When to service your regulator and BCD

A practical guide for divers, dive centres and liveaboards in Indonesia

Your regulator and BCD are the two pieces of gear you trust with every breath and every ascent. Yet many divers only think about servicing them when something goes wrong, often on the first morning of a trip. The good news: Mares, Aqualung and Apeks all publish clear guidance on when their gear should be checked, and it is easy to follow once you know it.

What the manufacturers recommend

Each brand has its own rhythm, but the message is the same: look at it every year, and overhaul it on a fixed schedule.

• Mares regulators: an inspection and/or service every year or 100 dives, and a complete overhaul every two years or 200 dives, whichever comes first. The overhaul replaces all the parts in the Mares service kit.

• Aqualung regulators: a visual inspection once a year and a full service every two years. If you dive often, for example every week, or in a pool, Aqualung suggests a check every six months.

• Apeks regulators: Apeks's current owner's manual asks for factory-prescribed service at least once a year, regardless of how much the regulator was used.

Your own model's manual is the final word, so check it, and keep the service record that comes with it.

Rental and training gear needs more

Gear that is used every day wears out much faster. Apeks's manual says rental and training regulators need a complete overhaul every three to six months or 50 hours of use. Aqualung gives the same three-to-six-month rhythm for BCDs used for rental or training in salt water. If you run a dive centre, plan your service calendar around the busy season, not after it.

"I hardly used it" is not a reason to skip service

Apeks and Aqualung both warn that a regulator or BCD cannot be assumed to be fine just because it was used little. O-rings dry out, springs tire and salt crystals keep working inside the valves while the gear sits in a cupboard. In Indonesia's heat and humidity, gear stored damp or salty can corrode quickly. A regulator that spent a year in storage still needs its check.

Your BCD needs attention too

A BCD looks simple, but the power inflator and the dump valves are small mechanisms that live in salt water. Aqualung asks for dealer service at least once a year, including a complete overhaul of the power inflator and an air-leak check of the bladder and valves. Mares gives its jackets the same rhythm as its regulators: an inspection every year or 100 dives and a complete overhaul every two years or 200 dives.

Warning signs: get it checked now

Don't wait for the calendar if you notice any of these:

Regulator

• ☐ Free-flow, or the second stage hisses or bubbles at the surface

• ☐ Breathing feels harder than usual, or you get water in your mouth

• ☐ Bubbles from the first stage or a hose connection during your bubble check

• ☐ The pressure gauge needle drops after you close the cylinder valve

• ☐ Green or white corrosion, or a discoloured filter in the first stage

• ☐ Cracks, bulges or wear on a hose (look under the hose protectors), or a torn mouthpiece

• ☐ Water got into the first stage, or the regulator was dropped or hit hard

BCD

• ☐ The inflator button sticks, or the BCD inflates on its own

• ☐ The BCD slowly loses air at the surface

• ☐ A dump valve doesn't close properly or leaks

• ☐ The inflator or dump valves feel stiff or crunchy

• ☐ Tears, worn seams or broken buckles, or a bad smell from inside the bladder

Aqualung's advice for a stiff inflator is clear: stop using it and have it inspected.

Simple habits that help between services

• Rinse your regulator in fresh water with the dust cap on, and don't press the purge while rinsing.

• Rinse the BCD inside and out with fresh water after each day of diving, then let it dry fully out of the sun.

• Store gear dry, cool and out of direct sunlight, never connected to a cylinder.

• Test your gear a month before a trip, so there is time for service if you need it.

• Write down service dates and dive counts, or ask your service centre for the record.

How we can help

PT Akua Tika Import is the official distributor of Mares, Aqualung and Apeks in Indonesia. Our factory-trained technicians service Mares, Aqualung and Apeks regulators and BCDs in-house at our head office in Manado, including gear that wasn't bought through us. Diving somewhere else in Indonesia? You can send your regulator or BCD to Manado by courier. In Bali, Surabaya and Jakarta, our partner dealers handle service for you: find a dealer. Our info center in Sanur, Bali is happy to answer questions and point you in the right direction.

We also sell original service kits for Mares, Aqualung and Apeks, to dive centres, workshops and individual divers, and we run Mares Lab technician courses for dive centre staff who maintain Mares equipment. Details: Service & Support · Mares · Aqualung · Apeks · All products.

Is your regulator or BCD due? Send us the brand, model and serial number at info@akua-tika-import.com, or call or WhatsApp our Manado service team on +62 852 5657 3364. In Bali, you can also reach our Sanur info center on +62 822 9687 3004.