Used Equipment saftey/info q's

[ucrtwf]

Hey guys,
First of all, I've been absorbing all I can from this forum and appreciate all the info available. My wife and recently entered the sport, and I've got some questions for ya. I haven't bought anything for me yet.

"for her"
We picked up a package on Ebay ($150)-

Sherwood Spirit BC. Looks in good condition. No dump valve. Hot pink and black. Two tank straps. Seems to hold air.

Sherwood Oasis (black body with pink front) second stage, (black body orange front) octo regs. No visible scratches, wear, etc. High pressure hose to gauges says "sherwood 5000 PSIG pressure tested 0870". I hooked it up to the tank, tried (out of water of course)both regs... they don't leak, but seem to slightly "honk" at the end of each breath. I'm guessing the annual inspection/tune-up will help this. There's also silver pins that are on the front (side) of both regs. It appears that when the front button of the reg is pushed, the pin could move over to keep it "free flowing". I'm not sure why anyone would want this, any ideas?

Sherwood gauges (depth gauge slightly angled),rubberized housing with white square (possible mini-slate) on back. Air gauge also has small temp gauge at bottom. The counsol also has what looks (to me almost like a primer button on a lawnmower carb) like a blank plug with a molded "Sherwood timer".

Tank-
Big sticker that says "Sherwood Aluminum 80" tank-
stamped- CTC/DOT-3AL 3000P521711 LUXFER 09A90- S80
I'm guessing the hydro was from 1990? Obviously I'll have it done before the wife uses it.

Does anyone have any info, or have used this equipment? I have no idea how old they are, or how old a reg/gauge set-up can be and still remain safe. I've read about "cold water regs". Does this mean we can't use this set-up in the quarry or great lakes? I was thinking about sending the regs down to Scubatoys for a tune-up. Does anyone think I should also have the BC checked? Naturally, I'll have the tank done locally to save shipping.

Any info would be much appreciated,
Thanks in advance,
Tim

 

[Jimmer]

If you have a shop local to you, have the reg's checked/serviced, the tank might need a hydro, but I would definetly advise having it vis'd for sure. The BC, not too sure what you could do other than get them in the water and try them out (shallow of course) and check for leaks and to make sure the inflator works fine. I would think that those regs, serviced properly, would be fine for quarry/great lakes average diving, I'm not sure you would want to try an ice dive with those tho, but I don't personally have much knowledge of Sherwood regs.

Jim

 

[Fred R.]

You’ve got an old set of Sherwood regulators. They are still supported by Sherwood, so you should not have any problem getting them serviced. In spite of what some people on this board say, Sherwood regulators are some of the best performing regulators on the market according to Navy (and therefore unbiased) testing.

The Oasis was specifically ‘designed’ for warm water, it is supposed to prevent dry mouth by having a condenser vane in the second stage. It is identical to the Blizzard, which is Sherwood’s ice regulator. The difference is in the inner stage pressure. If you are going to be using the regulator for diving in water that is warmer than 40 degrees F., the inner stage pressure should be set by the technician at 135-140 psi. If you are going to be diving in cold water, have the tech set the inner stage pressure at 125, then it will perform like a Blizzard.

The little silver button on the side is meant to save the low pressure seat when the regulator is not going to be in use for a while. Depress the purge button and press the little silver button to lock the purge button. The idea was to prevent the valve from deforming the seat. The last I heard from a Sherwood seminar, they recommended that the button be removed at next service.

The gauges you have are old! The little rubber button was meant to hold a digital dive timer, circa 1986-1991 or so. I would expect that the gauges will not hold up to much use, so use them until they die, then look for new ones. What will probably happen is the pressure gauge will fill up with water. At first, this does not affect the accuracy of the gauge, but the components will rust, and then it is no good for anything. Gauges have a little rubber blowout plug in the back, the rubber is susceptible to aging, when it does water gets into the gauge body.

The ‘honk’ you are hearing is probably just the diaphragm vibrating. Using it in the water stops that, the water dampens the vibration.

Sherwood regulators hiss a tiny stream of bubbles out of the first stage. There should be a black rubber plug about where a hose ‘should’ come out. If a bit of air does not hiss out of the first stage when it is submerged, you need a major overhaul. The difference between service and ‘major’ is; the piston needs to be replaced with one that has a working bleed element.

As to the BC, if it holds air, it is working, for now. It is possible to get the power inflator serviced, but be warned, with items of this age, the plastics that went into its manufacture may have weakened with age.

I hope this helps.

 

[ucrtwf]

Thanks a bunch guys,
This is exactly why this board is so helpful. Knowlegable people like you. I'll see what the LSD says when I drop 'em off for service.
Take care,
Tim