SERVICE AND REPAIRS

Take good care of your scuba gear

Whether you've only seen a scuba diver in action or you're already a diver yourself, you know that diving is an equipment intensive activity. To protect your scuba equipment (and yourself given that scuba equipment is essentially life-support equipment) it's important to care for it correctly.

Here are some general suggestions to help keep your scuba gear in tip top shape:
 

  • All scuba gear should be rinsed in clean, fresh water after every dive. Then, it should be dried before storing it in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Remember to dry and firmly replace the regulator's dust cap before rinsing the regulator to avoid any water entering the first stage. Ideally, rinse the regulator while it is still attached to the scuba tank and pressurized. That way no water will enter at all
  • You should rinse both the inside and outside of your BCD. Make sure to drain the water, then always store your BCD partially inflated.
  • Rinse your wetsuit in a container with bacterial cleaner especially designed for wetsuits. Do not use laundry detergents. After rinsing your wetsuit, hang it up to dry inside out on a wide hanger.
  • Use clips and other attachments to keep all hoses and gauges close to your body while scuba diving. This prevents them from dragging across sharp rocks or coral. This also keeps them from or getting snagged or dirty.
  • Regularly inspect your mask strap, fin straps, snorkel and regulator mouthpieces and hoses for any sign of wear and tear. Sunlight, stretching and teeth easily damage these items so you might need to replace them sooner than expected.

Yearly Maintenance of your Scuba Gear
 Most equipment manufacturers require regulators to be serviced by an authorized dealer to maintain the warranty.

Scuba cylinders have to be visually inspected yearly. According to DOT laws, every five years tanks must be
hydrostatically tested.

SERVICE RATES

Regulator - Every Year or 2 Years Per Manufacturer Requirements
For this, we test and record the regulators pre-service interstage pressures, flow rates, cracking pressure (inhalation
effort) and exhalation effort.
We then completely disassemble the regulator and clean all of the parts as prescribed by the manufacturer. We then
reassemble the regulator, replacing the warranty parts (typically this includes but may not be limited to the filter, valve
seats, and dynamic O-rings), and inspecting all of the components. Once reassembled, the regulator is put on our flow
bench and tuned to the manufacturer's specifications for interstage pressures, flow rates, cracking pressure (inhalation
effort) and exhalation effort.

14-21 days for turnaround: $35 per stage + price of parts
Expedited 3-7 day turnaround: $50 per stage + price of parts
Expedited 24-48 hour turnaround: $55 per stage + price of parts
A typical regulator set would be 3 stages plus 3 service kits:
- First stage (connects to the tank) + service kit
- Primary stage (main regulator you breathe from) + service kit
- Alternate air source (attached to the first stage or on the BCD) + service kit

Some Regulators First Stages also require environmental sealing: $40

Buoyancy Compensator Annual

Clean & inspect BC, power inflator, replace service parts and leak test: $35 plus service kit

Tanks

Annual Visual Inspections (VIP)      $25.00 + air or nitrox fill

Hydrostatic Test (Every 5 years)      $60.00 + VIP and air or nitrox fill

Tank Tumbling                                   $40.00

Tank valve rebuild                             $35.00 + Service Kits

Other Services Available:

O2 Cleaning (per stage): $85

Battery: $10 + Battery Service Kit

SPG Spool O-Ring Change: $15

Full Face Masks: $90 + Service Kits

Standard turn-around times are only guaranteed for routine rebuilds. If your regulator needs parts outside of what comes in a
standard rebuild kit, additional time may be required.

For regulators made pre 2000, please call to ask for parts availability first. Not all manufacturers keep up with regulator
support and parts availability may be scarce.

All costs outside of standard labor and service kits will be communicated with the customer or dive shop before work
proceeds.

All return shipping will go through UPS Ground unless otherwise specified. Shipping cost can never be guaranteed due to
variable factors and will be calculated at Carolina Dive Center’s discretion. All shipping costs will be billed to the customer.

By submitting a service ticket an agreement is entered into between Carolina Dive Center and the CUSTOMER, for the
service and/or repair of scuba and/or skin diving equipment.

THIS AGREEMENT is a release of the CUSTOMER'S rights to sue for injuries or death resulting from use of the equipment after service/repair. CUSTOMER expressly assumes all risks of skin and/or scuba diving related in any way to use of this equipment.

CUSTOMER also understands that Carolina Dive Center and its employees, owners, officers, or agents hereinafter
"Released Parties", shall not be held liable or responsible in any way for any injury, death or other damages to CUSTOMER or his/her family, heirs or assigns which may occur as a result of use of the equipment after service/repair.

By submitting this service ticket you are acknowledging that you have CAREFULLY READ AND UNDERSTAND THEABOVE AGREEMENT.

By submitting this service ticket, you EXEMPT AND RELEASE CAROLINA DIVE CENTER AND ALL RELATED ENTITIES AS DEFINED ABOVE, FROM ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY WHATSOEVER FOR PERSONAL INJURY, PROPERTY DAMAGE, OR WRONGFUL DEATH AS A RESULT OF USING THE EQUIPMENT, HOWEVER CAUSED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO PRODUCT LIABILITY OR THE NEGLIGENCE OF THE RELEASED PARTIES, WHETHER PASSIVE OR ACTIVE.

REPAIR AGREEMENT:

By submitting this service ticket, you hereby authorizes the listed work to be carried out. The customer agrees that Carolina Dive Center will not be held responsible for loss or damage to my equipment as a result of fire, theft, accident or any other cause beyond control. All equipment will be held until the total balance for all applicable service work has been
paid. Any equipment left after 30 days of notice of completion of work will be subject to a storage charge of $1.00 per day. Any equipment left after 90 days of no less than (3) attempts for notice of completion of work will become the property of Carolina Dive Center.

Warranty parts may be offered for some regulators if and only if ALL of the following conditions are met:
1. Regulator was purchased from an authorized dealer (approved to sell the regulator in question)
2. Customer has proof of purchase (needs to include the store, customers name, date of purchase, and
    corresponding serial numbers that match the regulator in question)
3. Customer is the ORIGINAL owner of the regulator in question
4. Customer has registered their regulator through the manufacturer’s warranty program
5. Customer must have service records detailing yearly inspections and full rebuilds every 2 years (must include the
shop it was service by, technician who performed the work, date service was performed, and matching serial
numbers for the regulator in question)
6. All service has been performed at authorized service centers for the life of the regulator and is free of excessive
damage, evidence of tampering, or corrosion.
Carolina Dive Center reserves the right to turn down warranty service requests if these conditions are not met. Each
manufacturer’s warranty program requirements vary slightly. Please read your warranty card for more specifics on parts
for life programs