Reasonable prices and prompt service
Regulator Service Prices
Regulators should have a check up once a year by manufacturers recommendations. This service includes inspection of all hoses, assessment of intermediate pressure (IP) in the 1st stage, and cracking effort of the 2nd stage. Minor adjustments to the IP and cracking effort may be done during this process. Any recommendation for parts being replaced or further services are additional costs.
Every other year, or 200 dives, most manufacturers recommend that a regulator should be overhauled. This service includes disassembly, cleaning of all parts, and reassembly with new orings and high pressure seats. Even if the regulator has been stored, with minimal use, it should be overhauled every other year. Orings and parts will deteriorate over time causing regulators to malfunction .
A balanced 2nd stage will typically have more control over airflow delivery or cracking effort to the diver. It is characterized by an adjustable knob on the side of the 2nd stage, allowing the diver to increase or decrease the cracking effort or breathability.
An unbalanced 2nd stage has a fixed cracking effort, meaning, that it can not be adjusted by a diver while on a dive. They will often have a venturi control lever or a Pre-Dive/Dive position which stops the regulator from free-flowing on the surface.
These are generally going to be entry level types of regulators that are lower in cost and often found in the rental gear of most dive shops.
Airsource/Air2/Safe Second's , are brand specific terms for a regulator that is attached to the inflator hose of a BCD. It is designed to eliminate the yellow 2nd stage, or "Octo" hose, and allow for a more streamlined set up. These are balanced 2nd stage regulators.
A BCD should be inspected once a year along with the regulator inspection. This includes fully inflating it, checking for leaks, and the function of the various dump valves on the vest. Every other year it should have an overhaul, which is a disassembly of the inflator and deflator and replacing the schroeder valve and orings.