Gear question

Question
Hi,

I noticed a hiss in my regulator as I was carrying my gear to my car after my last dive, which was last weekend. What does this mean? I didn't notice any difficulty breathing as I was under. Plus, I just bought this set of regs recently, with less than 20 logged dives with them. Do I need to have them serviced? Also, I checked the tanks I used and I know neither of them were the cause of the hiss.

Thanks,
Lori

Answer
Hi Lori, thanks for he question. Regulators have sensitive adjustments and even a small amount of being out of adjustment can lead to what is called a regulator free flow.  Sometimes this can be very slight and result in the hiss you are hearing.  I'm not sure if you did not notice but you should have also noticed that the regulator was trickling out air when underwater even when you were not breathing on it..  Also, if you connect it up to a tank and you can definitely hear it the hiss coming from the regulator 2nd stage (the one that goes in your mouth), then it is very likely a leaking regulator and you will need to get it serviced.  It is not something that you can adjust without proper training and tools.

If you just bought them they should still be under warranty and/or the dive shop should be able to readjust them (this is something they were supposed to have done when they sold them to you).

Good luck and I applaud your caution when dealing with equipment designed to keep you alive.

Jesse