testing brand new regulators prior to use?

[novasquid]

I took my brand new SP MK25/G260 plus all the other pieces (octo, SPG, LP hose) to my LDS to see how much work it would be to put everything together. I was quoted $110 to hook everything up, check IP, and do a "bubble test."

The price seems a little excessive, but that's only secondary to my question, which is whether or not a brand new regulator and attachments should be tested prior to first use? I was planning to rent a tank and use my own IP gauge and bath tub to test it out at home.

 

[redacted]

$110 is way too much. Why are you not doing this simple task yourself? And, yes, any regulator should be tested before you plan to use it.

 

[novasquid]

Because I'm a complete scuba noob, and as a noob I'm inclined to ask silly questions until I learn the limits of what I can and should DIY at home. couv's sticky post looks like a good checklist to get me started.

 

[axxel57]

110,-US$ just for testing is a rip off!

It's a good idea to test it before first use, but if you find someone or you do it yourself, it is usually also a good idea to adjust the primary 2nd stage.

Almost all manufacturers send the brand new regulators adjusted to the more conservative end of the specifications,so regulator is sometimes by far not as good breathing as it could.

Lots of divers wonder why their regulator is breathing much easier after their first service......

 

[novasquid]

OK, here's another noob question, how do I adjust the 2nd stage? It's a Scubapro G260. It has a venturi adjustment knob and an "inhalation resistance" knob. Is that what you mean?

 

[redacted]

It looks like Scubapro has, once again, gone out of their way to prevent you from doing much to YOUR regulator:

The adjustment is fairly simple but it requires you to remove the hose protector (if installed - none shown in pic) and then disconnect the hose from the 2nd stage. That is best done with a special tool but soft jawed pliers and a bit of care will work fine. If you think you can get that far, it will be easy to talk you through the simple adjustment. But you may well find that regulator performs quite adequately without adjusting it to the very edge. I often adjust my Scubapro Balanced Adjustables right to the edge and a little beyond and then control any small freeflow with the user adjustment knob. But this does require a bit more attention in use and probably not much of a noticeable performance improvement.

 

[BVickery]

$110 is way too much. Why are you not doing this simple task yourself? And, yes, any regulator should be tested before you plan to use it.

Got to agree, I mean a complete rebuild of my regs for $125ish or so (1st stage + 2 second stage. I have Atomic Aquatics so the parts kits aren't exactly cheap I hear).

 

[buddhasummer]

I took my brand new SP MK25/G260 plus all the other pieces (octo, SPG, LP hose) to my LDS to see how much work it would be to put everything together. I was quoted $110 to hook everything up, check IP, and do a "bubble test."

The price seems a little excessive, but that's only secondary to my question, which is whether or not a brand new regulator and attachments should be tested prior to first use? I was planning to rent a tank and use my own IP gauge and bath tub to test it out at home.

That's a very expensive per minute rate. Providing nothing is wonky it's pretty straight forward, wouldn't take more than about 20 minutes and that's being generous.

 

[chrpai]

I'm guessing you didn't buy your reg from the LDS and that's there way of reminding you of that.

I'd wonder once they have you in for $110 if they wouldn't happen to find something wrong and then see what they can take you for.

 

[flots am]

I took my brand new SP MK25/G260 plus all the other pieces (octo, SPG, LP hose) to my LDS to see how much work it would be to put everything together. I was quoted $110 to hook everything up, check IP, and do a "bubble test."

The price seems a little excessive, but that's only secondary to my question, which is whether or not a brand new regulator and attachments should be tested prior to first use? I was planning to rent a tank and use my own IP gauge and bath tub to test it out at home.

You can easily hook up your reg and it's parts with nothing more than a wrench and an allen-wrench.

One thing to be aware of is that the first stage body is brass and very soft and the fittings seal with o-rings not pressure. They only need to be screwed in tight enough to not unscrew themselves unintentionally. If you had a small wrench and tightened it with one finger a couple of inches from the fitting, it would be plenty tight. Another thing to watch out for is "don't scratch it" It's really easy to scratch the chrome plating with the wrench.

You can do your own bubble test with a buddy. You should both do one at the start of each dive, anyway.

As for adjusting, ideally it won't need any, however every now and then a new reg does need work. You're kind of on your own with this one. Traditionally, your LDS would have done all this for free before giving you the reg, however with the floodgates of internet sales now open, they have no business incentive to do this for you and are attempting to make up the profit they lost on the sale, in service. They're not trying to rob you, however they also have no incentive to do it cheap.

flots.