Scubapro S550 S555 S600 etc..

[NJDiver07866]

have a 2 part question.
1. am I adjusting my regs right
2. is the seat bad on my s550.

I have a S550 that I can't dial in with the dual drive adjusting tool.

IP is ok....

I read that you place it on the dual drive tool, loosen it up so it free flows and then just give it 1/12th turn to detune it clockwise so it stops... (I do a wee bit more) This works fine for all my other regs.. no issues....from here I hook it up to a magnehelic gauge and with a light breath it pulls just about 1.5-2 cracking pressure.. (If I'm reading this thing right it is a bit twitchy) I then do a dunk in a bucket of water (just because I'm anal a bit and new to the magnehelic gauge) and when it starts to free flow when the water is just about a few winks shy of the mouthpiece.. (read this is kinda what you want the cracking pressure at) I'm set..and all is well.

When I try to do the same with the s550 it still leaks a bit.. when I loosen it up to free flow and give it a 1/12 turn.. I get a small hiss..So I cranked it down a bit more and I have to give it a full 3/4 turn before the hiss stops.

At this setting the purge does not work well.

I took it apart and it looks like the seat is scored.. so my question is how temperamental are the seats? Meaning if you can see the groove in the seat does this mean it is shot? It does not look too bad and I would not think the tiny groove would make it that testy..

I tried to be gentle to the seat.. I read that when you assemble it you should hold down the purge so it does not score up the seat.. and same with the Inline adjusting tool you should not monkey with it too much because of the orifice will cookie cutter the seat.

So my question is.. do you guys think it is the seat? I wish you could just buy a handful of seats instead of buying the entire kit.. And is my procedure adjust regs ok? Just wanted some thoughts..

Many thanks for the help.
Rich

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I have had exactly that problem with the seats in the S-wing poppet on rare occasions - some times the seat itself looks rough or even porous. SP used to just sell the seats for $1.00 each but the last time I asked the shop to order 20 of them, Sp sent the entire poppet with seat, about $5.00 each - but still cheaper than the entire kit.

 

[redacted]

I have been able to order just the LP seat (11.250.221) for about $2 each. The poppet assembly (plastic poppet, seat and 2 o-rings) ran me close to $14.

My experience is just with the S600/G500 but I'm concerned with the problem with operating the purge. Are you sure the lever is engaging the poppet correctly?

 

[NJDiver07866]

Thanks for the help!!!

On the lever/purge I know it can be tricky.. but I nailed that down. I see the poppet has two L shaped spots that the lever fits in (+ there is a little wear) on the 90 degree bend on the poppet so I know I have the purge lever in there ok.

Pretty much when I set it up for the first time I set the adjustable Orifice loose so it freeflows soon as I hook it up. I then adjust it until it stops freeflowing. when it does I can hear a small hiss. The purge works fine and it does not freeflow.. but it has a very slight amount of air leaking. So I adjusted it with the inline tool a bit tighter 1/4 of a turn and she still makes a hiss sound. I have to give it a good 3/4 of a turn from freeflow to get it to stop hissing completely. When it is 3/4 past free flow the purge is very tight to push down.

I'm almost certain it is the seat. The two o-rings are ok.. and the orifice does not have any scratches or marks. Only the seat has a very slight little 0 cut in it from the orifice..

I can only find an entire kit on Ebay.. i just ordered the sucker so in 3 days I should have a new one.. will post back.. Thanks for the help.. Wish I can just punch out more seats like the 390's I have

 

[redacted]

Thanks for the help!!!

On the lever/purge I know it can be tricky.. but I nailed that down. I see the poppet has two L shaped spots that the lever fits in (+ there is a little wear) on the 90 degree bend on the poppet so I know I have the purge lever in there ok.

Pretty much when I set it up for the first time I set the adjustable Orifice loose so it freeflows soon as I hook it up. I then adjust it until it stops freeflowing. when it does I can hear a small hiss. The purge works fine and it does not freeflow.. but it has a very slight amount of air leaking. So I adjusted it with the inline tool a bit tighter 1/4 of a turn and she still makes a hiss sound. I have to give it a good 3/4 of a turn from freeflow to get it to stop hissing completely. When it is 3/4 past free flow the purge is very tight to push down.

I'm almost certain it is the seat. The two o-rings are ok.. and the orifice does not have any scratches or marks. Only the seat has a very slight little 0 cut in it from the orifice..

I can only find an entire kit on Ebay.. i just ordered the sucker so in 3 days I should have a new one.. will post back.. Thanks for the help.. Wish I can just punch out more seats like the 390's I have

I would expect a cut to be terminal. You can probably get away with a groove but a cut is probably from adjusting the orifice while in contact with the seat. I don't use any of the in-line tools. I assemble the balance chamber into the balance chamber piston with the thread depth of the balance chamber exposed. I then assemble the reg and initially adjust the orifice to just stop the leak. Then I adjust from the other end to again get it leaking and then the other direction to stop it. That seems to usually leave me with under 1 inch of water cracking pressure. I don't even mind a slight leak at that point as it is easily controlled with the adjustment knob.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

If you screw the orifice in 3/4 of a turn past the point where it makes contact on a single adjustment design like the S600/G250/S555 it will lower the lever to the point that the working range is restricted and you will have to depress the purge quite far to get any air at all.

 

[NJDiver07866]

Thanks for the help! I got my hands on a new seat and it works like a charm now. Just 1/12 of a turn from freeflow w/ about 1.0-1.5 cracking pressure. No hiss.

By looking at the seat you would not think it would cause an issue, but I guess it does. I mean you can't even hardly see it.

But this was also my learing reg that I took apart a million times in the past few months so it could have just been from being played with too much..

http://www.tridentdive.com/internetcatalog.pdf on page 28 they have LP seats A148 "Rivet Style Low Pressure seat"

I know a few shops that sell online.... I'm going to call to see if they will sell to Joe public. Have you guys ever used the trident LP seats?

Just ordered a bunch of kits from Online Dive Store, Online Dive Store lets see if the parts come .

Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[NJDiver07866]

By hunting up some old posts.. looks like the trident LP seat is just for the BA poppet and not the S-wing poppet...

Man... they really make it a pain for DIY people to get your hands on the parts. I'm a pack rat... I like to have a box of these seats in my stock..... I don't know.. just because... Kinda like having a case of bullets.... you might not ever need them.. but it feels good to have a few...

 

[redacted]

By hunting up some old posts.. looks like the trident LP seat is just for the BA poppet and not the S-wing poppet...

Man... they really make it a pain for DIY people to get your hands on the parts. I'm a pack rat... I like to have a box of these seats in my stock..... I don't know.. just because... Kinda like having a case of bullets.... you might not ever need them.. but it feels good to have a few...

Older BA poppets did not take a replaceable seat. I suspect that trident seat may do the trick.

I looked as some of those Scuparo kits on the above site and they do not look like OE Scubapro kits. I see o-rings and filters but no seats.

 

[cbmech2]

In addition to what awap and da have posted, something else you may want to check is the knife edge on the adjustable orifice. Even the smallest of imperfections will cause your leak. The specifications for "Work of Breathing" WOB or cracking effort is between 1.0 to 1.4 inches of H2O. I would also check to ensure that you have not cranked down on the end plug too much. That should be tightened to the point to where you can get the retaining clip installed and then back out on it until the plug stops. That should give you the correct amount of spring tension on the poppet. Hope this helps.