I have an Mares Abyss reg. The first stage is tri metal. I have heard of people using silicone or similar type lubricant on it as part of there post dive cleaning. I have been diving for over 5 years and have never used anything but fresh water when cleaning my reg. Would using spray silicone on the reg benefit ? Also same goes for the rest of the gear (BC, boots, gloves, wetsuit etc...) my dive buddies say use simple green in the rinse water or some sort of detergent. I have neverused anything clean fresh water. Thoughts ?

I was told not to use that silicone spray on your reg. I use it on other stuff (bands, extra orings, zippers, etc).

I have an Mares Abyss reg. The first stage is tri metal. I have heard of people using silicone or similar type lubricant on it as part of there post dive cleaning. I have been diving for over 5 years and have never used anything but fresh water when cleaning my reg. Would using spray silicone on the reg benefit ? Also same goes for the rest of the gear (BC, boots, gloves, wetsuit etc...) my dive buddies say use simple green in the rinse water or some sort of detergent. I have neverused anything clean fresh water. Thoughts ?

Been diving the same reg and bc for 13 years now. Fresh water is the only way to go. Never hurts to soak your gear overnight either. Annual inspections and your gear will last forever :chuck:

do not soak your stuff in simplegreen. It will strip any protective grease that is on certain moving parts. I service alot of dive gear, just rinse with fresh water, let dry, put in closet or area w/ AC.

girlfriend dives a Mares abyss - only washes/rinses in fresh water with a little Tide.
Never a problem

rinse with fresh water after dives is all I do. I'll silicone the various o-rings when I'm doing my 100hr rebuilds, when I remember to do them :P

Thanks for the replies guys. Looks like i'm stickin with h20. I'll stay away from the chemicals.

When I was rebuilding regs, we sprayed them with silicone spray at the end to shine them up and make them look new. The diaphragm in the 2nd stage is sprayed (inside and out) to protect it from the rigors of salt water. I imagine after the first two times or even the first time you dive it, that is stripped off by the sea or by you after you get back.
I don't believe the light coat we sprayed it with did a whole lot for functionality, but when customers came back to pick up their regs, they looked great!
I wouldn't use any detergents or chemicals as an everyday rinse. Just hose your gear off and let it dry.

H2O ONLY.."maybe" a small amount of vinegar to soak your stuff with excessive salt build up..for about 20 mins then rinse THOUROUGHLY.
I'm going to buy a small galvinized trough or a big platic one to soak my stuff overnight in next season..

H2O ONLY.."maybe" a small amount of vinegar to soak your stuff with excessive salt build up..for about 20 mins then rinse THOUROUGHLY.
I'm going to buy a small galvinized trough or a big platic one to soak my stuff overnight in next season..

Dude, if you really want to do that, you can go get a big rubbermaid trash can from wal-mart or home depot. You certainly don't need a galvanized trough. I'm not sure I would soak my gear in anything overnight except water. Getting the salt off and getting it dry I think are the two most important things. If you keep a tub of water laying around, it's gonna start to grow things. Mold/mildew will destroy nylon, no matter how "rot-proof" they say it is.
Bottom line, just rinse your damn gear off and get it out of the sun to dry. It's not rocket science here people...

I never thought I would see a debate about how people wash their gear! This damn weather needs to change, been landlocked for to long!

:rolleyes:Well, looks like water with an air chaser is the winner...:slap: