Scuba Sciences Regulator Repair Problem

[Scuba Sciences]

Hello Everyone,

I was under the impression that Stores were not to be named, only as a "LDS". But since we were named, we will reply to this post.

1. Scuba Sciences has been in business since 1971. In these past 36 years, we have trained several thousand divers, serviced thousands upon thousands of scuba equipment and ran tons of diving trips.

2. Scuba Sciences is (to my knowledge) the only Scuba Training/Retail Store in the Valley that is a member of the BBB. We have been members of the BBB since June of 1994. We are in the business to provide the best services to our customers with training, equipment servicing and dive trips, not to rip anyone off.

3. Scuba Sciences serviced several hundred regulators at our Metro location alone last year. It is not unusual, a few regulators come back for readjustments, but NO MAJOR PROBLEMS.

4. Scuba Sciences follows the strict servicing requirements of the Professional Order of Service Technicians Form, which is required of American Nitrox Divers International (ANDI). It shows a complete check list of everything that is completed during a regulator, bc and/or cylinder service.

5. After our Service Technican is done with the service, he completes a bench test and a water test to look for any bubbles or things out of adjustment. These tests were done to Mr. Just's regulator and showed no signs of anything unusual.

6. According to our computer records, Mr. Just has been very inconsistent with having his equipment serviced annually as required to maintain the manuf warranties.

7. Mr. Just picked up his regulator in late October, 2006, tested it on our testing machine, signed the Repair Agreement and left. Both Scuba Sciences facilities have on-site, indoor, heated salt water pools for our divers and customers to test and/or familiarize themselves with any new or recently serviced equipment. Mr. Just did not take advantage of this opportunity to test his equipment before his trip.

8. Mr. Just claims to have had problems during his trip from Late November to Early December, but never notified Scuba Sciences until early January, 2007.

9. Scuba Sciences' Repair Agreement says in part "...SCUBA equipment, it is highly subject to damage and/or change in adjustment during transportation and/or with misuse. For that reason this company cannot accept any responsibility for the condition or function of the equipment once it has been inspected and accepted by the person signing this document and it has left the premises of this company..." This form was signed by Mr. Just when he picked up the regulator and he admits the regulator was working properly when he tested it on our machine.

10. When Scuba Sciences was notified of Mr. Just's issue, we offered to completely overhaul and re-service the regulator from top to bottom and test his equipment in either of our pools at NO CHARGE. This offer was made to Mr. Just in early January, 2007 and still stands today. At this time Mr. Just has refused our offer.

11. When this regulator left Scuba Sciences, there is absolutely no question that it was working properly.

At this time we are still willing to completely overhaul and re-service Mr. Just's regulator and allow him to test his equipment in the pool. We are awaiting Mr. Just's decision...

Tina
Scuba Sciences, Inc.

 

[redacted]

Perhaps you need to show him how to inspect his regulator to insure that all connections have been adequately tightened. A finger tight LP hose connection to a 2nd stage will not leak but can easily work its way loose, as apparently happened. In my book, this is on par with the doctor leaving a sponge inside a patient during surgery. It should be one of the checks a good tech makes every time a reg is serviced.

 

[ams511]

I never needed to sign a form after servicing, that would make me suspect right there.

 

[Hoosier]

...............

 

[Hoosier]

Even Mr. Just's case has been filmed.

Is there any broken piece on Mr. Just's regulator?

I am wondering if the same analogy is applied when you have an engine oil service at the dealershop. The oil fiter came out on the highway after the service and the service dealershop has no responsibility? YMWV, but not in Hoosier land.

Oh~~well.. There is a written legal form that Mr. Just signed. Your mom didn't tell you that you should read through before giving a signature or shouldn't go there.

 

[Tom Smedley]

You did a good job of describing the paperwork that was signed and of discrediting your customer but the question is - Does your service tech own a torque wrench???

 

[Web Monkey]

A shop that fails to properly tighten all connections is a shop to be avoided.

But more importantly, every diver needs to take responsibility for their own equipment. It does not take a shop monkey to detect the problem you encountered. A simple inspection and test of your equipment would have avoided the potentially dangerous incident.

Although I typically have a short fuse for poor equipment service, I have to agree with you on this one. If the hose simply unscrewed from the first stage, the owner should have found it during the pre-dive check.

If something else came apart or the body cracked from overtightening, that's a different story.

In any event, it's just another reason to stay close to your buddy and/or have an independant air source (I won't use the p-word )

Terry

 

[Rick Murchison]

I was under the impression that Stores were not to be named, only as a "LDS". But since we were named, we will reply to this post.

Couple of points...
(1) Stores can certainly be named when relating true first-hand stories. As a matter of courtesy if we see a post a store needs to respond to and they aren't on the board we will attempt to contact that store so they can respond, but as you're here, all is well as far as that goes.
(2) Most second stage freeflows are caused by a failure of the high pressure seat in the first stage, so we don't generally emphasize this... If the failure is at the second stage, you can absolutely stop a freeflow from a failed or disconnected second stage (or a blown LP inflator mechanism, for that matter) by bending the hose back on itself and crimping it. Even if it's flailing around like this one, the good old "reach" method of regulator retrieval will let you grab it and crimp it closed. Buddies need to know this too.
Note, however, that if the failure is the usual one of the first stage high pressure seat, crimping the freeflowing hose will just induce a freeflow in the other second stage. In a case like this one, however, it's clear it isn't a first stage problem and the hose could have been crimped immediately and the problem made a whole lot less of an "emergency."
Rick
P.S. Crimping a hose is not good for it, and after such an event it ought to be replaced, but that's a whole lot cheaper than a funeral.

 

[AzAtty]

I'm with Terry. The video shows the diver fiddling with the hose fitting at the second stage. My best guess is that the diver inadvertently unscrewed a loose fitting to the point it gave way. Now, who is responsible for the loose fitting is up for debate. I wouldn't be too quick to harpoon the LDS, if for no other reason than the regulator had long departed custody of the LDS and passed through the hands of several potential interlopers long before the diver hit the water (think: TSA and assorted baggage gorillas). And a finger-tight hose fitting should have been discovered during the pre-dive check.

An unfortunate situation to be sure; glad no one got hurt.

 

[cerich]

wow, good video and you showed yourself to keep a clear head, well done to you and your buddy!

That being said it looks like you actually took the second off the hose while trying to see what was causing it to bubble...