Underwater Wakulla

By RUSTY MILLER

Questions about regulators.

I manage the local dive shop here in Wakulla County; I also am the shop instructor and the shop technician in the regulator repair shop. A question that I get asked a lot these days is about the regulators that divers have. So I am going to list a few questions that I get asked and answer them for you.

Q: I have an old set of regulators that I’ve had since I got certified back in the ‘80s. Are they any good? They worked fine on my last dive in 1982. Can they be serviced?

A: Believe it or not the answer might surprise you. Yes they can be serviced, only if the company that sold them to the dealer that you bought them from is still in business and are the rebuild kits still available).

Q: I have a set of regulators that I bought five years ago but haven’t been diving in a few years because life happens and I would like to get back into diving on a regular basis. Would you look at them and tell me if I can use them on my next dive?

A: This is not an easy question to answer because without taking the regulators apart and replacing all the O-rings and the normal wear components, it’s difficult to answer a simple yes or no. What I look for on this type of question is:

• Have the regulators been taken care of?

• Were they washed thoroughly with clean freshwater and dried properly?

• Were they stored in the regulator bag vs. on a hanger that allows the hoses to maintain their natural shape?

• Were they stored in a temperature controlled environment like hanging in a closet in the house rather than in a shed or garage?

On this question I generally advise them to not use them until they can be serviced properly.

Q: I’ve had these regulators for a few years and they worked fine last year when I went diving but this time when I went on a dive after I hooked them up to the tank they were leaking through both of the second stages. I’m going to the Keys in a couple of days so what can I do?

A: Most of the time I can usually service them if they are a brand that we carry, if we have the rebuild kits in stock, and if I’m not backed up with other regulators currently being rebuilt on the bench.

Q: I just got certified and I am thinking of buying regulators or should I rent them for a while?

A: In my open water classes I cover this very question with my students. I go through the pros and cons of buying verses renting. So I will go through the same exercise here.

Buying pros:

• When you buy your own set of regulators, you will know that they are set up the way you need them to be for the type of diving you’ll be doing.

• You are responsible for the care and maintenance of your own equipment.

• You don’t have to worry about anyone else’s germs on your regulators.

• You will always have them with you and not worry about not being able to rent them.