Regulator Servicing: Do It Every Two Years

In Are Today's Regulators Better Than of Old? (Undercurrent November 17) we inadvertently gave outof- date information about regulator servicing. Well done, Bradley Condo (Vail, CO), who spotted that the latest raft of regulators mainly need a routine service every two years or 100 dives despite some dive shops still claiming it's an annual requirement. We contacted regulator manufacturers to get clarity.

Gilbert de Coriolis of Scubapro said, "The new policy is, regulators should be maintained every two years or every 100 dives by a Scubapro technician. For intensive use, regulators should be visually inspected every six-months (filter, hose, mouthpiece, and leaks) and maintained every year. "

Manuel Cabrere of Aqua Lung told Undercurrent, "Your Aqua Lung regulator should undergo servicing at least once every two years and visual inspection at least once a year by an Aqua Lung specialist center. Depending on the number of dives and the utilization conditions, your regulator may need to be serviced more often.

"If your regulator has suffered a serious shock, water entry into the regulator, or a leak during pressurization, you should have the regulator serviced before reusing it. If the regulator is leased or used in a chlorinated (swimming pool) or polluted environment, it must be serviced every six months. Swimming pool chlorine can cause a chemical reaction leading to rapid degradation. Aqua Lung does not specify the numbers of dives."

Peter Greenwell of Apeks Marine Equipment told Undercurrent that their first-stages should be serviced every two years and the second-stage should be inspected every year. To be on the safe side, many dive shops still suggest a full service every year.

Sergio Angelini, at Mares SpA, says, "It used to be one year or 100 dives (whichever comes first) but we recently went to two years or 200 dives with a visual inspection after one year or 100 dives."

Justin Hanning of Atomic Aquatics said, "Atomic Series 2 regulators should be serviced every two years or every 200 dives and Series 3 regulators should be serviced every three years or 300 dives, whichever comes first."

"Atomic still uses a unique design that leaves the valve seat out of contact with the poppet when in storage and not under pressure -- thus avoiding engraving of the valve seat, which so often reveals problems after a regulator is left unused for a period."

Since most regulator problems seem to occur on the first dive after servicing, this extended period is not only good news for the pocketbook, but also good news for hassle-free diving.