Airtech Advice

An obvious question?

For an obvious question, there would be an obvious answer, right? Of course, you service your dive equipment before you need to dive. You service it after it has been sitting for a few years. And you service it based on the manufacturer’s recommendations, usually in year intervals.

But of course, it’s not that simple of an answer because we have insider information. The best time to get your dive equipment serviced is now, during the winter!

The cyclic aquatic industry

We share our building with two businesses. Gypsy Swim School and a scuba shop, Gypsy Divers. If you’re here long enough, you notice a trend. As the months creep towards summer, the store becomes busier and busier. Even with the heated indoor pool to train in, people don’t want to get certified in a cold quarry in the middle of January. So, they wait for warmer weather.

In general, people don’t seem to gravitate to water in the frozen months. Our swim school’s hallways are less boisterous, our schedule less packed, our store less frequented.

But what do these trends mean for you?

The cyclic service center

In the winter, people aren’t talking about diving quite so much, they aren’t signing up for trips, and they aren’t thinking about servicing their equipment.

So, our shelves aren’t as full, the technicians don’t have such a long queue to get through, and you don’t have as long to wait. The trend we’ve seen is that it’s winter, your equipment is out of sight, out of mind, so you don’t think to get it serviced…until you need to pack for a trip. Of course, we do offer expedite services if you’re a late packer, as some of us are, but why pay extra when you can get it done early?

 Planning for the future

A lot of our customers get on a yearly cycle. Every year, around the same time, they get their stuff serviced. It’s a great habit to get into and even better if you can get that cycle moved into the winter.

Coming Soon: Our point-of-sale providers have informed us that they are rolling out automatic service reminders! Huge shoutout to DiveShop360, as we’ve had a great time working with them and are excited to offer this to our customers!

From those that dive hundreds of times a year to those that occasionally pop in the water, we all have guidelines we must follow to keep ourselves and our dive buddies safe.

As fun as diving is, your equipment is supporting your life and should be treated with such importance!

The Annual Service:

• Year 1: Bench Check
• Year 2: Full Service
• Year 3: Bench Check
• Year 4: Full Service
• and so on…

Now we know there are some out there that only dive a few times in a year and might see the manufacturer’s suggested “100 dives” and think they’re nowhere close to that. However, just because they aren’t underwater as much as others doesn’t mean their gear will go longer. O-rings are rubber and go bad or dry out, parts corrode and stop up; things just get old!

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When your gear is serviced it’s broken down to individual pieces, the parts are checked for any glaring issues, O-rings are replaced, parts are lubed, and then the entire unit is thoroughly tested for smooth and consistent operation. When it comes to servicing your gear there is no reason to skip out, don’t risk it. Stick with routine and make sure you’re always diving safely! And if you notice a problem, no matter how small, stop diving it and have it checked immediately!

Think you need to get your gear serviced?

You know where we are! We strive to give you the best possible service we can! While also being here to help answer any of the questions you may have about your gear in general.

We here at Airtech want to thank all of those who have entrusted your gear to us over the years! As always, we will continue to work to become even better than we are now. And most importantly, we hope to see you all in the water!

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