VIDEO: How not to disassemble and reassemble your regulator

[Garth]

Here are two videos of me disassembling and reassembling my regulator. I also cleaned it but didn't film that. Hope you enjoy seeing whats in a regulator.

Disassembly
How not to disassemble a regulator on Vimeo


Assembly
How not to assemble your HOG regulator. on Vimeo

 

[knowone]

You must be a pro, on here for a lark

 

[superstar]

great video, thanks for sharing it with us.

 

[Garth]

yeah right, this is my first rebuild. I was made fun of a little bit by a guy who said I should have used a 9/16 instead of an adjustable wrench...

You must be a pro, on here for a lark

but thanks...

 

[Bubbletrubble]

yeah right, this is my first rebuild. I was made fun of a little bit by a guy who said I should have used a 9/16 instead of an adjustable wrench...

@Garth: That's pretty funny. For removing/installing hoses, an adjustable wrench is perfectly OK. You might want to consider using a fixed end wrench (or box end adapter with torque wrench) for attaching the DIN piece to the first stage. It might be helpful to figure out what the torque specs are for that union. Not sure you were able to get it tight enough with an adjustable wrench slipping around like that.

BTW, in the disassembly video, your HP valve is looking a little "ragged." Be careful with the sealing surface of that part!

In the assembly video, you installed the hydrostatic transmitter + hydrostatic diaphragm + end cap without verifying that the i.p. was set properly. Probably better to wait until you've hooked up the first stage to a tank and pressurized the system so that you still have access to the spring adjuster to set the i.p.
FWIW, on my Apeks and Aqualung first stages, I've always installed the hydrostatic transmitter + hydrostatic diaphragm + end cap while the first stage is pressurized.

The star piece is interesting. The spring carriers on my Apeks and Aqualung first stages don't look like that. Same function, though.

Thanks for sharing the video with us. One would think that the manufacturer could make a detailed video (along the same lines as yours) and post it on the company website. The repair tech could even talk through the disassembly/assembly process to highlight do's and don'ts. It wouldn't be very difficult to do...but perhaps this isn't done for liability reasons.

 

[Jax]

yeah right, this is my first rebuild. I was made fun of a little bit by a guy who said I should have used a 9/16 instead of an adjustable wrench...

but thanks...

Were you supposed to have those parts left over on the side? :blinking:

Seriously, good video -- are you going to do the HOG 2nd Stage?

 

[Garth]

Yeah second stage is next. I dont have a free day til next week though so check back.

Tested the reg to 80ft in 50 degree water. Performed beautifully.

Hope the second stage is just as easy to tune

 

[Garth]

Bubbletrouble... Wow you hit the nail on the head. I had to remove the enviro seal to check the ip. When I did I found a creep in the ip until it freeflowed. Again your right again. I changed the ragged valve (white peice) and fixxed the prob. 135 now


Taking it apart has opened my eyes but I'm nowhere near an expert. I will be taking the diverightinscuba class when I can for the Hog regs. I also would like to get a torch wrench as well for the DIN parts as well.
Cheers, thanks for watching.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Bubbletrouble... Wow you hit the nail on the head. I had to remove the enviro seal to check the ip. When I did I found a creep in the ip until it freeflowed. Again your right again. I changed the ragged valve (white peice) and fixxed the prob. 135 now


Taking it apart has opened my eyes but I'm nowhere near an expert. I will be taking the diverightinscuba class when I can for the Hog regs. I also would like to get a torch wrench as well for the DIN parts as well.
Cheers, thanks for watching.

Thanks for posting the video. It shows HOG reg DIYers what to look out for. As for the damaged HP valve, I suppose you can chalk it up to a $20 learning experience.

FYI, the HP valve in the Apeks 1st stage overhaul kit is packed in a plastic tube with some soft cushioning material inside for protection. There's a reason for that. It's fairly easy to damage the sealing surface of that part. Not sure whether HOG protects the HP valve in 1st stage rebuild kits in a similar way.

To give you more confidence with working on the HOG balanced diaphragm first stage, I'd recommend downloading and reading the reg tech manuals for similar first stages (Apeks DST, Aqualung Legend, certain Zeagle 1st stages) from the Frogkick website. Pay particular attention to the sequence in which parts are assembled and any special notes about installing things in a certain way. I found it helpful to appreciate the range of torque specs, too. A great deal can be learned by reading the "Troubleshooting" sections of each manual. As you probably already know, the Vance Harlow's Regulator Maintenance and Repair book is also a wonderful resource.

 

[Garth]

Absolutely..