What regulator brands can I get my own parts for?

[herman]

Padudle,
In my experience, the Sherwood teflon HP seat is pretty tough and lasts for hundreds of dives. Then it can be reversed and used for hundreds more.

Some years ago on a caribbean island I heard some of the divemasters talking about a "Sherwood tool". When I asked, they showed me the famous item. It is a straighened paper clip held in a pair of pliers, and is used to pop out the HP seat. They use a sewing needle for the LP seat. They also said that when they had used both sides of the seats, and no new ones were available, they rubbed the seat on fine abrasive cloth to remove the groove. I have never used the abrasive cloth, but the Sherwood tool does work.

Should work fine. Until recently the HP seats for some of the old double hose regs were not available. Most of us just polished the HP seat on some 1000-2000 grit wet dry and paper and put them back in service. Most of the time if the orfice was Ok that worked well.
The Sherwood HP seats are easy to make at home. A length of teflon and a razor will do the trick. You can make dozens of them for less than $2, same goes for the LP seat.

 

[mkgriesinger]

Oh well, who needs more of these things anyways.

I notice the difference in air delivery; not so much cracking effort, but maybe relative effortlessness in sustaining the air flow. It's pretty subtle, and honestly there can be as much difference just between two of the balanced as there is between a balanced and unbalanced. I suspect that's due to differences in the levers, maybe some differences in the way the poppet fits in the barrel, or condition of the orifice, or any number of things.

One thing I do like is that the seat wear is quite a bit less with the lighter balanced spring, and it usually seems I can tune the balanced poppets a little more precisely. They're all good, though, and I also suspect that if you could get a new unbalanced spring, it would improve the performance of the unbalanced 109s.

Those are the reasons i heard.

1.) The kits repair kits are more available (G250/S600 annual service kit)
2.) Slight notice in performance (not much)
3.) Lighter spring = less wear and tear

 

[redacted]

Those are the reasons i heard.

1.) The kits repair kits are more available (G250/S600 annual service kit)
2.) Slight notice in performance (not much)
3.) Lighter spring = less wear and tear

It is much easier to get parts to service the 109 unless you insist they have the Scubapro label. Two standard o-ring and a simple "hockey puck" style LP seat. You can make that seat yourself or, if that sounds intimidating, The LP seat in an R-series kit or Air2 kit is the same. But if you can get the 109 kit (not as common on ebay) they do now include the poppet assembly which takes care of the problem of finding an upgraded poppet. Then, as long as the lever is not a problem, you have all the parts you should need.

Edit: I just looked and that current 109 kit does not include a new orifice o-ring (I guess Scubapro knows they really don't need to be changed annually) so you may need to find one of those also. It takes a 010 on the plastic orifice and a 902 on the metal one.

 

[halocline]

Update:

I worked a deal with Couv through pm's. He sent me a gorgeous MK5/109 in trade for a Freedom Plate.
He also enclosed an extra rebuild kit for each component and printed diagrams.

Jeesh, I would have done that trade! I'd be jealous except couv is pretty much the World's Nicest Dude, so I'm glad it worked out. Now you can start working on Luis for a phoenix....that might be a little tougher considering the cost of those nozzles.

 

[redacted]

Jeesh, I would have done that trade! I'd be jealous except couv is pretty much the World's Nicest Dude, so I'm glad it worked out. Now you can start working on Luis for a phoenix....that might be a little tougher considering the cost of those nozzles.

But it is a pretty plate. Much prettier than the hand tools home made ones I dive with no shame.

 

[Couv]

Blame Halo.....he sold me on that plate when I saw his. It reminded me of the backpacks I learned to dive with...only SS. On the other hand, I was pretty impressed with that speed limit sign converted into a backplate the Master dives.

 

[Texfrazer]

On the other hand, I was pretty impressed with that speed limit sign converted into a backplate the Master dives.

Does that mean awap just can't drive 55?

 

[redacted]

Blame Halo.....he sold me on that plate when I saw his. It reminded me of the backpacks I learned to dive with...only SS. On the other hand, I was pretty impressed with that speed limit sign converted into a backplate the Master dives.

Hey, it wasn't a street sign. It was some sheets of 1/4 inch marine grade aluminum that I found while running trails one day. I suspect our fabrication contractor just dumped a pile of stuff he didn't need. I wish I had gone back and picked up more but somebody beat me to it.

 

[Slamfire]

I'm confident in may mechanical abilities to service my own stuff. I spent a large portion of my adult life in the auto collision industry doing the mechanical end of things, and I'm good at working on stuff and figuring things out. I see some of the people that pass as reg technicians and if they can do it, I can do it. It doesn't seem like brain surgery to me.

DIY regulator servicing is not rocket science. Anyone who can follow the directions in the appropriate manual can do it. Building a model car or airplane is more complicated than servicing a reg. Of course, most manufacturers and your LDS will generally do not want you to know this and will throw terms like "life support equipment" at you to keep you under their thumb.

I just started servicing my own regs. I got this book and followed up on some excellent advise from the DIY subforum. I'd recommend you go over to that subforum and peruse around. There is an incredible wealth of information there, though it may be a bit difficult to navigate.

I started servicing my Mk10 / G250 scubapro regs. My first impression is that I couldn't believe how easy it is to service them. Changing brakepads is much more difficult. Come to think about it, if you have taken care of you regs, concientiously rinsing/soaking after each dive, servicing them is probably going to be easier than changing a flat tire.

As for the cost, for my first try, I did go with original scuba pro kits obtained from "back alleys." These are expensive ($30ish) but yet much lower cost than the low hundreds you'll throw at a legit LDS servicing 2 or 3 sets. That said, I've already identified where to get the not so common oring sizes in the correct material and duro rating. I also got pricing from somebody willing to sell me generic Trident seats ($3 each). I can tell you that for my next service, I'll pay about $5 per stage, if that.

 

[Zung]

Hey, it wasn't a street sign...

Nothing wrong in lifting the speed limit of 55!