Yearly Reg servicing can damage them?

[rescuediver009]

Nor have I had any problems with chrome coming off any regs in the "bath". I have not serviced any old Scubapros in particular, but alot of other and the chrome stays on ok. I have done up to half an hourin the water. You may want to take a look at the proportions of your bath...

 

[sbloomer]

Viton o-ring shelf life rated in Parker Bros cat for up to 20 years. HP seats should take no set in storage. I clean my regs well, store with 2nd withpressure relieved on LP seat and get at least 3 and sometimes 5 years between major overhaul. I do clean & lub every year or 2. I can see someone going 5 years with good care and limited diving.

I know I shouldn't admit it, but my Sherwood Brut was recently serviced for the first time since 1990... It's done about 400 dives. When it was serviced the tech was amazed at it's condition.

Simon

PS, I use wetsuit shampoo during post dive cleaning

PPS, I get my car's oil changed every 20000km, which is in spec http://www.scubaboard.com/images/smilies/Standard Smiles/03.gif

 

[jerrynuss]

I have had a lot of luck with a #10 crochet hook instead of an o-ring pick. I've never scratched a reg with one. I don't put any plastic in the ultrasonic and time just depends on the solution and how bad the corrosion is.

 

[Zaphod]

The time in the ultrasonic bath also depends on whether or not it is heated. When I used to work with processes for making optical chips, we had a rule-of-thumb that a heated bath required only about 10% of the time as an unheated one for the same level of cleaning.

With that in mind, I use 5-10 min. for a heated bath (50/50 water & crystal green). I've never had the chrome come off that wasn't already coming off to some extent. I did have the teflon coating on a SP Mk25 come off one time when I accidentally threw the spring in too.

I also never used the sonic cleaner for plastic parts mostly because (despite your best efforts), grease will accumulate in your bath and I've found it very difficult to get that grease off of rubber parts and out of all the nooks-and-crannies in a molded plastic piece. I soak them in a bowl of hot water while I'm working on everything else.