Vintage Healthways Double Hose Reg

[jacked_72]

Is anyone familiar with this reg? It is my first vintage double hose! I just picked it up along with a bunch of other vintage stuff locally. I'll be posting more stuff that came with it but, I thought this was the treasure.

 

[simonbeans]

Surely the resident narcissist will chime in with his muliple "I"s post pertaining to this regulator. It was the first model Healthways marketed (except for the Divair that was made by Arpin). Although reproduction main diaphragms are available, the exhaust is problematic at best. Go to Vintage Double Hose and search about the issues with the exhaust. The Healthways "Scuba" model you really want is what we call the "Gold Label".
Try here:
http://www.vintagedoublehose.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5412&p=46449&hilit=healthways#p46449

 

[regulator bj]

With a little bit of TLC they do look good . They first appeared in 1959

 

[Paladin]

Surely the resident narcissist will chime in with his muliple "I"s post pertaining to this regulator. It was the first model Healthways marketed (except for the Divair that was made by Arpin). Although reproduction main diaphragms are available, the exhaust is problematic at best. Go to Vintage Double Hose and search about the issues with the exhaust. The Healthways "Scuba" model you really want is what we call the "Gold Label".
Try here:
Vintage Double Hose • View topic - Healthways is clean - mostly

I'm not familiar with the Healthways double hose regs. I've seen a few being dived by others but have never dived one myself. What is it about the exhaust that is problematic?

 

[simonbeans]

As for the exhaust diaphragm: This is a unique device that was used to circumvent USD duckbill patent. Basically it is an extension of the exhaust horn into the can. The extension is a rectangular tube cut at an angle that mirrors the rubber diaphragm you see inside the can with the wire "clamp". In theory, when air is being demanded, the pressure inside the can is greater than that in the exhaust hose and extension, thus this exhaust diaphragm is forced upon the extension and blocks it off. When exhalation occurs, the pressure of exhaling exceeds the pressure inside the can and the exhausted air pushes the diaphragm away from the end of the exhaust extension and escapes into the water via the holes. Healthways apparently had two modifications to this mechanism. The extension had holes in it that were covered by basically a rubber band. So that if the end was blocked too much by the exhaust diaphragm, air would exit via the holes that were covered by the rubber band. However another addition was made that was essentially a rubber impregnated "duckbill" that fit inside the exhaust extension. It was held in place with a internal spring clamp.

 

[Paladin]

Would Bryan's duckbill eliminator work in place of the original exhaust valve?

 

[simonbeans]

Not enough room

 

[herman]

Simonsbeans covered it pretty well. Basically, this is a restoration for the hard core and def not a good one for a first DH reg- at least from a restoration standpoint, you will have to fabricate several rubber parts.
If you want to restore a DH reg, you will be much better off to sell that one and find either a Deluxe or Gold Label (nice regs) Healthways or better yet any one of the USD regs. Even if you get a HWs odds are you will need to use USD hoses and mouthpieces, 1 inch hoses are not being reproduced (that I am aware of). If it happens to have a Hope Page mouthpiece (see JB's post) I would keep it for a future HW reg.

The DBE will not work due to the extra exhaust holes in the cans. This is one DH that is best left on the shelf unless you are a hardcore restorer.

 

[jacked_72]

Well, that just stinks. It does have the Hope-Page mouthpiece. What's the value of something like this if I want to try to trade up to something that I can use? I note that the serial number is 13XXX. From the digging I've done on the net, the number is lower than the other pictures I've seen on the net, so it may be a little older than some of the others. Not that that means much.

 

[simonbeans]

Go over to VDH as there is a guy who is looking for a Hope Page.