The pros and cons of rebuilding your own regulators...

[padiscubapro]

Originally posted by wannabe
A Reg is not all that complicated. If you have good tools and are familiar with manufacturing techniques then dissassembly/cleaning/service is not that tough. If you are not mechanically inclined, impatient, or generally parinoid then you too can rebuild your reg.

I have been reading this board for about a year and the overall impression I have is that many people here are either closet LDS owners or think the $8/hr help at LDS is godlike.

Some regs are quite easy to rebuild others are a total pain in the a**. If you are going to rebuild regs try and get training on your specific regualtor.. SOme regs have tricks that you need to know to get the reg back together.... The asiest regs to service are piston regs, the balance chambers in many second stages require special tools to adjust.

 

[Curly]

I recently completed an Equipment Specialist course at my LDS, during which we dismantled and overhauled regs, BCs, valves, etc. Of course, this course was designed to familiarize us with the workings of these items, and to enable us to trouble shoot in the field and possibly perform basic maintenance that could save a dive.

Although I've thoroughly dismantled, cleaned, replaced worn parts in, reassembled and tested first and second stages as part of this class, I wouldn't do it on my own because 1) I don't have all of the tools, and 2) I'd want to take apart a few more (and different models) and READ more about it. That being said, I am certainly comfortable with my knowledge of how it works, and what can go wrong. I highly recommend taking an equipment specialist course -- it instills a higher degree of confidence in your rig and an understanding of its workings...

 

[ifukuda]

How do you get spare parts for your regs?

 

[ElectricZombie]

I work at the shop doing instruction/repair/etc so, I have them order the parts. The facility in which I was trained to service regs will sell me whatever I need since I'm a certified tech. Ebay often has kits for certain models. A lot of times if you really need a specific part, you can just call a few local dive shops and they will sell it to you. But, the easiest way is just to be affiliated with the dive shop. Self reg servicing is not something to be taken lightly, you need to be professionally trained.

 

[DiverBuoy]

Hmmm what number represents the answer to life, the underwater world, and everything.

 

[wb416]

Pros:
The person diving it (me) will ensure it's done correctly, and the person that slept through the "reg tech" class, but saw someone do it once won't be practicing with mine.


Cons:
Parts are not easy to come by unless you're "connected"...

 

[joens]

I work on my own equipment. But I dont believe everyone should If you are doing it to save money stay away from me. to properly rebuild dive equipment involves an investment in money tools and time [study] that will not equal the cost of taking several regs a year to the LDS. I am a mechanic by trade and see regularly people who work on vehicles and screw things up and cost themselves a lot of money. Everyone should not work on cars and everyone should not work on scuba equipment .but the few people who have the desire to learn the proper way to do things buy the proper tools and carefully do the job right will always be able to do a better job than a tech who is not working on their own gear .and working on your own gear so you can eliminate the LDS is not practical in most cases . the most reliable way to get the proper parts and training is through your LDS.it may be as easy as taking a equipment course or you may have to become a dive master or instructor. it depends on your LDS.
Joens

 

[The Chairman]

I was an ASE master Certified Auto Technician when I did that sort of thing. I let the certs lapse, but should probably re-do them for fun's sake.

Tools... the ones in the shop give me the willies. Why are all of them made in Taiwan??? They make do with less than optimal hand tools and fake the rest. Not all shops are like this, but I have YET to walk into a shop here in Orlando that had a magnehelic guage... or even knew what one was. I walked into one and noticed that his IP guage was sitting on 30 psi... uh hello? What's wrong with this picture that these guys are perfectly willing to charge for half a job. And someone's butt is on the line everytime they touch one.

Well, my friends, I think half of the problem lies with the consumer. We want great service... but we don't want to pay for it. Or at least, we don't want to pay much for it. One reason I got out of the automotive industry was the $69.00 brake job. It is not possible to do that job for that price. Not and do it correctly so that it is SAFE.

So shops cut corners because the consumer is not looking for quality... they are looking for a bargain. So their techs never get the training they need. Not one shop that I called in the Orlando area has a PSI certified tank inspector on their payroll. Why??? At $12.50 a tank, you would have to do a BOATLOAD of tanks to pay for a $250 class! But you have to pay the tech's time, buy an O-Ring and a EOI sticker to boot. Not much mark-up. Not really.

 

[Genesis]

for Scubapro regulators can be had from Peterbilt for right around $100, including the second stage inline adjuster (not really NECESSARY, but nice to have), an IP gauge (easily made for under $20 from a pressure gauge and BC inflator hose adapter, or you can buy them for $30-35 or so), and the bullets and wrenches you need to get it apart and back together without damaging things. There is no secret on buying them nor any code-word - you just need money. Oh, you DO need a quality set of hand tools, and that INCLUDES a torque wrench. I already own that stuff though (two sets actually, one on my boat!) so the incremental cost there was zero.

Now given that an "overhaul" costs $60 or so for a first and second, you only have to work on your reg TWICE for it to be worth it.

And trust me - NOBODY cares more about it being done right than you do!

An awful lot of the time the so-called "must replace" parts aren't. It does take care to know what needs to be replaced and what doesn't, and it also takes care not to destroy things on the way out while disassembling and cleaning things, but often you need only to clean and lube (with O2-compatable lubes, thank you very much!) the reg and put it back together. There usually are a handful of O-rings and perhaps a seat or two that do need replacement, but that is frequently all.

The other nice thing about doing your own is that you can tune your reg the way you want it. I have my backup tuned for my own preference, for example. The usual R380 "octo" tuning is pretty stiff to prevent freeflows. I wear mine bungied, so it is not nearly as likely to freeflow anyway since its out of the slipstream. So I set mine much "looser", and the result is that it breathes pretty darn closely, in terms of actual resistance, to my balanced S600! I do know I'm using it rather than the 600, but the difference is not NEARLY what it was when I first got it.

I don't have a magnehelic gauge; you don't really need one. You can measure cracking pressure with nothing more than water in your sink. 1" of water is 1" of water, whether you use water or a gauge to determine the measurement (Not that the gauge is all that expensive - I just haven't seen the need to buy one as of yet)

I don't do other people's gear. I DO do my own, and I test it both dry and in my pool before I dive it, then again on a shallow dive before I take the gear to a serious (more than 30' or so) depth. If I work on one second (but not the first or the other) then I already have a backup. If I take the entire reg apart then I prove its assembly both out and in the water before I trust it on anything where I'm not willing to do an immediate CESA if it breaks. I take my time, something no shop monkey will do. And I set my gear up the way I want it done - not the way they think it should be done.

 

[algorithm]

I'm an IAST certified scuba technician. International Association of Scuba Technicians. If you work on your own regulator with out being educated your asking for trouble. Befor I was properly trained I took chances with rebuilding my own regs, and all through my dives wonderd if I did it correctly and hesitated to go deep. Beleave me there's more to it than just changing o-rings and You take on all responsability your self and theres no waving the finger at some one if it malfuntions at depth. Be safe let a certified service technician service your gear and if something does go wrong you have a leg to stand on in court. One more thing a one day in service offered by manufactuers of scuba regulators to many dive shop staff does not make you a technician that certificate they give you is ony an attendance certificate. I spent $3000 and four months in school and seven years on the job to learn what I know.

Happy safe diving