-> 1. Never skip the annual servicing, even if you are only an
-> "occasional" diver.  If any water has gotten into that first
-> stage, it will cause corrosion and eventual failure if left
-> uncleaned.
Good idea, but there's more to it than this.  If you dive only clean
fresh water, such as springs here in Florida, you can PROBABLY stretch
your servicing out a bit.
-> 2. Whenever the regulator is dismounted from a scuba cylinder
-> and de-pressurized, blow out the dust cap with air from the tank you
-> are removing the regulator from . . .
Good suggestion.  Please note, this says blow out the dust cap, not blos
out the regulator.  If you're not careful, it's quite easy to force
water into a rebulator while trying to blow it out.
->. . . and install the dust cap immediately.  Regularly inspect the
-> dust cap for cracks and missing o-ring.
You bet.
-> 3. Avoid dunking a regulator first stage when it is not pressurized,
-> rinse it carefully with a hose, taking care to not blast water under
-> the dust cap.
This is the only one you got wrong.  By all means soak your regulator,
first and second stages.  Just rinsing them off will not disolve salt
which may have dried internally between the dive and the rinse.  What
you don't want to do is push the purge valve while the regulator is not
pressurized.  Even this is not serious since fresh water is much less
damaging than salt.
-> 4. Don't use air fill stations of questionable or dubious quality, a
-> tank full of contaminated air can damage your lungs, not to
-> mention your regulator.
You didn't go far enough.  There's one less diver in the Florida Keys
because the shop who filled his tank had a filter problem and got carbon
monoxide contamination beyond fatal levels.  The CO didn't kill him, but
the too rapid trip back to the surface did (embolism).
-> 5. When mounting a regulator to a tank, check to make sure that both
-> the tank valve outlet and reg inlet are clean and dry, as
-> any water or other contaminents will be blown right into the
-> regulator innards as soon as you crack the tank valve.
Right again.
-> 6. Keep an eye on charter boat crews. Most of these personnel will
-> handle your equipment as carefully as you do yourself, but
-> occasionally there are inexperienced or trainee deckhands who may not
-> be completely familiar with accepted ways of handling a regulator so
-> as to keep water out of it.
You're dreaming if you think anyone cares for your equipment as much as
you do.
BTW, there's a good chance that your rinse rather than soak system is
the reason for the salt build up.  Obviously, I was not there, but most
regulators allow salt water far enough inside to at least reach the
diaphram.  Salt built up in this area is not a good thing.
Lee
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