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Post by cstmwrks on Oct 24, 2005 5:44:35 GMT -8
Well I have always been a USD double hose fan but being cheap and always outbid on eBay for a replacement I now find myself the owner of a healthways regulator. It is in need of work and being of a style that holds the case togeather with a band/bolt/nut it looks to be an easy job to start digging into.
I'm not sure how many versions of double hose healthways made, and the one I have gives little in the line of hints like USD. It has a 2 1/2" dia metel label with : healthways, L A CALIF, SCUBA, pat pend, and a serial# 16304. What is left of the hoses has fabric in them and held in place with common hose clamps. The duck bill is a double dipped with a cream orange compound inside and a black compound on the outside.
Later today I'm going to open it up and start cleaning it.
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Post by jamiep3 on Oct 24, 2005 7:16:03 GMT -8
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Post by SeaRat on Oct 24, 2005 7:52:17 GMT -8
Ron,
From the description, you have the first Healthways SCUBA regulator, with the exhaust in the main box, with little holes around the exhaust? If so, then you have an interesting regulator, and it was my first one. The diaphragm is probably still good, but may need some silicone grease, as it was made of rubberized fabric.
The exhaust is an interesting concept. Healthways was trying to get around the USD patent for exhausts, and initially made a rubber/fabric round diaphragm inside the main box which would seal the end of the exhaust tube. But this was not too successful. So they put the small duckbill valve inside as a backup.
The insides of the single stage are more advanced than the USD Mistral. It has a seat with O-rings, and a nylon seat plunger (terminology is not correct, as I'm at work and away from my Basic Scuba reference. It is very simple to work on, and very rebust. The main lever system is more advanced than the USD Mistral too. But, it has no venturi assist.
Breathing is smooth, but not effortless (that came with the SCUBA Deluxe regulator with an asperator tube, or venturi). I did choose it as my first regulator after having tried it out, and a USD Mistral and a Dacor Double Diaphragm regulator.
I enjoyed this regulator a lot when I first took up scuba diving, and had it to about 60 feet in Suttle Lake and other Cascade Mountain lakes in the late 1950s and early 1960s. I'm thinking of getting the other one than is currently on e-bay.
John
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Post by jamiep3 on Oct 24, 2005 9:21:19 GMT -8
Thanks for the tip on the diaphragm John. Was disasembling the Deluxe I just got this morning and gave the diaphragm a light coating of silicone.
Expecting new hoses for it today or tomorrow, then I just need to find a place to test drive it.
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Post by SeaRat on Oct 24, 2005 9:36:52 GMT -8
jamiep3,
The SCUBA Deluxe is actually a better regulator than the USD Mistral, except for the hose/mouthpiece assembly. Healthways used a very small opening in the mouthpiece for the non-returns, which decreases dramatically the performance of the regulator. I got this mouthpiece to work correctly years ago, but only by removing entirely the non-return valves and the spider for them. With a "clean" inner diameter, performance was dramatically improved. I left the center plastic air flow block, which also is necessary with this design to prevent blow-by. What I finally did was to replace the Healthways hose/mouthpiece system with a USD one, and then the performance was better than the USD Mistral.
There is one other thing to remember about these regulators--some were equipped with an airflow restrictor orifice. It is easy to spot, as it is another piece under the sintered filter with a tiny hole in it, and probably an O-ring seal so that air must go through that small hole. This is the "Restrictor Reserve" system that was in use during this time period. When you get this scuba to about 300 psi over ambient, you will notice a dramatic decrease in performance. You can only get the performance back by ascending (which is why they use the restrictor as a reserve). It basically forces you to the surface to continue to get air through the regulator. If you have this restrictor, simply be aware of it and use it as intended. But don't dive a regulator with this restrictor orifice in overhead environments where you may need to descend before you can ascend. If you descend, it will further cut off the air coming through the regulator.
One other thing I did with my Healthways Deluxe is to drill out another place for a second mushroom exhaust (like the duel exhausts for the Dacor Olympic and Pacer regulators). I simply drilled a center hole below the exhaust, then drilled four or five holes around it (larger, but within the second mushroom's diameter). This led to better exhalation, and used the same exhaust chamber too. It is important to do this in the "shallow" area of the exhaust chamber, so that it sits lower in the water than the main exhaust, or it will leak in vertical positions. Of course, not many people will go to this extent, and maybe you really don't want to as it may impact the value of the regulator.
John
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Post by cstmwrks on Oct 24, 2005 12:56:43 GMT -8
Searat,
correct.. it has the small holes around the case and the odd port inside covered with a rubber plug. still do not have it all apart but the internals look brand spanking new.
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Post by SeaRat on Oct 26, 2005 13:33:16 GMT -8
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Post by SeaRat on Oct 30, 2005 17:32:57 GMT -8
Cstmwrks,
How's the work on the Healthways SCUBA going? Hope it's fine, and you'll be taking it into a pool sometime soon.
John
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Post by cstmwrks on Oct 30, 2005 18:49:25 GMT -8
John,
I have it open now, the bolt that was used to clamp the two halves togeather snapped. The diaphram is getting a silicone treatment and Monday I'm making a former for the flapper valve. Don't yet feel up to the work of making a hose former but we will see.
Bill
aka cstmwrks
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Post by cstmwrks on Oct 31, 2005 13:10:28 GMT -8
Just finished making a replacement Healthways duckbill. Looks good so far.
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