Keeping your kit well maintained is absolutely imperative. A well-maintained kit will last you years and will give you a trustworthy peace of mind. Whilst we’ve not been diving during the lockdown period, we are now starting to think about getting back into the water (if you haven’t already got in!). For most people, their kit will have been sat in storage since last Summer, so it may need some TLC and maybe even a service.
Your kit needs to be serviced by a trained technician on a regular basis. For different types of equipment, the following is recommended:
- Regulator Sets – 12 months (or as recommended by the manufacturer)
- BCD/Wing – 12 months (or as recommended by the manufacturer)
- Dry Suit – 12 months (or as recommended by the manufacturer)
- Cylinder:
Periodic inspection and test (Hydro) is every 5 years.
Periodic inspection (Visual) is every 2.5 years.
O2 cleans are due every 15 months.
Please don’t attempt to service them yourself. We offer servicing at our dive centre, so please contact us for more information on servicing your kit.
Maintenance Tips
Here’s some maintenance ‘know hows’ on what you should be doing regularly and mainly what you can do now before you get back in the water after your release from lockdown! If you need any help please don’t hesitate to contact us, we stock numerous items to help with kit maintenance and repair in the shop and offer equipment servicing so if you need anything drop us a message.
During Covid-19 we arrange for a contactless delivery or for postage of a few smaller items.
Regulators.
- Ensure that the hoses are in good condition. Make sure that there is no fraying, bulges or slits along them.
- Check your mouthpieces are in good condition.
- Check all O-Rings are in good condition.
- If possible, attach them to your cylinder and listen out for any leaks. If you hear anything get in touch and we can arrange to have a look – it might just need a quick tweak somewhere (this won’t be chargeable as it doesn’t involve a lot of work).
- Check that they are within the service date. If they are out of service give us a call to book them in.
- After using them in salt water rinse them with fresh water. Don’t leave them to dry in direct sunlight.
- Keep the dust caps on them.
We sell O-Ring sets, mouthpieces and hoses in the dive centre if you need anything.
And of course, if you fancy a new set of regulators, we also stock Apeks and Aqualung sets.
BCD.
- Check for any wear and tear. If there are any abrasions or tears you can get puncture kits to temporarily fix the issue or use some black witch repair adhesive.
- Make sure it’s fully inflating and all functions on it work as they should.
- Make sure it doesn’t deflate. Fully inflate it and leave it to one side – if it deflates contact us to have a look at it.
- Check for leaks. To do this, fully inflate it and submerge it into water. Gently squeeze it and look for any bubbles.
- After use in saltwater rinse if off with fresh water and leave it to dry out of direct sunlight and slightly inflated.
- If it needs a service give us a call to book it in.
We stock Apeks, Aqualung & XDEEP BCDs and Wings.
Cylinder.
- The most important thing with cylinders is to check that they are all within the date of service. There’s not much you can do yourself with a cylinder unless you are trained to do so.
- Check it over to make sure there is no damage to it, including the valve. If you find any get in touch with the dive centre and we can have a look at it.
- Never completely empty the cylinder.
- Store it lying down rather than stood upright.
We can order a brand new cylinder (most likely on a next day delivery, depending on time and day of your order) and occasionally have 2nd hand, fully serviced cylinders at the centre.
Dry Suit
- Rinse down with fresh water after use in saltwater.
- Look after your zip! Wax the top side of the zip and zip-slip the inside.
- Always zip it up before storing, otherwise, it’s easy for the teeth to break which will cause a (wet & cold) leaky suit.
- Check the neck and wrist seals for any damage. Damage can cause more leaks.
- You can do a leak check, there are 2 ways of doing so.
1) Zip it up, tie up the wrists and neck, inflate it and submerge it in a tub of water. Look out for bubbles escaping.
2) Zip it up, tie up and wrists and neck. Go over the suit with soapy water and inflate the suit, bubbles will appear where there are any small holes/leaks. - Get it serviced as per the manufacturer’s recommendations, including the valves!
We sell neoprene cleaner, zip wax, zip slip and minor patch repair kits in the shop if you need anything.
We also work very closely with O’Three, so if you need anything or fancy an upgrade come and have a chat with us and don’t forget to name drop us if you pop in to see the guys at O’Three 😉
Other gear
- If you have a camera kit that hasn’t been used for a few months (or more) it’ll be feeling unloved at the moment too:
- Grease the O-Rings
- Make sure the batteries are charged
- Make sure your SD Cards are empty and formatted
- Check the seals on the case. Close up the empty case and submerge it in water, if you see bubbles coming out of it and if it’s wet inside check that the O-Rings aren’t damaged. - Check on your dive computer. Is it charged? With most older models you need to get the batteries changed when they run low (or out!) rather than charging them via USB! So double-check you don’t need to change the battery before your next dive.
- Check that the O-Rings are greased, and batteries are charged.
- SMBs & Reels.
Check for holes on SMBs and check that they inflate as they should
Has your reel been reeled in properly after it’s last use? Reel it out a bit again and reel back in neatly so it doesn’t cause a jam on your next dive.
Tool Kit
It’s always handy to keep a tool kit in your scuba bag, useful things to include:
- Allen keys
- Multi-Tool
- Wrench
- Cable Ties
- O-Rings
- Zip wax
- Zip slip
- Patch repair kit
- Mouthpiece
- Spares – spare mask strap, spare fin strap
- Batteries
- First aid kit
Is your tool kit up to scratch? Do you need a tool kit?
We sell an assortment of items for your very own tool. Drop us a message or drop by to discuss your needs with us.
Look after your kit and your kit will look after you 😊