SCUBA Gear Maintenance and Assembly

[Dr. Lecter]

Assuming they assemble it, should I go straight to testing it in a pool or have it re-inspected?

It's new gear, from a dealer, and likely assembled and tested before you receive it. To the extent you need to handle some assembly yourself, it will involve taking an adjustable wrench, a couple allen keys, and a smidge of appropriate lube for the o-rings (silicone grease is fine assuming you're diving air - worry about O2 cleaning your equipment later), removing port plugs, and adding the second stage/octo/SPG to the appropriate port(s). Do not overtighten, just a gentle bit of wrench pressure beyond hand-tight is all you need.

As an OW student preparing for check-out dives, I was comfortable looking what came in the mail over, RTFMs, assembling and testing it, and then taking it diving without further review... YMMV.

 

[diverrex]

Yeah the thing is I ordered from scuba.com (dubiously able to provide *timely* care, but eventually everything gets there and I am in no rush to put it all together before a dive), and figured I'd have the gear assembled either by myself (bad idea) or a LDS for a bit extra. Thing is Scuba.com has severely lower prices than any LDS and most of the other places online, so I figured it was worth my time in this instance. I was just hoping to learn a bit to see what should be done, because this gets more technical than the simple "screw this on this plug this into this unscrew air and you're set!"

Edit: Wanted to add that I appreciate your input

Actually it is not much more complicated than "remove plug, screw in hose, repeat with other hoses". Use a lubricant as previously mentioned, don't over tighten, and pay attention to which port the hoses go into for proper hose routing. Having said that for a new diver nothing wrong if you feel more comfortable with a pro doing it for you.

---------- Post added January 2nd, 2013 at 06:19 PM ----------

If you get into tech diving the tech instructors I'd train with would not want you diving air integrated. Goes against the simple is better train of thought and adds multiple failure points. Plus they are not worth the hassle and money.

I understand tech divers using a SPG. But my AI is absolutely no hassle, and I have the money. I actually dive with two AI computers, one on a hose and one wireless with a transmitter. With quality gear and proper maintenance the additional failure points are minimal. I'll take the risks. I like the info I get from my AI computers. As they say YMMV, that's why Baskins Robbins sells so many flavors. Sorry for the hijack.

 

[AlexRD]

Sounds good, if it's as simple as unplug, screw in, repeat, that seems simple enough. Do you have to buy the lubricant separately or does it come with anything? (Kind of like thermal paste comes with CPUs). If it doesn't I might have to order it. What about the allen wrench? And how about the thought of making sure pressure from the second stage to regulator is correct etc.? (Asking a ton of questions out of curiosity of course!)

Also I went without air integration for my first dive watch for 2 reasons (1 being that it was way more expensive, and 2 being that if my computer dies for whatever reason I'd like to know how much air I have left so I can surface in a proper manner given that amount)

 

[diverrex]

Sounds good, if it's as simple as unplug, screw in, repeat, that seems simple enough. Do you have to buy the lubricant separately or does it come with anything? (Kind of like thermal paste comes with CPUs). If it doesn't I might have to order it. What about the allen wrench? And how about the thought of making sure pressure from the second stage to regulator is correct etc.? (Asking a ton of questions out of curiosity of course!)

Also I went without air integration for my first dive watch for 2 reasons (1 being that it was way more expensive, and 2 being that if my computer dies for whatever reason I'd like to know how much air I have left so I can surface in a proper manner given that amount)

Your enthusiasm and curiousity is great but you may be getting ahead of yourself. Did you actually receive the gear yet? I suspect it will come assembled. Of course you will need to put the LP hose on your BC but if you haven't done that before in class ask for a refund. I'd agree with a new diver using a SPG instead of an AI.

If the reg doesn't come assembled I doubt they would include any lube, but any LDS should sell lube for under $10.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Lube will not come with regs. Tools will not come with regs. If you're buying a matched set of first and second stages, the IP should be set correctly even if it wasn't assembled before you got it, and if the octo is the same brand chances are that it too will work fine. Beyond that, if you need to check IP you'll have to take it to a shop - at this point, based on the questions you're asking, you should not be trying to check/adjust that.

People who say they want a backup SPG to surface with in case their computer fails generally amuse me. Unless you have a back-up computer and intend to continue the dive with it and the SPG, you don't need a redundant gas gauge. If something fails, the dive is over and you're heading to the surface right then and there. Having a gauge won't alter whether or not you have enough gas to safely make that ascent.

A much more useful back-up would be a depth gauge and a good dive watch.

 

[AlexRD]

Well the pressure gauge I got was a bit redundant with the watch because I also got a pressure gauge and compass on it. The thought there being that I could technically continue my dive profile if it were to fail, but when any equipment fails you surface, so the redundancy is quite silly. But it also removes the need for a watch for later dives on a trip if it were to malfunction. And yeah, I am getting a bit ahead of myself, I can agree on that. Just curious what the standards are

 

[Robert Gillcash]

Scuba.com generally assembles the gear you order from them. When I ordered an ST1 and SS1 set from them ages ago, the whole thing arrived assembled and ready to go. I may have needed to attach the computer console hose to the HP port myself, or they may have handled that too, can't remember.

All Regulators are Fully Assembled by Scuba Instructors

At Scuba.com all equipment is fully assembled by a factory trained certified scuba instructor before you receive it. Unlike other dive centers (even possibly your own local dive store) where you may find anyone, even possibly an uncertified diver, assembling your equipment. At Scuba.com a scuba instructor assembles everything and all you need to do is add air and water.

I have a problem with the above statement. There is no way I am going to trust my equipment to a "factory trained certified scuba instructor".
First, where is a "factory" that trains instructors?
Second, why are instructors assembling gear and not technicians? I know some instructors I wouldn't even let touch my gear, let alone assemble it.
Third, do all technician need to be divers? Does that matter? What matters is that the gear is assembled and tested properly.

Wow, don't think I'm gonna buy anything from a place that has the wrong people assembling life sustaining equipment.

 

[fjpatrum]

Hey Everyone,

First of all - happy 2013. Second of all - I bought myself a set of SCUBA gear as a Christmas gift, and after ordering I wanted to educate myself on a few things (in retrospect, I should have educated myself first then ordered but I have a ton of time).

First: How does one assemble a simple regulator/octo/pressure gauge/BCD hose setup? Assuming the parts are in the box and ordered from a registered dealer of a brand. From first to last step, how would you inspect and assemble these new products?

Second: Once assembled and utilized, what are the general guidelines for maintenance on said gear? People say annual regulator servicing is necessary, but from what I've read there seems to be a lot of issues with techs not servicing the gear properly. Any advice on that?

Thanks for your time everyone!

Edit: For clarity, I don't mean assembling all of your SCUBA apparatus (tank, bcd, regulator) but primarily the regulator system with the octopus/reg/pressure gauge/bcd hose. In addition, when I say maintenance, I do not mean washing it after each dive and storing/caring for it the correct way, I mean the potential for needing it to be serviced by a professional that opens up the gear to give it a look.

Might I suggest you consider looking in and posting in the DIY section, specifically the "maintaining your own gear" section. You will get all the answers you want/need without any hassles (not that you've received anything like hassles in this thread so far). Let me also recommend the following two books: "Regulator Savvy" by Pete Wolfinger and "Scuba Regulator Maintenance and Repair" by Vance Harlow. Here's a review thread I wrote about them both: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bo...sus-harlows-regulator-maintenance-repair.html

Installing the hoses appropriately is easy and they should come with o-rings as necessary, I think. Get some O2 safe lube (just in case) and you'll be good to go. Righty tighty lefty loosey. Don't over tighten the hoses on the reg. I don't have any modern regs (newer than early 90s) so I'm not sure the appropriate wrench size. What rhwestfall said about tuning is probably good advice but tuning isn't rocket science. You can buy a relatively inexpensive intermediate pressure gauge for ~$30 and do all the tuning yourself quite easily based on the info provided in the books I mentioned above.

Good luck.

 

[diverrex]

All Regulators are Fully Assembled by Scuba Instructors

At Scuba.com all equipment is fully assembled by a factory trained certified scuba instructor before you receive it. Unlike other dive centers (even possibly your own local dive store) where you may find anyone, even possibly an uncertified diver, assembling your equipment. At Scuba.com a scuba instructor assembles everything and all you need to do is add air and water.

I have a problem with the above statement. There is no way I am going to trust my equipment to a "factory trained certified scuba instructor".
First, where is a "factory" that trains instructors?
Second, why are instructors assembling gear and not technicians? I know some instructors I wouldn't even let touch my gear, let alone assemble it.
Third, do all technician need to be divers? Does that matter? What matters is that the gear is assembled and tested properly.

Wow, don't think I'm gonna buy anything from a place that has the wrong people assembling life sustaining equipment.

Are you serious? Why can't someone be a technician and an instructor? The "factory" is the manufacturer, typical for lots of industries where the people who designed and built the equipment then go and train the technicians.

 

[AlexRD]

Thanks so far for all the advice everyone. I might just go to my LDS and have them put it together for the first time, and learn the proper way to do it down the road for the next set.