Equipment Maintenance

By Francois Burman, Pr. Eng, M.Sc.
Avoiding failure at critical times
Diligence will help prevent equipment failures, which keeps people safe and saves money in the long run. It is not always obvious when dive business equipment needs maintenance, and big issues can easily slip under the radar in a busy dive shop. Equipment failures can happen anywhere, especially if we neglect to understand the potential for failure. Routinely servicing your equipment will help keep your business thriving by ensuring the safety of your staff and customers.
It's easy to get complacent about performing routine equipment maintenance because we think expensive equipment should be made to last longer or that we'll have more time to do it later. But planned maintenance is key to preventing equipment failures.
When dive shop equipment breaks — which is usually when we least expect it or when we are least prepared to handle the aftermath — it could seriously injure you, your staff or your clients. The costs to repair the resulting damage are often much more than preventive maintenance costs. Avoid unexpected equipment loss, which can hurt your dive operation and your income, by performing appropriate, routine maintenance.
Some common major maintenance items among dive businesses include rental dive gear, cylinders, a filling station (which includes a compressor, filtration system, filling whips and interconnecting pipework), boats and vehicles. Other items we might tend to overlook are fire alarms, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and emergency first aid equipment.
Take time to identify the areas of your dive operation that require
routine maintenance.
The need for maintenance is a function of age, complexity, condition and use. Dive shop equipment needs to be cleaned, lubricated, inspected, serviced and tested. To overcome the obstacles of time, money and resources, create a maintenance plan. Consider all the items of concern, and then determine what basic checks, services and interventions are regularly needed. Identify the steps to take to complete the maintenance, and acquire the necessary tools and materials.
Have essential spare parts for every piece of equipment, and remember that you get what you pay for. Using good, reputable parts ensures more reliable equipment; the slightly higher cost of quality parts is much lower than the cost of a repair or total replacement.
Provide an appropriate workspace with proper lighting and protective equipment; staff safety should always be a priority. Ensure that personnel have the appropriate training to complete the required maintenance procedures, or consider outsourcing equipment maintenance to a skilled professional.
After you have developed a maintenance plan, purchased needed parts and provided an appropriate workspace, create a schedule for performing necessary and regular maintenance on time. Make short, focused schedules well in advance for the less busy times.
A successful maintenance plan means more reliable equipment, higher confidence in its functionality and a better bottom line for your business.
© Alert Diver — Q2 Spring 2019
Avoiding failure at critical times
Diligence will help prevent equipment failures, which keeps people safe and saves money in the long run. It is not always obvious when dive business equipment needs maintenance, and big issues can easily slip under the radar in a busy dive shop. Equipment failures can happen anywhere, especially if we neglect to understand the potential for failure. Routinely servicing your equipment will help keep your business thriving by ensuring the safety of your staff and customers.
It's easy to get complacent about performing routine equipment maintenance because we think expensive equipment should be made to last longer or that we'll have more time to do it later. But planned maintenance is key to preventing equipment failures.
When dive shop equipment breaks — which is usually when we least expect it or when we are least prepared to handle the aftermath — it could seriously injure you, your staff or your clients. The costs to repair the resulting damage are often much more than preventive maintenance costs. Avoid unexpected equipment loss, which can hurt your dive operation and your income, by performing appropriate, routine maintenance.
Some common major maintenance items among dive businesses include rental dive gear, cylinders, a filling station (which includes a compressor, filtration system, filling whips and interconnecting pipework), boats and vehicles. Other items we might tend to overlook are fire alarms, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and emergency first aid equipment.
Take time to identify the areas of your dive operation that require
routine maintenance.
The need for maintenance is a function of age, complexity, condition and use. Dive shop equipment needs to be cleaned, lubricated, inspected, serviced and tested. To overcome the obstacles of time, money and resources, create a maintenance plan. Consider all the items of concern, and then determine what basic checks, services and interventions are regularly needed. Identify the steps to take to complete the maintenance, and acquire the necessary tools and materials.
Have essential spare parts for every piece of equipment, and remember that you get what you pay for. Using good, reputable parts ensures more reliable equipment; the slightly higher cost of quality parts is much lower than the cost of a repair or total replacement.
Provide an appropriate workspace with proper lighting and protective equipment; staff safety should always be a priority. Ensure that personnel have the appropriate training to complete the required maintenance procedures, or consider outsourcing equipment maintenance to a skilled professional.
After you have developed a maintenance plan, purchased needed parts and provided an appropriate workspace, create a schedule for performing necessary and regular maintenance on time. Make short, focused schedules well in advance for the less busy times.
A successful maintenance plan means more reliable equipment, higher confidence in its functionality and a better bottom line for your business.
© Alert Diver — Q2 Spring 2019
Posted in Alert Diver Spring Editions, Dive Safety Tips
Tagged with Equipment care, Faulty equipment, Francois Burman, Failures
Tagged with Equipment care, Faulty equipment, Francois Burman, Failures
Categories
2022
January
February
UNCERTAINTY AFTER DIVING: Case Report and Recommendations #1.UNCERTAINTY AFTER DIVING: Case Report and Recommendations #2UNCERTAINTY AFTER DIVING: Case Report and Recommendations #3UNCERTAINTY AFTER DIVING: Case Report and Recommendations #4DIVERS LOSING ACCESS TO EMERGENCY CAREPreventing Breathing gas Contamination
March
When Should the Rescue Begin?Celebrating Young and Old in Turks and CaicosScuba Cylinder RundownChasing WeedsUnderwater Smartphone PhotographyAir and a SpareUnderwater Photographer: Fred BuyleBuilding Better BalanceLow-Visibility DivingMore Than a Sore ShoulderNot Only for DivingLaryngospasm and AnxietyPulmonary Hypertension and DivingTitan Meets TitanicPool Operation: Know Before you GoThe Argonaut Octopus and the jellyfishShort but Beautiful Lives
April
A Sense of PurposeMexico’s Sardine RunHigh-Pressure Hose injuriesA Hole in My HeartGoing UpConcussion and Return to DivingMarfan Syndrome Recommendations.South African Sardine Run by Walter BernardisSouth African Sardine Run By ProdiveSardine Run Port Elizabeth by ProDiveSardine Run Port St Johns by ProDiveScuba Diving In MauritiusScuba Diving in TanzaniaScuba Diving in the SeychellesScuba Diving in Nosy BeScuba Diving in MalawiScuba Diving in KenyaScuba Diving in South AfricaScuba Diving in Mozambique
May
June
July
Destination AntarticaUnconscious DiverA Little DetailDive Boat SafetyBlenny Watching 101Bonaire Inspires Hope for the Future of CoralThe Secret to Deep Freediving: Tips from 3 Female World Record HoldersEnsuring Safety in Freediving CompetitionsFour Tips For Staying Warm While Cold Water DivingAnd They Dived Happily Ever AfterFreediving Is About To Enter A New Era If Oxama Has Its SayGET BENT!The Joys and Challenges of the DeepUnderstanding The Secrets of Deep Freediving: Tips from Three National Record Holders
2021
March
Old Habits Die HardSave a Diver, Save YourselfCylinder SafetyUndercover CrabsReef safe sunscreenPhysics, Biophysics and Decompression SicknessModels and Marine LifeSunscreen and CoralCristina Mittermeier: Commitment to ConservationDiving After a StrokeCurrent DivesThis Bites: Prevention TreatmentEnvironmental Considerations for Disinfection