How to Repair a Diving Regulator
- 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.
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