Slight free flow.

[Scared Silly]

FWIW the guidance I was given on first stages is no more than 5 psi in 5 minutes before lock up. So if the initial reading is 120 but then creeps up to 130 psi there is an issue. Sometimes this can be solved by added a few shims which you might see the initial reading at 130 but then get the lock up at 135 psi.

 

[MaxE]

I dunked the 2nd stages in a tub of water, no leaking no bubbles. The 1st stage does its mushy creep from 120-to about 128 over 2-3 minutes then locks in and holds. Admittedly I’m not a reg expert and I don’t service them myself but this is driving me nutS. I’ll begrudgingly pay to have them serviced if something is wrong but I’m not convinced there is.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

The IP starts at 120 and creeps up to just below 130 and seems to hold there..

At what tank pressure? 500 psi? Full? Or ....?

 

[MaxE]

At what tank pressure? 500 psi? Full? Or ....?

1500 psi

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

1500 psi

I’d be curious as to the IP at 500 psi. I once had a reg that had an issue in the first stage where it caused the second stage to start gurgling a bit under 1000 psi. At 500 psi, the IP would shoot up to over 200 psi and the OPV would bleed

 

[MaxE]

I dive HP 100’s, my buddies AL 80’s I don’t think I have had the tanks below 1000psi. If anything it’s an issue with full tanks at 3500psi

 

[ams511]

I’ll begrudgingly pay to have them serviced if something is wrong but I’m not convinced there is.

Why would you pay to have them serviced? If the shop did the service 6 months ago I would contact them and ask them for their opinion. Atomic claims their service life is 2 years or 200 dives you are no where near that.

In the manuals section of Vintage Double Hose they have an old manual for Atomic. Atomic claims a creep of only 2-3 psi is permissible. You have a 10 psi creep over 2-3 minutes, that is certainly outside of spec. There is something wrong with the first stage. Either the first stage was assembled incorrectly, the parts kit was bad, the piston has a defect like Herman mentioned, or the tech used the wrong seat with the new piston. If you have a jet piston upgrade then you need a jet seat.

You can play with the second stages all you want but they are not the problem. They may have been set up for 120 psi and now bubble when the IP hits 130. Atomic uses adjustable second stages can't you just turn it down till the bubbling stops?

 

[MaxE]

Why would you pay to have them serviced? If the shop did the service 6 months ago I would contact them and ask them for their opinion. Atomic claims their service life is 2 years or 200 dives you are no where near that.

In the manuals section of Vintage Double Hose they have an old manual for Atomic. Atomic claims a creep of only 2-3 psi is permissible. You have a 10 psi creep over 2-3 minutes, that is certainly outside of spec. There is something wrong with the first stage. Either the first stage was assembled incorrectly, the parts kit was bad, the piston has a defect like Herman mentioned, or the tech used the wrong seat with the new piston. If you have a jet piston upgrade then you need a jet seat.

You can play with the second stages all you want but they are not the problem. They may have been set up for 120 psi and now bubble when the IP hits 130. Atomic uses adjustable second stages can't you just turn it down till the bubbling stops?

I can and have been able to dial the reg back until it stops flowing. I don’t have the refs specs so the 2-3 creep is immensely helpful. I’ll call the tech and talk it over with him.

 

[Scared Silly]

Manuals: https://frogkick.dk/manuals/atomic/

15 years old but still current.

 

[Alvin Slovinsky]

Manuals: https://frogkick.dk/manuals/atomic/

15 years old but still current.

Thanks for the link found the manual I’m looking for now I can take it apart and see if I can get parts for it at least if not it will be a good learning process.