SE2 honks

[beachnik]

I use a Conshelf SE2 which I've owned forever. As the years have past, it has occasionally done the honking thing. Sounds like the 2nd stage. I didn't get too concerned - I've never noticed any fluctuation in the performance - it doesn't free flow, it seems to breath the same time-after-time. I have it serviced routinely.

On a trip to Cozumel last April, it was getting a little noisy and annoying (it's loud enough that my dive buddies comment on it). Still, no performance problems. As a precaution, after the trip I had the LDS do a complete overhaul of 1st and 2nd stage. They gave me the parts that were removed - the 2nd stage diaphragm had a real nice crack in it - must have been about an inch long. I thought 'wow, that must have been the problem'.

Went back to Cozumel in October, after a couple of days diving, the 2nd stage is honking again. As before, there doesn't seem to be any impact on performance.

Any ideas / comments?

 

[gaudencio]

could be the diaphrgm again, mine does not honk but rather like the diaphragm sticking inside ( cant describe it) I used to own one and I have change to Scubapro Mk25 g250 which I find much better than the SE2 especially in depths.

 

[Couv]

I use a Conshelf SE2 which I've owned forever. As the years have past, it has occasionally done the honking thing. Sounds like the 2nd stage. I didn't get too concerned - I've never noticed any fluctuation in the performance - it doesn't free flow, it seems to breath the same time-after-time. I have it serviced routinely.

On a trip to Cozumel last April, it was getting a little noisy and annoying (it's loud enough that my dive buddies comment on it). Still, no performance problems. As a precaution, after the trip I had the LDS do a complete overhaul of 1st and 2nd stage. They gave me the parts that were removed - the 2nd stage diaphragm had a real nice crack in it - must have been about an inch long. I thought 'wow, that must have been the problem'.

Went back to Cozumel in October, after a couple of days diving, the 2nd stage is honking again. As before, there doesn't seem to be any impact on performance.

Any ideas / comments?

Hello Beachnik,

I am not very familiar with that regulator, but generally speaking, I am a bit suspicious about the diaphragm tear/break. I hate to ask, but is the repair facility one that you trust? Usually such a discrepancy would cause the regulator to breath very wet and would immediately be noticeable. If the honking is indeed coming from the second stage, then perhaps the lever height is not adjusted correctly allowing a fluttering of the diaphragm. Occasionally, the poppet assembly will be adjusted just at the point that is vibrates right at the cracking pressure point. Also, it is possible that when the second stage cover was reinstalled, the diaphragm was slightly distorted. If you do not feel comfortable with opening up the unit yourself, give it a good shake and listen for any rattling of the second stage poppet or lever assembly. This does not necessarily indicate a big problem, maybe just an adjustment is in order.

Hopefully one of the regulator gurus will weigh in and give you some real help, but let us know how it gets resolved.

couv

 

[beachnik]

Thanks guys. You clearly know a lot more about this stuff than I do.

I had had it serviced by one of the better known shops in the San Pedro, CA area. They've been in business forever. The work is done 'in-house' - you can see the repair room from the front desk. But who knows what that's worth. They could have been short-handed that day, could have been starting a new employee, someone might have had a hang-over, who knows. And there's always the possibility that the problem I'm experiencing had nothing to do with them.

One of my dive buddies has the exact same rig that I have. He'd been getting it serviced at his favorite - highly regarded - shop for years (not the shop I use). A year ago he discovered that there was a service tech that lived near his home. This tech has a repair shop set up at his home and does work for numerous dive shops. My dive buddy was able to take his gear to this guy's home and sit there while the technician opened everything up and did the work. What they found was enlightening. Inappropriate parts had been used previously. In an attempt to remove a replaceable part, someone had gouged the metal badly (a surface that needed to be flat and smooth had a gouge in it). The technician had to use a hand lapping tool to attempt to smooth/flatten the surface.

Some interesting points here:
- Even with inappropriate parts and service mistakes, my buddies regulator was still working. I guess that says something about what it takes to cause this stuff to fail.
- No matter where you take your equipment for service, you never really know what's going on inside.

I'm pretty good with mechanical things - but never wanted to open up my regulators. After the experience noted above, and reading lots of posts here, I'm thinking it's time to buy a repair book, buy some basic tools, and do it myself. Maybe I'll pick up an old MK10 and a G250 to experiment on. That combo seems to be highly regarded. Simple, good performance, lots of product available, parts available, plenty of people that know these regs.

Thanks again.

 

[Couv]

Beachnik,

Welcome to the DYI club. I too am a fan of the MK10 and think the old G250 is fine, but I prefer my metal Balanced Adjustables, ther are plenty available at a better price on eBay. But why not keep "Old Faithful" in service?
At any rate, both service manuals usually discussed here are great, Vance Harlow's "SCUBA Regulator Maintenance …." http://www.airspeedpress.com/newregbook.html and the Peterbuilt Book, "Regulator Savvy" http://www.scubatools.com/ are well worth the money. I have both and recommend getting one of each. If you are dead set on getting only one, then Vance's is a little more suitable for the DYI guy. Peterbuilt has some pretty decent tools too, so if you order from there, pay a few extra bucks and get the bullets, spanners, etc that you need the first time and save on shipping. After just one or two seasons of servicing your own gear, you will have recovered your investment.

Good luck,

couv

 

[halocline]

My dive buddy was able to take his gear to this guy's home and sit there while the technician opened everything up and did the work. What they found was enlightening. Inappropriate parts had been used previously. In an attempt to remove a replaceable part, someone had gouged the metal badly (a surface that needed to be flat and smooth had a gouge in it). The technician had to use a hand lapping tool to attempt to smooth/flatten the surface.

Yep, I'm really glad I have decided to start servicing my own regs. Couv gave you great advice. It is pretty unlikely that your reg had a large tear in the diaphragm, unless you were breathing water. I suppose it's possible it was dried out and brittle and was torn by the tech as he took it out.

As a guide, here's what I've spent so far on getting set up for DIY service:
Harlow book $50
Tools approx $100 (IP guage, bullet, torque wrench, picks, etc)
SP Kits $90 (I have 3 reg sets)
Cristalube $30
Shipping $20

So about $300 to get started and do the first service on all the regs, but I suspect my blll at the LDS for one annual servicing for all 9 stages would have close to that. Plus, the more expensive tools were SP specific that someone else may or may not need. Once you get going, you learn a few real money saving things, like sources for o-rings, knowing what actually needs to be replaced and what doesn't, and rebuilding on a schedule that fits your comfort level and the overall use of the regs, not the annual rebuild typically required for warranty.

I have had a big advantage in this pursuit, which was some great help from AWAP in taking me through the initial rebuild process. THANKS AWAP!!