Servicing your own regulators

[rx7diver]

Without sounding critical or negative, $500. would be a steal, if you could steal it!

Hmmm. Unless one needs to be licensed/certified in regulator repair, then I am not sure a course is necessary.

I've written before on SB that I learned to service Scubapro Mk 5, 7, and 10's, and Balanced Adjustables simply by being shown how.

Briefly: We were required to pass a Regulator Quiz as a part of my first scuba course (a YMCA/NAUI university course, in 1986). The quiz required us to individually sketch a plausible schematic of a regulator (Mk 5 + Balanced Adjustable, say), and label and explain the important parts, thereby demonstrating that we had learned what we were supposed to have learned from the regulator lecture.

I subsequently became a TA for this course, and one day commented to the instructor that I wanted to learn to service regulators. He grabbed a bunch of the class's regulators and some tools and put everything on a table that he had dragged from his office out onto the pool deck. He quickly explained the basics to me, and as he wandered around teaching the back-to-back pool sessions, he would periodically stop by to check my progress, ask me questions, or answer any questions I might have had. At the end of the day (three, hour-long pool sessions), I was servicing regulators, independently.

The university's regs that I serviced were limited to pool use. However, I shortly began servicing my own personal (Scubapro) regs and the personal (Scubapro) regs belonging to my friends. NOTE: I no longer service any regulators except my own.

Servicing Scubapro piston regs is not rocket science!

For Scubapro Mk 5, 7, and 10 piston regs, I am thinking that if the proposed $500 price tag for each of the five or six students taking the service course includes, for each student, a Scubapro Tool, a brass pic (for removing O-rings), maybe the bullet tool for that little hidden piston shaft O-ring (although I, myself, don't use this tool), a small container of O-ring grease, and a new service kit--and the students get to keep this stuff to take with them--then the price seems about right.

rx7diver

 

[p_kos]

Hmmm. Unless one needs to be licensed/certified in regulator repair, then I am not sure a course is necessary.

I've written before on SB that I learned to service Scubapro Mk 5, 7, and 10's, and Balanced Adjustables simply by being shown how.

Briefly: We were required to pass a Regulator Quiz as a part of my first scuba course (a YMCA/NAUI university course, in 1986). The quiz required us to individually sketch a plausible schematic of a regulator (Mk 5 + Balanced Adjustable, say), and label and explain the important parts, thereby demonstrating that we had learned what we were supposed to have learned from the regulator lecture.

I subsequently became a TA for this course, and one day commented to the instructor that I wanted to learn to service regulators. He grabbed a bunch of the class's regulators and some tools and put everything on a table that he had dragged from his office out onto the pool deck. He quickly explained the basics to me, and as he wandered around teaching the back-to-back pool sessions, he would periodically stop by to check my progress, ask me questions, or answer any questions I might have had. At the end of the day (three, hour-long pool sessions), I was servicing regulators, independently.

The university's regs that I serviced were limited to pool use. However, I shortly began servicing my own personal (Scubapro) regs and the personal (Scubapro) regs belonging to my friends. NOTE: I no longer service any regulators except my own.

Servicing Scubapro piston regs is not rocket science!

For Scubapro Mk 5, 7, and 10 piston regs, I am thinking that if the proposed $500 price tag for each of the five or six students taking the service course includes, for each student, a Scubapro Tool, a brass pic (for removing O-rings), maybe the bullet tool for that little hidden piston shaft O-ring (although I, myself, don't use this tool), a small container of O-ring grease, and a new service kit--and the students get to keep this stuff to take with them--then the price seems about right.

rx7diver

Not necessary to do a course for sure, although some brands (Deep6) require a course before they sell you kits. Again, not arguing if it’s necessary, just that it was well worth the cost compared to other courses. Also, it could have taken me many years and several costly self-teaching mistakes to learn some of the things I learned in one weekend. To me that’s worth it. You said you learned by someone “showing you how”, lucky for you. Not everyone can find that kind of mentorship. Outside of sometimes sketchy YouTube videos some of us need a course to “show us how”. That said, most manufacturer-specific courses just teach you to swap parts on problem-free regs while charging as much or significantly more (if you have to go to DEMA to take it or spend 1k+ to become a dive pro in the first place). Those courses are definitely not worth the cost, especially if you have zero experience going in.

 

[Mike1967]

@p_kos Yup

 

[Rose Robinson]

I appreciate your point of view and understand that self-servicing regulators isn’t for everyone and doesn’t make sense for some. To be clear, I was commenting on the relative value of this course compared to similar offerings and not the value of servicing your own gear vs replacing cheap regs over the same time period. If you’re not interested in servicing regulators then I suppose this is not a great deal for you at any price. For those interested in servicing regulators the cost of this course, compared to what you get out of it, blows other “service tech” courses out of the water. I respectfully disagree that it’s less expensive to replace regs (even cheap ones) than to service them in the long run, especially if you own and dive multiple sets frequently and only service them when you need to (not annually or whatever some manufacturers suggest). I suppose if you dive the cheapest reg you can find, don’t care about certain “must have” features, and can stretch them for 4-5 years before scrapping, then the cost is not that different and you could save some money under certain circumstances (how’s that working out with your Poseidon btw?). But I don’t fall in that category and saving money on service is not my primary objective. Besides, for some of us working on regs is an enjoyable hobby, so it’s worth our “valuable time”.

For yourself maybe.

Just keep in mind, if your servicing regulators, or any other life support systems for someone else, you own the liability.

Rose

 

[Rose Robinson]

$77 for three service kits.
And it's $440 for two 2nds and a 1st, that's some value you're putting on your own time. Even if you paid someone to service them you'd still be a mile in front.

The value of my own time is very high, PM me and I'll give you some insight.

Rose

 

[Mike1967]

PM me and I'll give you some insight.

Meh no thanks, you'd spend more time in here than it would take to service your regs lol
As I said, even if you paid someone to service them you'd still be a mile in front. So if you actually do throw your regs out every couple of years and buy a new set, that got more to do with having more dollars than sense, not how much your time is or isn't worth.

 

[Rose Robinson]

One more thought. Suppose you run the DGX reg you referenced for $250 (actually $300+) until it fails, let’s say 3-5 years. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to have someone else service it (surely much less than $250-300 including kits unless you’re getting robbed) and get another 3-5 years out of it than to buy a new one every time? Good service brings a reg back to “new” so should get same millage over time as replacement.

It's only new when it's new. I'm not criticizing your method, I'm just partial to my method.

Also, I'd never want to dive a piece of dive gear to the point of failure.

All of my business vehicles are re-cycled for new every 36 months, long before failure, long before costs due to anything, other than routine maintenance, for me it's the best decision.

A funeral is a very bad place to have a vehicle failure.

To me, old is good if you own an antique shop.

Rose

 

[Bigbella]

It's only new when it's new. I'm not criticizing your method, I'm just partial to my method.

Also, I'd never want to dive a piece of dive gear to the point of failure . . .

To me, old is good if you own an antique shop.

My oldest regulator, which has been in fairly constant use, was originally manufactured in 1976; and aside from, eh, biannual servicing, which I perform, and the replacement of a few hoses and other "consumables," over the decades, that dirt-simple Cyklon 300, which has been in waters from 3˚ to 32˚C is still up to specs; has a rock-solid IP; and hasn't missed a beat . . .

 

[rsingler]

New doesn't necessarily mean properly adjusted.
Of the twelve regulators I have purchased NEW in the last year (yeah, but that's a different story) four have arrived either with an out of spec status on inspection or testing, or freeflowed. Out of the last three years, you can add two more to the list.
Yes, all my regs were handed to me in the box, unopened and untested by the LDS.
So for the four defects that might have been caught by the shop, who would have corrected the problem before delivery? The manufacturer? No, a tech who had been trained once for four hours on that brand with everything else learned by on-the-job training on some other poor diver's regulators.
No thank you.

After a botched scuba repair many years ago, when it comes to "life support equipment" no one else has since packed my parachute.

 

[rx7diver]

For yourself maybe.

Just keep in mind, if your servicing regulators, or any other life support systems for someone else, you own the liability.

Rose

Absolutely. Like changing the tires on your automobile. Or working on your auto's brakes. Or changing its shocks, or packing its wheel bearings.

rx7diver