests" section of your profile. Perhaps swapping the comma for a semi-colon?

Interests
Shooting, hanging out with my wife and son

Wouldn't want folks to get the wrong idea!

:d

 

[onefastpony]

Also, might want to find out if your LDS will set up and test the reg before buying it.


:d

I guess the reason I asked the question is for the reason that you mentioned above. I am pretty mechanically inclided. I'm just curious if I do buy from my friend and put it together myself, will my LDS even service it later on. Will they question where I got it trying to say that it is grey market, when I know it would not be.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I guess the reason I asked the question is for the reason that you mentioned above. I am pretty mechanically inclided. I'm just curious if I do buy from my friend and put it together myself, will my LDS even service it later on. Will they question where I got it trying to say that it is grey market, when I know it would not be.

If your friend is an authorized Aqualung/Apeks dealer and you have paperwork (receipt) proving that you purchased the reg setup from him, then any reg repair shop should grant you the Aqualung/Apeks free-parts-for-life for reg overhauls provided that you adhere to the recommended service intervals. In fact, I'd recommend that as soon as you purchase the items from your friend, be sure to register the items on Aqualung's website. The serial number on your reg will prove that the reg is not gray market.

Connecting one end of a hose to a reg and the other end to the first stage is not a big deal. Just don't over-tighten anything and you should be OK. To be safe, get a more experienced diver to show you how to assemble it all. It's very straightforward. Make sure you use 2 wrenches to tighten the connection between LP hose and second stage reg. Using only 1 wrench can crack the plastic housing of the second stage.

After you connect everything, you should check the intermediate pressure (need IP gauge) on the first stage and then ensure that the second stages are tuned properly (cracking pressure test, purge test, and subjective breathing test). Fresh out of the box, new regulators don't always come tuned correctly.

If given the choice between selecting a reg in the Aqualung/Apeks family or one in the IST line, I'd surely go with a Aqualung/Apeks reg. Take a look at the Apeks XTX50 + DS4 first stage. Nice reg for the money...even better with a discount.

 

[Garrobo]

Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey. Why would you need to test a new reg anyway?

 

[JahJahwarrior]

Hose orientation is another thing to think about. Generally speaking, SPG and BC inflator hose go on your left side while your two regulators go on the right, with the primary second stage on top.

I have never tested any of my new regs...

 

[RJP]

Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey. Why would you need to test a new reg anyway?

Can't think of a single reason.