Hi you wonderful divers, welcome to scuba diver magazine.
So, you’ve bought your first set of regulators but, it’s come in three or four boxes, they
need to be assembled.
The good news is that you can assemble your regulators yourself as long as you have some
basic tools and watch all of this video because there are some things that you need to think
about.
First what you’re going to need and things to consider.
You’re going to need a set of Allen keys or hex keys to remove some of the port plugs
on the first stage.
You’re also going to need some spanners or wrenches, ideally fixed because adjustable
spanners can loosen and you end up stripping the nut.
Otherwise, those are the only basic tools you need.
So, things to consider when assembling your regulator.
The first thing is that regulators are usually made from chrome plated brass which is quite
a soft metal and you can damage it quite easily by scratching it with a tool or screwing things
in too hard.
The tiny screw threads on hoses and your 1st stage are fairly delicate and if you wrench
them in too tight, you’ll damage them and it can be an expensive mistake to make.
The correct amount of torque is usually around 5 newton meters which is finger tight and
then just a smidge more so that the hose can’t be unscrewed by hand.
O-Rings don’t need to be greased but do check that they’re present and in good condition.
They should be nice and smooth but not worn or thready.
You actually can’t or shouldn’t mix brands when it comes to 1st and 2nd stages and sometimes
only specific combinations are recommended.
It doesn’t matter with gauges or low pressure inflator hoses.
But, 2nd stages like octos you shouldn’t fit just any octo to any 1st stage.
And when you’re fitting a hose and screwing it in be careful of what’s on the other
end because that’s going to turn and roll around and you don’t want it to roll off
the bench and smash into something.
Now that you’ve got all of your parts and tools, take a look at your 1st stage and decide
which hose is going to go into which port.
You’ll notice that some ports are larger than others and sometimes they have something
like HP stamped next to them.
The large ports are for your gauges and transmitters, anything High Pressure.
The smaller ports are low pressure hoses like your 2nd stages and inflator hoses.
Once you’ve planned out which hose is going where, you need to remove the port plugs on
the first stage.
Take the correct size allen key, it should fit in but not wiggle too much.
If it wiggles too much it could be the wrong size and you’ll damage it.
Check that there isn’t a better metric or imperial size allen key and unscrew the port
plug.
Keep hold of your port plugs, these can be useful down the road.
Now, take the hose and line it up with the port and to avoid cross threading the screw
I like to unscrew the hose one turn until I feel it click and then screw it to the port.
Remember to consider the whole hose and what’s on the other end and screw it in finger tight.
When it’s in finger tight get the right size spanner and tighten it up taking care
not to scratch the 1st stage or do it up too tight.
Continue for the remaining hoses and you have successfully assembled your regulators.
The next thing that you need to do is to test them out.
Brand new regulators can need adjusting from new or after the first few dives as all of
the parts are being used for the first time so, it’s not unusual for a new regulator
to hiss a little from a 2nd stage.
This is why it’s important to do a few check dives with a new regulator before taking them
on a long dive trip.
All they usually need is a quick tweak at your local dive centre but, do try to avoid
bringing brand new and untested regulators on a long trip.
And that’s it for this how to guide.
For more of these subscribe to the channel and head over to our website scuba diver mag
dot com, we run three magazines, one for the UK, one for the Us and one for Australia and
New Zealand.
Thanks for watching everybody, have fun with your new regulator and safe diving.