Yearly maintenance

[redacted]

The answer to your questions is multiple, no and last but not least is training, training and more training!!!

Yes, you probably have 2 independent regs on your back gas; as well as a separate reg on each stage bottle. In the event of a single regulator failure, you can switch to an independent alternate or even move a working regulator to another bottle to replace a failed regulator. Plus, with your buddy's regulators you would need to experience an almost impossible string of failures to be unable to access your breathing gas through a workijng regulator.

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

Yes, you probably have 2 independent regs on your back gas; as well as a separate reg on each stage bottle. In the event of a single regulator failure, you can switch to an independent alternate or even move a working regulator to another bottle to replace a failed regulator. Plus, with your buddy's regulators you would need to experience an almost impossible string of failures to be unable to access your breathing gas through a workijng regulator.

Yes you would be correct. Without back up sources it would be hard as hell to survive a major failure if your buddy was not there. That would be another good reason to consider it life support. Life support is anything that aides in the preservation of life. That would include safety harnesses that would keep you from falling 10 stories off a building.

 

[DCBC]

I think that the standard-of-care for SCUBA regulator maintenance is affected by how the regulator is used and how often it's used. In other words, a diver who dives to a max depth of 20 feet 5 times per year can have a lower standard-of-care than another diver who regularly dives to 180 feet with 500 yards of cave penetration.

I personally believe that if the reg is properly rinsed and stored, yearly rebuilds serve the dive stores more than the average diver. Obviously, if your using your gear a lot or "on-the-edge," this doesn't hold true. In any regard, it's up to the comfort level of the diver. I just think that "automatic" annual regulator rebuilds are a scam.

 

[redacted]

Yes you would be correct. Without back up sources it would be hard as hell to survive a major failure if your buddy was not there. That would be another good reason to consider it life support. Life support is anything that aides in the preservation of life. That would include safety harnesses that would keep you from falling 10 stories off a building.

Perhaps our discussions are hampered by a clear definition of what "life support" is in relation to scuba diving. This definition by no means is a clear answer but it does provide a reference point: What is Life Support?

 

[DCBC]

Regarding the mainenance requirements for SCBA regulators often used in life/death situations by Fireman. It seems that the Standard 2600SEG210 FOR BREATHABLE AIR does not require any scheduled rebuilds of SCBA regulators (see http://www.pancanal.com/eng/legal/reglamentos/security/industrial/210en-appendix-a.pdf). Scott Air Pack doesn't seem to require this on systems it produces (from what I can gather). I just thought this was interesting comparison considering the topic of "life support equipment." It would be interesting to compare the maintenance standards required for hospital respirators...

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

Perhaps our discussions are hampered by a clear definition of what "life support" is in relation to scuba diving. This definition by no means is a clear answer but it does provide a reference point: What is Life Support?

That definition changes per Gov't agencies too.. Go figure, gov't = confusing. I was certified in the use of life support equipment ( scba gear ) by the Dept of energy.

 

[Thalassamania]

in most cases, a person who requires life support is unconscious.

:d ...

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

The problem I have with the whole "It is Life Support" thing is the way this term seems to be used in the dive industry to instill fear and compliance rather than knowledge and understanding.

The message has become:

IT'S LIFE SUPPORT = ANNUAL SERVICE OR YOU DIE!

I'd be much more comfortable with a statement like:

IT'S LIFE SUPPORT = MAINTAIN IT PROPERLY, SERVICE IMMEDIATELY WHEN NEEDED!

Maintaining it "properly" could include an annual service, or service much sooner if needed, or service much later.... the key is understanding when service is required.

The annual service recommendation is based on a combination of financial and liability concerns, not on any realistic "time-to-failure" estimate for regulators.

There is nothing wrong with sticking to the recommended service interval, but I think it is actually far safer to make an effort to learn as much as you can about how your equipment functions so that you can determine at an early stage when it really needs service, which can at times be sooner than a year, but is more likely to be longer than a year.

Best wishes

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I personally believe that if the reg is properly rinsed and stored, yearly rebuilds serve the dive stores more than the average diver. Obviously, if your using your gear a lot or "on-the-edge," this doesn't hold true. In any regard, it's up to the comfort level of the diver. I just think that "automatic" annual regulator rebuilds are a scam.

I agree with you.

In the distant past I posted a fairly detailed description of several pre-dive checks a diver can do and a couple more using an IP gauge connected to the LP inflator hose that will do a really good job of diagnosing any looming problems with your reg. If a diver did them at the start of every diving day, they would be extremely unlikely to ever have an issue under water and would also know pretty much exactly when the dive needs to be scrubbed and the reg serviced.

Consequently, if a diver understood how the reg worked and did a suitable pre-flight of the reg prior to every dive, the maintainence schedule could move way from a strictly calendar month basis.

That is also a potential flaw in comparing scuba regs with other "life support" equipment. If an aviation O2 mask or regulator, for example, has a set of pre-flight procedures and checks to make to ensure it is functioning properly, then yearly maintainence may not be required to the same degree as one that does not.

 

[DCBC]

Agreed.