Yearly maintenance

[redacted]

Sounds like a good plan EXCEPT what if when it stop working while you were doing a 100ft cave dive?? Probably not work saving $100. If all you will do is 30ft shallow water dive, I think it should be fine, but I am a newbie, what do I know!!!

Do you believe your tech is more concerned about your well-being than you are? Or do you figure you are just less capable than he/she is? If you are not confident in your ability to learn and do a top notch job, then you really should leave it to someone less concerned but more qualified.

 

[eelnoraa]

Do you believe your tech is more concerned about your well-being than you are? Or do you figure you are just less capable than he/she is? If you are not confident in your ability to learn and do a top notch job, then you really should leave it to someone less concerned but more qualified.

At this stage of my experience level, I think I belong to the later group.

But I still think that right way is either have the tech do it (maintainance/inspection) or better yet, you have to learn to do it yourself. It is never a good idea to use it until it fail then get a new one because it may fail at the wrong time and place

 

[redacted]

At this stage of my experience level, I think I belong to the later group.

But I still think that right way is either have the tech do it (maintainance/inspection) or better yet, you have to learn to do it yourself. It is never a good idea to use it until it fail then get a new one because it may fail at the wrong time and place

Actually, almost all regulator "failures" are rather graceful. That is, they start to breath harder, or leak (air out or water in) a little. While it is not impossible to experience a major problem UW, I suspect most of them are the result of a service error or defective part. I rarely service any of my regs unless they show some type of problem (unless I'm really bored). But you are right, DIY is not for everyone. And if you really screw it up, you can make a regulator unusable. I hope you have a good tech but, regardless, it would be smart to learn how to inspect your regulators just to be sure. See the sticky in this forum.

 

[halocline]

Sounds like a good plan EXCEPT what if when it stop working while you were doing a 100ft cave dive?? Probably not work saving $100. If all you will do is 30ft shallow water dive, I think it should be fine, but I am a newbie, what do I know!!!

If you're cave diving you would be in a gear configuration that has multiple redundancy with regards to regulator failure, so a single reg failure would not be life threatening. In fact, unless you are solo diving without a redundant air supply, reg failure should never be more than an inconvenience and maybe a good scare. If it is dangerous, that's an indication that the diver is not following safe diving practices; if that's the case, the diver is in danger regardless of his/her equipment. This is especially true in overhead situations.

One thing to remember is that regulators do not technically supply air, the tank does that and all the regulator does is step it down to ambient pressure. Keeping this in mind, reg failure almost always results in free flow; very rarely does it stop the air flow.

The two big problems with the whole "regulator is life support" argument are: 1)It is most commonly used as a sales pitch for either higher end regulators or unnecessary servicing by techs whose qualifications and training are not regulated by any agency other than the dive shop itself, and 2) It distracts divers from the proper attitude and awareness of their own responsibility in their safety through safe diving practices, which are in fact designed specifically to deal with equipment failure and other unexpected problems while diving. As a diver, your life support is your own dive behavior, and that of your buddy.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

...One thing to remember is that regulators do not technically supply air, the tank does that and all the regulator does is step it down to ambient pressure. Keeping this in mind, reg failure almost always results in free flow; very rarely does it stop the air flow...

Great points by matt and awap.

When I think about "catastrophic" reg failures, I think about a total and complete loss of airflow, or sudden massive freeflow, or sudden & complete flooding of the second stage.

Serious failures I've heard or read about:

1.) A 2nd stage demand lever falling off during dive (improper assembly at service);
2.) 1st stage filters being total obstructed by rust flakes/crud (tank service problem, not a reg problem);
3.) 2nd stage adjustment knob "blowing off" when the diver turned it underwater (assembly error by tech at annual service);
4.) Total 2nd stage flood due to improperly assembled diaphragm & purge cover;
5.) Massive freeflow after 1st stage HP seat failure (defective part used during annual service);
6.) Etc., ...

These extreme examples I've heard about were all "annual service-induced" in one way or another (except the one caused by crud from the tank).

As has been previously stated, the problems/failures I've seen with my own regulators and those of divers I've known over the years have all been very "graceful"; either tiny leaks, slight freeflows, and/or gradual degradation of performance. These are the most typical wear & tear induced failures I'm aware of due to a regulator badly needing service.

Best wishes.

 

[hudson]

And if you are really, really paranoid, you can carry a pony around or use an H or Y-valve. That makes the whole issue moot right there when you are losing sleep over your service frequency.

 

[Davidstealey3]

Not $100. That's for sure. Warranty is 2 years / 100 dives, I took it in a bit early.

you got it wrong for mares. warrenty is 1 year/100 hours for the yearly service and parts kit, and 2 years/200 hours for the diaphram and poppet. unless is show wear and tear and then should be replaced accordingly

 

[hg frogman]

Check thoroughly your reg once it has been serviced ... (and also before, to know if it needs to be serviced ...)

Of course, for this one has to know (or to learn) how to check a reg. This is not rocket science though. There is a sticky thread, up there on Scubaboard at "regulators", on that subject.

Follow Awap's advice, he posted lots of excellent stuff here.

Spare parts are sometimes overpriced, sure, but everyone has to earn a living. BTW 400 US dollars is a bargain for a Mares MR22 Abyss.