I usually make 20 to 30 dives a year, spread out over 2 to 3 dive trips. Although from the manual it suggests servicing your regulator yearly, it seems to me having that done after just 20 to 30 dives would be a bit too frequent. Not to mention the extra cost of servicing after just a few dives. I understand if one dives often enough, the regulator should probably be serviced yearly. But how often is often? Any comment/advice on that? Is there a better way of knowing when to get your regulator service? Any sign to look for? Instead of just doing it yearly, for recreational divers like me? Thanks.
When to service your regulator?
- Thread starter YCW
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scubapro50
Contributor
what does your "warranty book" say about service ? I have been diving with a Scubapro Mk10 for the last 12 years ... I put between 12 and 30 dives on it each year. I clean and take care of it really good between dives and haven't had any problems with it. The scubapro goes into the shop every other year for a "professional" cleaning and routine service. The shop owner says I should get it done yearly but I have never had any problems. Years ago I ran a VOIT regulator into the ground with over 200 dives before it broke down and wouldn't work (back in the 60's) ... when I took it in to have the shop look at it he said it would be cheaper to buy a new one than get the old one fixed .... years later I paid to have it rebuilt because it was my first singlehose regulator and now is a "classic" because it has a J Valve built into the side of the regulator and outside chrome still looks new.....
bedmund
Contributor
YCW:
Think of it this way. If you don't dive at all for a year and the reg sits in the closet, wouldn't you have it serviced before using it? In my opinion, it doesn't matter the number of dives on the reg each year. The annual inspection and service should be SOP.
Anyway my .02.
-Bill
I normally do pre and post bench test on the regs that come through the shop for service. I do this in part to identify any potential problems before I get started with the annual service, in part to identify how they are performing so that if the customer is happy with them that way, I can duplicate the inhalation resistance etc before returning ti to the customer, and finally just to compare the reg's performance in realtion to any potential problems that are found.
I had a regulator today that came from a 20-30 dive per year diver that past the pre-tests with flying colors. But after taking it apart there were two problems with the reg that would have resulted in problems shortly due to the effects of silt and sand on two of the o-rings.
I have also had regs fail a flow test and require service after one tropical trip where the owner got a little careless in the dunk tank, failed to rinse the reg at all, or got a rental tank with water or rust in it.
On the other hand, I also see regulators that come in after a year of hard diving that still perform within limits and also look good when disassembled. So it all comes down to how well it has been cared for and what type of conditions it has been exposed to.
Normally an internally dirty first stage will show up on a bench test with higher than normal intermediate pressure (5 to 10 psi), but unless you know what the pressure was when last serviced or unless it was set near the top of the range and is now out of range, you won't know it is higher than it should be. Intermediate Pressure is like oil pressure in a car - it should be a very steady thing and any change indicates a problem. If you are considering skipping an annual service, you should at least check the IP. You can find IP guages that attach to a low pressure inflator hose for not a lot of money or you can make one yourself with a wal-mart or hardware store air pressure gauge (the kind intended for small compressors and tire filling tanks), a 1/4 npt to 1/4 npt nipple and a 1/4 npt to quick disconnect adapter from the local dive shop for about $20.00. This will help you measure the IP, monitor it for IP creep (indicating a faulty HP seat) and allow you to check for excessive needle "swing" (indicating a clogged filter or internal problem) when the reg is purged.
A slight freeflow from a second stage is also another sign the reg needs attention. It may be due to wear on the second stage seat or it may indicate a problem with the first stage.
If the reg breathes harder than normal that is also an indicator that it needs work, may have a clogged filter, etc.
Observing the filter itself can be a good indicator. If the filter is green, it indicates corrosion and possible water contamination. If it is reddish colored, your reg may have been adversely affected by a very rusty tank. If the filter is black looking, it may have been exposed to air from a faulty compressor and may have an excessive amount of carbon in it. All of these would be an indicator that the reg needs serviced.
We will often do flow tests on regulators for owners who do not want to pay for a service and they will confirm the reg is operating ok at the moment. But, as demonstrated above, they are not full proof and a successful flow test on a regulator today does not guarrentee it will not fail a month or two down the road.
With some designs, skipping an annual service is just not a good idea. Dacor Quantums for example tend to hold salt water in the ambient chamber and will consequently be more prone than usual to corrosion unless they are carefully and thoroughly soaked and rinsed after every salt water dive. A years worth of salt buildup and corrosion is not a big deal, but two years worth can cause serious performance problems and get expensive for the owner if pitting results.
In my opinion, saving money on regulator service by skipping a year is usually a bad idea and often does not actually save you any money in the long run. This is especially true if your reg decides it wants to have a problem on the first or second day of your next week long dive trip.
I had a regulator today that came from a 20-30 dive per year diver that past the pre-tests with flying colors. But after taking it apart there were two problems with the reg that would have resulted in problems shortly due to the effects of silt and sand on two of the o-rings.
I have also had regs fail a flow test and require service after one tropical trip where the owner got a little careless in the dunk tank, failed to rinse the reg at all, or got a rental tank with water or rust in it.
On the other hand, I also see regulators that come in after a year of hard diving that still perform within limits and also look good when disassembled. So it all comes down to how well it has been cared for and what type of conditions it has been exposed to.
Normally an internally dirty first stage will show up on a bench test with higher than normal intermediate pressure (5 to 10 psi), but unless you know what the pressure was when last serviced or unless it was set near the top of the range and is now out of range, you won't know it is higher than it should be. Intermediate Pressure is like oil pressure in a car - it should be a very steady thing and any change indicates a problem. If you are considering skipping an annual service, you should at least check the IP. You can find IP guages that attach to a low pressure inflator hose for not a lot of money or you can make one yourself with a wal-mart or hardware store air pressure gauge (the kind intended for small compressors and tire filling tanks), a 1/4 npt to 1/4 npt nipple and a 1/4 npt to quick disconnect adapter from the local dive shop for about $20.00. This will help you measure the IP, monitor it for IP creep (indicating a faulty HP seat) and allow you to check for excessive needle "swing" (indicating a clogged filter or internal problem) when the reg is purged.
A slight freeflow from a second stage is also another sign the reg needs attention. It may be due to wear on the second stage seat or it may indicate a problem with the first stage.
If the reg breathes harder than normal that is also an indicator that it needs work, may have a clogged filter, etc.
Observing the filter itself can be a good indicator. If the filter is green, it indicates corrosion and possible water contamination. If it is reddish colored, your reg may have been adversely affected by a very rusty tank. If the filter is black looking, it may have been exposed to air from a faulty compressor and may have an excessive amount of carbon in it. All of these would be an indicator that the reg needs serviced.
We will often do flow tests on regulators for owners who do not want to pay for a service and they will confirm the reg is operating ok at the moment. But, as demonstrated above, they are not full proof and a successful flow test on a regulator today does not guarrentee it will not fail a month or two down the road.
With some designs, skipping an annual service is just not a good idea. Dacor Quantums for example tend to hold salt water in the ambient chamber and will consequently be more prone than usual to corrosion unless they are carefully and thoroughly soaked and rinsed after every salt water dive. A years worth of salt buildup and corrosion is not a big deal, but two years worth can cause serious performance problems and get expensive for the owner if pitting results.
In my opinion, saving money on regulator service by skipping a year is usually a bad idea and often does not actually save you any money in the long run. This is especially true if your reg decides it wants to have a problem on the first or second day of your next week long dive trip.
Charlie99
Contributor
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O-rings age whether sitting in a closet or being used.
OTOH, my Atomics B1 has a 2 year service interval.
You don't want to spoil one of the 2 or 3 dive trips with a bum regulator, so it's not wise to wait until you have some symptom of impending failure.
One common sign of a 2nd stage that needs to be serviced is that the valve on the 2nd stage has formed a groove in the seat. This reduces the cracking pressure, and evenutally it will become prone to freeflows. This is less of an issue if you have a manual cracking pressure adjustment.
While Scubapro50's practice of every other year service isn't per the manufacturer's recommendation, that's probably what I'd do in his case. It's your call. There isn't any "scuba police".
OTOH, my Atomics B1 has a 2 year service interval.
You don't want to spoil one of the 2 or 3 dive trips with a bum regulator, so it's not wise to wait until you have some symptom of impending failure.
One common sign of a 2nd stage that needs to be serviced is that the valve on the 2nd stage has formed a groove in the seat. This reduces the cracking pressure, and evenutally it will become prone to freeflows. This is less of an issue if you have a manual cracking pressure adjustment.
While Scubapro50's practice of every other year service isn't per the manufacturer's recommendation, that's probably what I'd do in his case. It's your call. There isn't any "scuba police".
scubapro50
Contributor
DA AQUAMASTER ......... in your professional opinion what is the best regulator made for takeing abuse ..... what make and model can you recall has held up under the most extreme situations .... ?
I'd have to break it down between first and second stages.scubapro50:
Second stage - duability
As far as a second stages that will go virtually forever without a service, the chrome plated brass cased US Divers Conshelf/Aquarius/Octo second stages are probably the hands down winners. They offer ok rather than great beathing performance but their seats never seem to form the excessive seating groove in the low pressure seat that causes leaks in almost every other second stage after a couple years. I have bought several conshelf second stages off e-bay at very low prices (usually about $10) and only had one that freeflowed or otherwise did not work as delivered.
Second stage - durability and performance
As far a second stages with excellent performance the chrome plated brass cased Scubapro Balanced Adjustable is hard to beat. I have bought several on e-bay dating back to late 60's vintage Adjustables and if while they usually need service to replace (or better yet upgrade) the poppet, but if they look ok on the outside, they are usually fine on the inside. And if you use the little key designed to depress the purge valve during storage (or a wedge a quarter between the purge and the cover), the poppets will not be engraved from constant spring pressure against the orifice and will go for years setting on the shelf without needing service.
I am going to stop saying nice things about them though as their prices on e-bay have risen out of the cheap range lately. $25.00 to $30.00 Balanced Adjustables or Adjustables are just not around anymore and $50 to $75 is more common.
First stage - durability
The US Divers Conshelf first stages seem to go on forever. The design is simple for a balanced design and the diaphragms are thick enough that I have never seen one fail. The ambient chamber design is also well done, well chromed, and relatively easy to rinse so I do not normally see corrosion issues in them. Conshelf Supremes with the extra diaphragm and oil filled ambient chamber add a bit more cold water/dirty water protection and the design is simple enough and the diaphragm heavy enough that fluid loss is not normally an issue.
Flow by piston designs like the Scubapro Mk 3, Mk 2 Plus or Aqualung Calypso are bullet proof from a mechanical standpoint and normally hold up during very long intervals between services. There are only 2 dynamic o-rings in them and neither is exposed to air at more than intermediate pressure and the spring holds the seat off the orifice when the reg is not pressurized so shelf life is normally not an issue. I have never gotten an SP Mk 3 off e-bay that did not work on arrival.
2 years ago I had my ADS serviced and about two weeks later broke my neck which put me out of the water for 18 months. First thing I did after being cleared to carry the weight or my gear was get my rig serviced. Then went diving. My humble opinion,DON'T miss a service ,think of it as peice of mind insurance that dosen't cost that much.
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