Slow leak before and after service?

[telemonster]

My Zeagle regulator was slowly leaking (with both adjustments dialed down). A TINY bit of free flow.

Took in the regulator set, had it serviced as well as had the DIN conversion done. I didn't mention the slight trickle of a free flow.

Get it home, and check it, and it seems to still slowly leak with it dialed down. Similar to when I took it in.

Should I guess that the dive shop didn't bother to do anything as far as service, and just nailed me for $217 for the DIN conversion? Or perhaps they did work on the 1st stage but not 2nd?

 

[Web Monkey]

My Zeagle regulator was slowly leaking (with both adjustments dialed down). A TINY bit of free flow.

Took in the regulator set, had it serviced as well as had the DIN conversion done. I didn't mention the slight trickle of a free flow.

Get it home, and check it, and it seems to still slowly leak with it dialed down. Similar to when I took it in.

Should I guess that the dive shop didn't bother to do anything as far as service, and just nailed me for $217 for the DIN conversion? Or perhaps they did work on the 1st stage but not 2nd?

If they worked on it you should have a work order that says what they did, a bag of old parts to show what they changed and a cracking pressure/flow rate graph to show how it's working.

Aside from some first stages that use a slow leak as a way to keep out water, you shouldn't have any leaks anywhere else. If it's leaking, you should take it back, ask what they did and have it fixed (especially if they already charged you for service).

Terry

 

[ianr33]

Did they give you the old parts that came out of your reg? (O.K so I type slow)

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

My Zeagle regulator was slowly leaking (with both adjustments dialed down). A TINY bit of free flow.

Took in the regulator set, had it serviced as well as had the DIN conversion done. I didn't mention the slight trickle of a free flow.

Get it home, and check it, and it seems to still slowly leak with it dialed down. Similar to when I took it in.

Should I guess that the dive shop didn't bother to do anything as far as service, and just nailed me for $217 for the DIN conversion? Or perhaps they did work on the 1st stage but not 2nd?

A proper service should have included a pre-service and post-service inspection, including (among other things) checking 1st stage IP AND checking 2nd stage for leaks/freeflow. This is really basic stuff. They either did not do the service they charged you for, or did a really piss-poor job.

They should not have missed a "leaking" 2nd stage.

Take it back.

Best wishes.

 

[under water]

.. Aside from some first stages that use a slow leak as a way to keep out water, you shouldn't have any leaks anywhere else.
Terry

Terry what kind of first stage is designed that way? I am hearing/seeing a small leak from my Atomic first stage and it was serviced about a year ago.

 

[tc]

Terry what kind of first stage is designed that way? I am hearing/seeing a small leak from my Atomic first stage and it was serviced about a year ago.

I think it is/was Sherwood that used that method.

 

[cbmech2]

SHerwood used what they referred to as a "Dry Air Bleed" system in their first stages that used a tiny bit of air being routed into the ambient chamber to keep water out and to see some bubbling out of the first stage is normal. Seeing and or hearing leaks from the second is however, not normal. As Lead Turn mentioned, any reputable service technician would have peformed a bench check to check I.P. cracking effort, visual inspection, etc., before tearing into it to give a hint at what problems they may encounter after disassembling the regs. I would recommend that you take it back and fix it.

 

[halocline]

My Zeagle regulator was slowly leaking (with both adjustments dialed down). A TINY bit of free flow.

What do you mean by both adjustments and by "dialed down"? I'll assume you mean both the breathing resistance adjustment (cracking effort) and the venturi assist? And by "dialed down" you mean set on maximum ease of breathing and maximum venturi assist?

The venturi should have no affect at all, but I've heard that some reg manufacturers specify that the cracking effort adjustment is used in the middle of the range, and there should be a very slight freeflow with it wide open. I guess there is a possible benefit to that in that when it's set that way, the seat is hardly making contact with the orifice and you'd have less seat wear during storage.

I always adjust my SP 2nds with the knob wide open and set them to not flow, but barely. As they wear in, there might be a little flow that I can stop with a twist of the knob, then I re-adjust the orifice when I have a chance.

The fact that it did the same thing both before and after service is probably not a good sign, but you should ask if this is something that zeagle specifies.

Now, if you mean by "dialed down" that the knob is all the way in, that's very bad.

 

[Web Monkey]

I think it is/was Sherwood that used that method.

I think that was it. It was kind of an elegant engineering solution, although it causes everybody to stop you to say "you have a leak".

If your Atomic leaks, it needs service.

Terry

 

[redacted]

If the leak is mostly unaffected by the user breathing resistance control setting, I suspect they just did a parts swap (if that) and no pre or post testing for leaks. In any event, it's back to the shop. A constant leak like that is usually either the orifice or balance chamber seals.