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Post by george on Jan 24, 2018 4:35:02 GMT -8
I need some input, I rebuilt a Conshelf 14 the other day as of today I still can not get the IP below 170psi. I have taken it apart three times and still can not find what is wrong, and last night as I was taking it apart for the third time I lost the pin so it has been ordered along with a few other items that may have needed to be replaced. Thanks for the tech help! I used the rebuild kit from Bryan.
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Post by nikeajax on Jan 24, 2018 8:10:08 GMT -8
George, to be sure, this is a 14, and not a XIV? Not that this really matters much, but they are slightly different.
What I do when I have a particularly weird one is put ONLY the the HP-assembly together and pressurize that. To decompress it, just use a small blunt probe, or a wire and push inward...
Why do this? You need to be absolutely certain the HP seat is good: I had it drilled into me for years that just because a part is new, doesn't mean that it's good! This is a nice little trick: I told John about it, and quicker than you can say Jack Dempsey, he deduced that it was the diaphragm on his original model Scubair...
Good luck my friend, ask more questions...
JB
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Post by george on Jan 24, 2018 8:30:17 GMT -8
Thanks I do suspect the HP seat it looks different from the one I took out( same but just not right) XIV
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Post by nikeajax on Jan 24, 2018 8:49:02 GMT -8
George, if you still have the old one, wrap the stem in masking tape, put that into a drill's chuck, spin that up, and using some 1500-grit paper, wet, touch the seat for a few seconds... Viola, yer seat is good as new! JB
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Post by nikeajax on Jan 24, 2018 8:51:38 GMT -8
BTW, I have never had this process fail me, except for the old Voit seats, which are made from a secret formula that has the oil from whale carbuncles... They're made from weird stuff... JB
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Post by SeaRat on Jan 24, 2018 9:02:24 GMT -8
George,
If it is holding pressure, it's probably not the seat. Take a look at the diaphragm itself, and see whether it has been thinned at the edge. I had this problem with the original Scubair regulator from Healthways, where the original diaphragm had become so thinned on the side from having been in place for 50+ years, that the adjustment could not be screwed out enough.
John
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Post by nikeajax on Jan 24, 2018 9:23:47 GMT -8
Oh, and it's my understanding that the XIV was sold to Joe Public, whereas the 14 was the police and military version. The most notable augmentation was the addition of a port on the second stage for easier adjustment thereof...
JB
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Post by george on Jan 24, 2018 10:23:19 GMT -8
John, the kit I used had a new diaphragm that's the one I used, It did hold pressure so well that I had to brake open the HP hose to get it of the tank. The old one looked good I may go back with it , when I got the reg. it worked but had a slow leak down. I did notice that when I took it apart the washer that goes between the adjusting main screw an the pin support was not used , could this be a suspect?
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Post by cnotthoff on Jan 24, 2018 10:50:09 GMT -8
George,
Does your assembly follow the Conshelf schematic? It sounds like you might be missing a spring.
Good Dives, Charlie
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Post by SeaRat on Jan 24, 2018 12:18:08 GMT -8
John, the kit I used had a new diaphragm that's the one I used, It did hold pressure so well that I had to brake open the HP hose to get it of the tank. The old one looked good I may go back with it , when I got the reg. it worked but had a slow leak down. I did notice that when I took it apart the washer that goes between the adjusting main screw an the pin support was not used , could this be a suspect?
I think Charlie has a good point. Go to the schematic, and ensure that everything's there. If everything else is there, try the washer. But if anything the lack of the washer would reduce, not increase, the interstage pressure. I still suspect the diaphragm, so look at the thickness of the new one, and if it's thinner than the old one, try the old one. Best wishes, John
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Post by george on Jan 24, 2018 15:53:58 GMT -8
John, I checked the diaphragm the old one is thinner than the new one, it is a lot thicker ? I will check the parts again to make sure i have not left out a spring.
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Post by george on Feb 1, 2018 9:43:07 GMT -8
Update, Looks like the pin and the pin seat may have been the problem, working fine now with the newer ,thicker diaphragm as well. Thanks for the help!
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Post by nikeajax on Feb 1, 2018 10:46:28 GMT -8
George, check out the gomptin' huge diaphragm in the original Scubair This is the type John replaced on his, and how his go so TARFU, is a total mystery... As you can see, they were completely over-engineered, but for a nearly indestructible and fool proof regulator, here's my vote: JB
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Post by george on Feb 1, 2018 16:10:41 GMT -8
Well I spoke to soon, could not get the 1st stage adjustment right so put old diaphragm back in adjusted IP 150psi, checked cracking pressure about 1 inch I then switched to 3000psi test and the IP would drop after cycling, I think the HP seat even though its new and the thicker diaphragm is my problem,? Any ideas? I will take it all apart again. Could I have weak springs? I hooked it up just a few mins. ago on 2250 psi and it studdard real bad at the second stage?? Thanks for any help.
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Post by SeaRat on Feb 1, 2018 16:59:12 GMT -8
Jaybird,
The Conshelf, even the original, breathed much better than the Healthways Scuba Star ever could. But the Healthways Scuba Star has only two maving parts in the first stage, and only three in the second stage, making it, as you said, "bulletproof."
George,
I have no idea at this point. I hope someone else with more experience with the Conshelf can give you some ideas.
John
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