How to Repair a Diving Regulator
If you enjoy spending time underwater, scuba diving is a great way to use your free time. It allows you time to relax and be in another world. Repairing your own diving equipment is also something that you can do as you become more serious about your diving. If you're looking for a career change, learning how to repair a diving regulator can help move you in that direction.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Regulator repair manual
- Standard set of diving regulator tools and gauges
- Ultrasonic
- Silicon spray
- Overhaul replacement parts kit
- Oxygen-compatible lubricant
- Leak bath
Instructions
-
-
1
Buy a repair manual for your regulator brand. If you want a general overview of how a regulator works, rather than an in-depth understanding of your specific brand, look at "Scuba Regulator Maintenance and Repair" by Vance Harlow on the Airspeed Press website.
-
2
Disassemble the first stage of the regulator. Clean all of the metal parts in an ultrasonic with a mildly-acidic cleaning solution to remove any corrosion. Wash all of the plastic, rubber and silicon parts and treat them with a silicone spray. Examine all of the parts for wear and standard performance, and replace any that are damaged or worn out as well as all O-rings and filters. Reassemble the first stage.
-
-
3
Take the second stages of the regulator apart, and clean all of the metal pieces in the ultrasonic. Wash all of the plastic parts and treat them with silicon spray. Examine all of the parts for damage or wear. Replace all of the high-pressure O-rings with new ones, freshly lubricated with an oxygen-compatible lubricant. Check the regulator body for cracks, and the mouthpiece and diaphragms for performance, and put the second stage back together.
-
4
Tune the first stage to its intermediate pressure, based on the manufacturer's specifications in the repair manual. Reconnect the first stage to the second stages and test for resistance. Make sure the purge button is functioning the way it should. Run a leak test on the regulator at full pressure to ensure all of the hoses are tight. Test the cracking pressure using either the water test or a gauge.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Don't fall into the trap of simply replacing parts in an overhaul. Take a certification class and either work for an authorized dealer or become an authorized dealer for specific brands of regulators to make sure you're doing the best work you can. People who bring you their regulators for servicing or repair are trusting you with their lives.
