Rig maintenance routines for frequent divers (multiple times a week)

Hello all

I shore dive 3 to 4 times a week with my "compact" rig, and I'm currently upgrading to a full-frame rig. It's had me thinking about maintenance routines, especially for those of us who dive quite frequently.

My current rig routine is fairly simple: I make sure to keep the glass wet after the dive, give everything a quick rinse at the car before loading. When I get home, I soak the housing, lights and dive computer / electronics in fresh water for at least an hour (overnight if it's a late night dive) while pressing all the buttons and working all the knobs and levers.

I try to loosen my arm clamps regularly, but I don't completely disassemble them every time. I used to, but with a heavy dive schedule it's just too labour-intensive. These days I simply loosen them while rinsing. If one starts to stiffen up, I'll take it apart, give it a white vinegar rinse to remove any salt build-up, then finish by a wipe using a WD-40 coated towel on the screw thread.

I try to give the rig a quick run under the shower after soaking (freeflowing water). When soak is finished and the rig is drying, I blow on all the glass surfaces (port and diopters), then finish with two microfibre cloths.
I've had some etching on my current port despite being careful. It could have been from the time I was living in East Bali, where the rinse water wasn't great, but because of that, I'm even considering a final rinse with purified water on the glass for the new rig. Not a great fan of the idea, but would really like to avoid this.

For the housing O-ring, my current housing is a Nauticam clamshell (NA-LX10) with a small main O-ring. Before each diving day I remove it, clean it, and clean the grooves, and re-lubricate the o-ring while checking it running it through my fingers to check for sand, hair or anything unusual (I'm more of a feeler for this).

My new housing (NA-A1) has a larger main O-ring and isn't a clamshell design, which I understand is a little more forgiving.
I'm wondering whether it's worth continuing to remove, inspect and relubricate it before every diving day, or whether a careful visual inspection is sufficient if everything looks clean and there was no major sand exposure, with full removal at regular intervals instead.

I'm also curious about port maintenance. I'll primarily be using the 100mm port on the new set up. If I'm using the same port for several days, removing and reinstalling it every day doesn't seem particularly practical, or even desirable. For those of you who dive multiple times a week, what's your routine for keeping the port O-ring healthy?

One thing I'm also curious about is flip holders. I currently have an AOI double flip on my compact rig, but the full-frame rig will have a Nauticam triple flip that will stay on the 100mm port. I haven't removed the AOI flip since I installed it, but I'm not sure what to do with the new rig. Do people here remove flip holders regularly, or just leave them on?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from those of you who dive frequently. Four dives a week, every week is a bit different from a 10-day liveaboard or diving trip, where you can simply do the best you can on site and then give everything a thorough service once you're home. It's also a little different from weekend diving where the rig will sit for 5 days before the next session.

Look forward to your thoughts and insights!

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by bghazzal