Healthways single hose regulators

[nikeajax]

YIKES--my sequence was totally off!

First generation Scubair

JB's 1665 SS# 6533 Chrome with red label

Johns 1665 SS# 7568 Chrome with blue-gray label

DD's 1665 SS# 10301 painted with red label

First generation Scuba Star

JB's 1664 SS# 2502 chrome with light blue label

JB's 1664 SS# 14799 painted with dark blue label

Jaybird

[SeaRat]

Okay, here's some more photos of my "new" original Scubair:


This regulator is pressurized, and is holding without a leak.


I've taken the cover off, and the diaphragm. The inside has a bit of crud in it, and so does the diaphragm. But the diaphragm is in great shape, and flexible too.


Here's the cover for my Scubair. Note that it has written right on it "3-60," which I take to be the manufacturing date. Also, the serial number is on the top. That serial number is "7568."

I haven't yet cleaned it up, but this looks like it will be an easy job. Not much corrosion for a 56 year-old regulator.

John

PS, JB, how did you get the serial number of my regulator?

[nikeajax]

John, I simply used the Dark-side-of-the-Force...

No, actually, I remembered sending you the eBait listing and yep, there was an image of the top cover!

JB

[SeaRat]

I just cleaned the Scubair up after doing the morning dishes, with dishwater and soap, put it together with a different Healthways diaphragm (old style), and breathed off it. Not bad, not bad at all. I'll get a better diaphragm for it out of my Scuba Star, and try it again this afternoon.

What's interesting to me is how tough this regulator is. After 56 years, you can clean it up and breathe off it! Contrast that with some of my USD/Voit regulators, where all the rubber parts had literally rotted away, and you can see that this Scubair was made of quality materials.


AMF Voit Forty Fathom diaphragm after about 55 years.


Healthways Scubair diaphragm after 56 years. Quite a difference!

John

[nikeajax]

John, there's a reason why they have a cult following: yeah, these suckers are bullet proof!

JB

[tomcatpc]

My Voit 40 Fathom is about the same. Like a tortilla chip...
I was able to salvage both diaphragms from the two Healthways Single Hose Regs. I rebuilt this last Summer.
Mark

[nikeajax]

Dec 15, 2016 17:00:24 GMT -8 tomcatpc said:

My Voit 40 Fathom is about the same. Like a tortilla chip...

I hope it's made by Taco Works

www.tacoworks.net/

We discovered this brand while living on the Central Coast: unless you've had them you'll never know just how crazy addictive they are, sluuuurp-droooool, ughughugh!

JB

[SeaRat]

I think the AMF Voit regulators had diaphragms made from natural rubber, as AMF was also in the rubber business, and that was their problem with longevity. Healthways made their diaphragms from neoprene-impregnated nylon, and they last, and last, and last. But those diaphragms are "stiffer" than rubber diaphragms, and so lead to a bit harder breathing. I just put a new, silicone diaphragm into my Scubair, and it really is breathing well now. I hesitate to delve into the first stage at this point, as I'd like to put it into the water first.

John

[nikeajax]

John, you may want to clean the sintered filter and valve plunger, just in case: that's all of what, ten minutes? The diaphragm is way over engineered and I'll wager it will last well into another 55+ years, unlike modern diaphragms that aren't as robust and become fatigued/worn out after one to five years?

Just my opinion,
JB

[tomcatpc]

Having what Jaybird said...I think it still would be a great thing to have a source of reproduction Healthways Single Hose Diaphragms... But that is not up to me.
Mark

[SeaRat]

I decided to take my recently acquired Scubair regulator into the pool after church today. It is a busy day today, as my church, St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church has its Lessons Andy Carols Service tonight. But after the morning church service, I stopped by the pool, where they let kayaks and SCUBA divers into the pool. I took my single 72, with a Healthways harness, two masks (oval and Scubapro Supervision 3-window mask), some thin boots, a snorkel, and my Duck Feet fins. That, and a swim suit, was my dive gear. I also brought my hybrid Healthways SCUBA regulator. I also had my Hammerhead Unit for swimming.

I jumped in with my oval mask, fins and Scubair in the tank. I planned to use it with the original LP diaphragm, and then switch to the newer, more flexible diaphragm after the initial dive. My first impression was that it breathed pretty good, not outstanding, but surely adequate for me. I was actually expecting it to breath harder than it did. Bubbles were well away from my vision too.

I noticed two other divers in the water, with one on the surface, and standing vertical on the bottom at about twelve feet. I swam across the pool, thinking I would get out and switch the diaphragms. But as I was swimming I heard an air leak, and decided to doff the unit underwater to see where the bubbles were coming out on the regulator. As I swung the unit over my head, and let it settle in front of me, I expected to see bubbles coming from the LP plug, but it was not leaking. Instead, the. Bubbles originated from the diaphragm area, and were incoming out of holes over the diaphragm. I decided to terminate the dive, and not dive the Scubair until I had thoroughly gone through the regulator. So I put the unit back on, swinging it back up over my head and re-attaching the waist and crotch straps in their wire buckle. I climbed the ladder out of the water after removing my Duck Feet fins, walked over to the bench, and took off the scuba. I set the unit on the bench, removed the Scubair and replaced it with my double hose hybrid SCUBA regulator.

I will discuss the hybrid SCUBA regulator dive on a different thread. But when I got the Scubair regulator, I found the cover to be a bit loose. Now, I will be pulling it apart to see the insides. But I had one other surprize; I put it onto the now nearly empty tank, and did not get resistance I expected from a restrictor. So I think this regulator is not equipped with a restrictor orifice. I will have definitive information on that when I pull it apart.

John

[nikeajax]

John, thank you for the detailed dive log entry I'm hoping to find the right exhaust mushrooms for mine, the really old neoprene ones can be a bit doggy.

HUH... that is rather odd about the resistance, or lack there of: looking forward to hearing about your findings.

JB

[SeaRat]

Jaybird, I just pulled the first stage of my Scubair apart, and that is one hunk of a first stage diaphragm. Mine is set up exactly like yours, with the same Healthways innards as the double hose SCUBA regulators. It did have the J-Reserve restrictor (large hole) inserted though. So there is no restrictor orifice in this one, dispite the warning of the paper I posted above. That explains the lack of resistance when I tried it yesterday after the dive.

I tightened the cap, then this morning decided to get a LP pressure reading; my gauge pegged, so I was glad I had pulled the first stage apart. I apparently changed the interstage pressure after the dive by tightening the cap. It looks pristine inside, by the way. No corrosion at all, after 56 years!

John

[nikeajax]

Hopefully Phil an' I are gunna be meeting up at Jim's on Wednesday! Last time I was there I saw a small jar of those actuators for this reg. Now you understand first hand why I said this reg is totally over engineered: it makes anything else I've ever worked on feel cheap and skimpy. Glad you finally got one John: I really liked working on mine

JB

[crabbyjim]

Dec 14, 2016 16:31:06 GMT -8 SeaRat said:

I just received my Healthways original Scubair regulator. I put it on a tank, and it does not leak! I don't know whether it is the first or second generation of this original diaphragm regulator, as I haven't pulled the first stage apart yet. But attached to the neck cord is a gem, a paper from Healthways which came with the regulator when new, titled "IMPORTANT! AUTOMATIC RESERVE INSTRUCTIONS." This paper dates from at the latest 1961, making it 55 to 56 years old. I have taken some photos, but felt this was worth its own post.


This paper confirms that each Healthways Scubair regulator initially shipped with the "K" Restrictor in place, and with a "J" restrictor in the box with the regulator. If the diver was planning to use a J-valve on his tank, then the "K" restrictor needed to be removed from the regulator and the "J" restrictor put in its place.

John