Self service regulator

[happy-diver]

Vaseline, just to reiterate, is not and never has been an acceptable lubricant or assembly grease for a scuba regulator.

Sadly, that hasn't always been the case -- but YIKES to this thread . . .

What's this, old Poseidon outside the reg protection not a lube nor assembly grease

 

[Frogman82]

Which service manual for what

Never ever ever, use 55 in regs


Kirby Morgan recommends 111 ish for regs

I saw it in the Kmb 18 & 28 manual, dow corning #55 o-ring grease.

 

[Kupu]

Anyone tried the Molykote 55 o-ring grease? It's recommended in the kirby morgan service manual, but it has a distinctive odour to it so maybe that will be an issue.

Molykote 55 contains lithium as a thickener. No lithium in Molykote 111.

 

[L2m]

A analogue gauge has the advantage that it more or less instantaneously updates as the intermediate pressure falls. Digital gauges, especially cheaper ones, usually have a sampling range in the 0.5 second range.

Cant believe this is still the case in 2024 (I'm not a professional engineer)... I honestly thought those expensive ones could have done slightly better nowadays. I've never used a digital gas gauge but mostly for fearing they will break underwater.

 

[Bigbella]

What's this, old Poseidon outside the reg protection not a lube nor assembly grease

No, that had been excerpted from the Technical Data Sheet, with all of the standard pressures and torque boilerplate -- and was one of only two notations on lubricant use in over forty-four pages of the Cyklon Maximum service manual (what would later become the Odin and Jetstream), some four-plus decades ago.

The other notation dealt with the second stage; and the rationale there (seen below, right), was that the use of silicone spray or grease, could damage the "low-pressure sleeve" (which some laughingly describe as the "condom") which had been a separate component from the "sleeve holder" at the time . . .

 

[Tom_Ivan]

... Should be only slightly higher than the highest expected value.

I've always understood that an analogue gauge is most accurate at the midpoint of its range. Therefore if you expect to be measuring 10 bar then you use a 20 bar gauge.

 

[jellycatsdad]

So Vaseline… STOP. Scuba regulators use EPDM, FKM(Viton, Kalrez) and nitrile O-rings and seals - EPDM doesn’t play nice with petroleum products. I know in cars, EPDM coolant hoses, belts and brake system bushings/seals/boots will swell on contact with mineral oil other petroleum contamination.

I don’t trust myself just yet to service my regs, but anything that isn’t Dow/Molykote 111(or the equivalent), Tribolube or Christolube is verboten.

Your regs might be toast - have you talked to another service center?

 

[Bigbella]

I've always understood that an analogue gauge is most accurate at the midpoint of its range. Therefore if you expect to be measuring 10 bar then you use a 20 bar gauge.

I truly believe that things have become far too granular with the DIY movement, especially with the wider consumer use of IP gauges (digital and otherwise), which is rather recent; and that most manufacturers have futzed with higher or lower IP settings over the years, something fierce -- to the tune of a 3 BAR (about 45 psi) variance, in one of the more extreme cases; so, some hashmark off a US 12.00 consumer gauge, should not promote undue panic, considering the real tolerances involved.

Get as close as possible to specs, but a rock-solid setting -- no drifting or creep -- is a far more important and visible goal, in the long run than a specific number, which may even become obsolete with the next manual . . .

 

[scrane]

Most IP specs are pretty liberal, for example the spec for a Mk5 is 125-145. If my gauge is off by a few psi one way or the other, I just don't worry about it. In fact, the common 1.5" 300psi full scale IP gauge that many people use only has tick marks every 10 psi making precision readings impossible.

 

[tursiops]

Most IP specs are pretty liberal, for example the spec for a Mk5 is 125-145. If my gauge is off by a few psi one way or the other, I just don't worry about it. In fact, the common 1.5" 300psi full scale IP gauge that many people use only has tick marks every 10 psi making precision readings impossible.

Yep. And so long as the needle returns to same point on each purge, cool. Drift/creep is easy enough to see.