Dive Equipment Servicing: Where, Why & How?

It’s that exciting time of the year when the days are starting to get longer and the promise of Summer is almost in reach! The winter months can put a bit of a dampener (literally) on scuba diving - high winds, rain, and more hours of darkness can make it challenging to get out as much as we’d like to and for some, their equipment may have been casted aside for a while. But how often do we really need to service our scuba diving equipment and how do we do it?

Regulators

As with all dive kit, how often you will need to service your regulators is dependent on how often you use them. If you’re a scuba diving instructor, or someone working in the industry, you might be diving almost every day, so your regs are likely to need a service far more frequently than recreational divers. That being said, if you are diving in more challenging conditions, like UK diving, this may take a toll on your equipment over time. Another thing to note is that damage can also be caused through lack of use, for example hardened O-Rings. A general rule of thumb is to service your regulators once a year, or every one hundred dives. Of course, if you notice any leaks, tears or anything that seems out of the ordinary, get them looked at by a trained professional.

How do I do it?

Here at Aquanauts we offer regulator servicing for Scubapro, Apeks, Aqualung, Hollis, Cressi AND Oceanic regulators! Our regs are sent to our fully authorised service technician who only uses manufacturer servicing kits. The regulators will also be thoroughly cleaned inside and out. You can choose to either drop off your regs and pick them up in store, or we can send them via courier. If you have a time schedule for getting them serviced, do let us know and we can try to accommodate your needs.

Cylinders

It’s important to ensure cylinders are hydrostatically tested every 5 years (in the UK) and visually every 2.5 years. This applies to your own cylinder, but be sure to check the test dates on any dive company that you go diving with. It’s also worth noting that laws on how often they need to be checked change according to the country you’re in.

How do I do it?

Take your cylinder to a local, reputable dive shop. Here at Aquanauts, we have a qualified service technician who has years of experience in testing cylinders, so you can simply drop your cylinder off to us and we will do the rest! The cylinders are filled with water and put under more than their maximum working pressure to check for strengths and leaks. If the cylinder passes the test, the cylinder will be returned to you filled, with a date stamped on either when the test was done, or when it will be required to be done again; if the cylinder fails the test it must be destroyed.

Computers

We also offer a computer battery changing service. Some we are able to do in store, but for most batteries, we’ll send them off to the supplier and you can choose on how quickly you need it done. To avoid having to service your dive kit more than necessary, it’s important to clean and maintain it regularly. For some tips on how, check out our article on gear maintenance.

To avoid having to service your dive kit more than necessary, it’s important to clean and maintain it regularly. For some tips on how, check out our article on gear maintenance.