Stiff breathing MK25/G250

[redacted]

Just bring you reg in to your LDS or ant authorized ScubaPro dealer and they should be able to tune your reg in to that sweet spot. I have a MK25/S600 and love it.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few shop techs that probably can't trouble-shoot and repair a problem likie this. But after they throw a kit or 2 at it with no improvement, they should be able to start ordering and replacing parts until it is corrected.

 

[gary-ramey]

Unfortunately I'm finding that out in Colorado. I've had 3 regs serviced by my LDS and 2 failed within a year. One, was the 2nd time out and on the first day of a trip however, the LDS wanted another $110 to service it because it was past 30days. The first one they serviced was a G500/MK20/R395. The R395 kept free flowing like mad in any position until I played with it enough to make it stop. Did that on almost every dive and on occasion I'd hear bubbles during a dive and look down and it would be doing it at depth as well. I feel a little trapped because they're aren't a whole lot of authorized SP service places here but these guys are starting to worry me. I got a little ticked when they seem so cavalier about the problems.

I've got a question for you techs - is it normal for a R395 to sound like a goose when you're trying to breath from it? Their manager told me it was and I have knowledge to dispute this; however, I can't imagine buying one new that breathed that way.

 

[redacted]

I've got a question for you techs - is it normal for a R395 to sound like a goose when you're trying to breath from it? Their manager told me it was and I have knowledge to dispute this; however, I can't imagine buying one new that breathed that way.

Some regs will do that when you inhale and they are not in the water. I think it is caused by a harmonic resonance between the diaphram/lever and the LP seat/orifice. But U/W the oscilation of the diaphram is dampened and it should not do that. If it is doing it U/W, I'd try to take an extra turn (either in or out) on the demand valve nut to change the spring force and then readjust the orifice to compensate. SP specifies a setting on that nut (number of threads showing) that produces the correct spring force. But there is a bit of wiggle room to play with. I suspect you could even adjust the IP a bit (within spec) and then readjust the 2nd to counter any harmonic resonance.

BTW, I'm not a tech. But I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express.

 

[Web Monkey]

Unfortunately I'm finding that out in Colorado. I've had 3 regs serviced by my LDS and 2 failed within a year. One, was the 2nd time out and on the first day of a trip however, the LDS wanted another $110 to service it because it was past 30days. The first one they serviced was a G500/MK20/R395. The R395 kept free flowing like mad in any position until I played with it enough to make it stop. Did that on almost every dive and on occasion I'd hear bubbles during a dive

All you need is a good tech.

This might mean packing it up and sending it out, but it's absolutely fixable, and you're entitled to have it breathe like a dream.

Terry

 

[gary-ramey]

BTW, I'm not a tech. But I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express.

:11: :11:

"Gary what are you doing here so soon?" ... Well St Pete, I listened to some dude on an internet chat board, cracked my reg and made some adjustments the night before a dive. :coffin:

 

[redacted]

:11: :11:

"Gary what are you doing here so soon?" ... Well St Pete, I listened to some dude on an internet chat board, cracked my reg and made some adjustments the night before a dive. :coffin:

I'm not suggesting you tackle it yourself unless you think you are up to it. Think about what you could do to your regulator that might reasonably result in a serious accident. Most things you could do wrong will render it unusable or leaking. The real problem errors usually involve too tight or too loose on sensetive connections. There is lots of good info for DIYer on the internet, but a great starting point, if you are interested, will cost you $50: www.airspeedpress.com

 

[wjefferis]

If those techs are not authorized SP parts/service or they are not fixing your equipment properly I would sent it to someone who can. Having your reg fail two times in a yaer can only mean one of two things (1) the tech's don't know what they are going (2) your regs are beat-up and a piece-o-crap that needs to be replaced.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Unfortunately I'm finding that out in Colorado. I've had 3 regs serviced by my LDS and 2 failed within a year. One, was the 2nd time out and on the first day of a trip however, the LDS wanted another $110 to service it because it was past 30days. The first one they serviced was a G500/MK20/R395. The R395 kept free flowing like mad in any position until I played with it enough to make it stop. Did that on almost every dive and on occasion I'd hear bubbles during a dive and look down and it would be doing it at depth as well. I feel a little trapped because they're aren't a whole lot of authorized SP service places here but these guys are starting to worry me. I got a little ticked when they seem so cavalier about the problems.

I went to my first service clinic in Colorado and what I saw there scared me. There were entry level techs from just about every shop in Colorado. Some of the tech candidates were ok but others obviously had no idea which end of a wrench went where and were in my opinion no where ready to attend the course let alone go near a regulator due to a lack of mechanical ability and a general failure to understand regulator theory. In fact I got to watch two of the clowns do things to a Mk 20 that obviously were going to end badly - and did with very loud results.

The idea behind any tech class regardless of the company is that you learn some basic information and techniques at the clinic and then go back to the shop for on-the-job training. The problem with this approach is that it assumes there is a tech in the shop who is experienced, competent AND can also teach enough to impart that knowledge and experience. If there is not, the whole process goes off the rails. The result is that in shops where maintenance sucks, it continues to suck through generations of techs. This downward spiral can start with a new shop, a shop that changes ownership or a shop where the tech turnover is high. I have also seen shops that suggestively sell only stuff they are good at working on to avoid having to work the stuff they struggle with. It's obviously not the ideal way to deal with a skills deficit and it creates a problem for existing customers who own the stuff the techs find difficult to work on.

In short, I would not automatically condemn every shop in Colorado, but I would change shops as the one you are taking your stuff to has obvious problems. I would ask around and find out where people are doing business who are having good service experiences.

 

[mobeeno]

Unfortunately, there are quite a few shop techs that probably can't trouble-shoot and repair a problem likie this. But after they throw a kit or 2 at it with no improvement, they should be able to start ordering and replacing parts until it is corrected.

Sad but true.

 

[Hank49]

Well, I finally took the G250 to my repair guy. He couldn't fix it. I mean, it works...but it's a bit stiff. We replaced some parts but the vacuum guage he hooks to for testing resistance still read the same. 2... of whatever the unit of measurement is vs 1 or so for a smooth reg. I guess you do get "Monday" regs sometimes. Plus, the face plate doesn't screw on flush. It almost looks cross threaded. Kind of a bummer when you pay for a premium reg. And it came from an online store that doesn't do the warranty.