Want Scubaboard members view on a servicing question

[redacted]

One difficulty would be getting the manufacturer to establish a clear description of what a modern repair facility should be. Understand that many local scuba stores think a pan of soapy water, an intermediate pressure gauge, and a mouth-powered magnehelic gauge are all you need to rebuild and test a regulator. This philisophy is exactly what makes the vast majority of scuba consumers feel that they are at their most vulnerable point for equipment failure right after the reg comes out of the shop.

It's not the tools and facilities that really matter. It's the tech. I'd take the conscientuious, competent tech with minimal tools over the incompetents I've seen even if they were sitting behind the best service facility in the business.

 

[cerich]

It's not the tools and facilities that really matter. It's the tech. I'd take the conscientuious, competent tech with minimal tools over the incompetents I've seen even if they were sitting behind the best service facility in the business.

a truly conscientuious, competent tech will have all the tools and equipment that assist and allow him/her to do a better job.Their service area will be organized and well stocked. It goes hand in hand.

 

[redacted]

a truly conscientuious, competent tech will have all the tools and equipment that assist and allow him/her to do a better job.Their service area will be organized and well stocked. It goes hand in hand.

But, all the tools and equipment that assist and allow him/her to do a better job and a service area that is organized and well stocked can also be the workplace of the incompetent tech with little to no mechanical skills or knowledge. He just takes the old parts out and put the new parts in. Usually all of them in the right place, but maybe not.

Unfortunately competent tech and well equipped tech is a one way relationship, at best. You just can't judge a book by its cover.

 

[cerich]

But, all the tools and equipment that assist and allow him/her to do a better job and a service area that is organized and well stocked can also be the workplace of the incompetent tech with little to no mechanical skills or knowledge. He just takes the old parts out and put the new parts in. Usually all of them in the right place, but maybe not.

Unfortunately competent tech and well equipped tech is a one way relationship, at best. You just can't judge a book by its cover.

Sure, that is why there is additional factors taken into consideration. Look over my earlier postings.

Best,

Chris

 

[PhilEllis]

It's not the tools and facilities that really matter. It's the tech. I'd take the conscientuious, competent tech with minimal tools over the incompetents I've seen even if they were sitting behind the best service facility in the business.

Actually, I would have to disagree with you on that point. The BEST of regulator technicians are at a gigantic disadvantage if they don't have the tools to properly disassemble, clean, reassemble, and properly test a regulator, both statically and dynamically. This is one of the problems. The failure to properly seat new HP valves is, by and large, an equipment issue. Without the proper equipment, a very good technician is at a great disadvantage.

Of course, a bad technician cannot be helped even with state of the art equipment. I would like to hope that local scuba stores ARE NOT allowing improperly trained technicians to service customer regulators. Another point well worth making. A certification from a scuba manufacturer DOES NOT teach you to service regulators. It simply teaches you SOME of the small differences between the typical regulator and their specific models. To my knowledge, NO SCUBA COMPANY currently has a program or the capability to take a lay person and turn them into a regulator technician. This transition requires an apprenticeship or some other intensive program. The major scuba companies are just not equipped for this.

Disclaimer: Chriss Richardson (oceanic) does offer rather intensive regulator schools. But I don't know if even this intensive class could turn a lay person into a skilled regulator technician. Thanks.

Phil Ellis

 

[Stormbringer]

Yes

 

[redacted]

Actually, I would have to disagree with you on that point. The BEST of regulator technicians are at a gigantic disadvantage if they don't have the tools to properly disassemble, clean, reassemble, and properly test a regulator, both statically and dynamically. This is one of the problems. The failure to properly seat new HP valves is, by and large, an equipment issue. Without the proper equipment, a very good technician is at a great disadvantage.

Granted, there is a basic set of tools needed to adequately service regulators, in general, and other special tools for servicing specific regs. Those tools keep you from really screwing things up. But there are many more tools that primarily contribute to the efficiency of the process rather than the quality of that process. My crude set of tools I use for DIY service would not cut it in a professional environment. Not because I don't normally get as good or better results. But because it takes me 2 to 4 hours or more to accomplish what a well trained and equipped tech can do in an hour or less. I have the necessary tools to get the job done including some pretty ugly homemade gadgets. I don't have the inline adjustment tools or the cycling contraption for setting seats. I cycle my regs manually and do the adjustments with trial and error. My static and dynamic test devices are a sink or bathtub, and a swimming pool followed by an OW dive.

I think the good tech would be able to do a perfectly adequate job of servicing some regulators even with my rather crude setup. But he would not be able to make a living at it because of inefficiency, not inadequacy.

 

[Jcsgt]

Yes, as long as it is an honest rating and not a reward for high sales. Not saying you guys would do that but I'm sure there are manufacturers that would.

Ditto what Dennis said

 

[cerich]

Granted, there is a basic set of tools needed to adequately service regulators, in general, and other special tools for servicing specific regs. Those tools keep you from really screwing things up. But there are many more tools that primarily contribute to the efficiency of the process rather than the quality of that process. My crude set of tools I use for DIY service would not cut it in a professional environment. Not because I don't normally get as good or better results. But because it takes me 2 to 4 hours or more to accomplish what a well trained and equipped tech can do in an hour or less. I have the necessary tools to get the job done including some pretty ugly homemade gadgets. I don't have the inline adjustment tools or the cycling contraption for setting seats. I cycle my regs manually and do the adjustments with trial and error. My static and dynamic test devices are a sink or bathtub, and a swimming pool followed by an OW dive.

I think the good tech would be able to do a perfectly adequate job of servicing some regulators even with my rather crude setup. But he would not be able to make a living at it because of inefficiency, not inadequacy.

My shed is better set up than many shops for servicing regulators but I digress....

When I do the brakes on my pickup I approach it the same way you are doings regs, however I would NEVER trust a auto shop that did brakes the same way I do them in my driveway.

 

[redacted]

When I do the brakes on my pickup I approach it the same way you are doings regs, however I would NEVER trust a auto shop that did brakes the same way I do them in my driveway.

Great analogy. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that exactly is why I got started doing my own.