Does Your Diving Board "Squeak"?

One question we often get at Springboards and More is "My diving board is squeaking -- what is the problem"?

The first thing you should do if your diving board is making strange noises is to do a visual inspection (while somebody is bouncing on the board) and try to determine from where the noise is coming. Is it the board itself or is it from the fulcrum area? Perhaps the hinge area? Maybe the guard rails? Could it be where the stand is bolted to the pool deck? Could it be a combination of some of these?

Often times, it is difficult to determine because noise travels so fast, it can be hard to pin point.

If you can isolate the noise, you should make the necessary adjustments to the fulcrum, guard rails, stand, etc. If you CANNOT isolate the noise, I would suggest you oil the hinges. Yes, that is correct -- oil the hinges. A Duraflex hinge has a "male" and "female" part that are held together with a (hinge) "pin" that is surrounded by four plastic Nyliners ("bushings") and an "O" ring at either end of the hinge pin to keep it from sliding out of the hinge.

You will notice that Duraflex hinges have a small hole in the center of the "male" portion. This is where you insert oil into the hinge assembly. (The Duraflex factory suggests 3 in 1 Oil). The hinges should be oiled every time you grease the fulcrum (about 2x per month). Every time the board is bounced, the hinge pin pivots inside the Nyliners and Hinge. If you do NOT oil the hinges, the (plastic) Nyliners (bushings) start to dry out and as the board is bounced, the hinge pins have difficulty pivoting inside the Nyliners and this is often times where you get the squeaking sound you hear when the board is bounced.

If the problem has persisted for quite some time, it is very possible that the Nyliners have cracked or broken and you may need to replace the hinge pin, the Nyliners and the "O" rings (aka the Hinge "Guts" Kit -- sold exclusively by Springboards and More).

Regardless of what needs to be done, remember the four "P's" and one "M" of diving board maintenance: Proper Maintenance Prevents Poor Performance (of your equipment).

How To Grease A Duraflex Fulcrum Assembly

A simple yet often overlooked or incorrectly performed diving equipment maintenance task is that of greasing your Duraflex Fulcrum Assembly and Slide Tracks. If done properly and routinely, you will notice that more dives get done during practice and your diving meets will run quicker – all because the fulcrum can be easily moved by all divers. As most coaches know, there is nothing that slows down a practice or a meet more than a fulcrum that does not move easily. Every diving coach should know and understand simple equipment maintenance tasks and none is easier than this one. Here is what you need and how to do it.

REQUIRED ITEMS / TOOLS:

Grease Gun (Duraflex Item PM110)
3 ounce tube of Duraflex Mystik JT-6 Grease (Duraflex Item PM111)
Bag of rags or old towels
Paint thinner, WD-40 or other “spray-on” grease solvent

BI-WEEKLY MAINTENANCE (Time required -- 2 minutes per fulcrum)

Using a can of grease solvent or lubricant, spray the Durafirm Slide Tracks (Duraflex Item C208A). Then, take a rag or old towel and wipe off the Fulcrum Slide Tracks. Be sure to thoroughly clean all FOUR exposed sides of the Fulcrum Slide Tracks – the top, the outside, the inside AND the inside bottom. The grease solvent should clean the Fulcrum Slide Tracks to look virtually brand new. NOTE: The Fulcrum Slide Tracks should be all black -- if you can see any shiny metal or scratches on the Slide Tracks, they should be replaced.

After thoroughly cleaning the Fulcrum Slide Tracks, grease the Fulcrum Assembly and the Slide Tracks. To do this, put two “pumps” of grease into each Roller Block (Duraflex Item #517) by attaching the Duraflex Grease Gun (Duraflex Item PM110) to the “zerk fitting” (grease nipple) that is located near the bottom corner of each Roller Block. Then, put a SMALL amount of grease on each slide track and using your fingers, spread it over all FOUR exposed sides of the Slide Tracks. THREE COMMON MISTAKES: 1) Not cleaning the slide tracks before greasing them. 2) Putting the grease on too thick – in this instance, LESS is better than more 3) Not spreading the grease over all four sides of the Fulcrum Slide Track including the inside bottom.

What Is That Noise?

A phone call I often get from coaches involves the the loud noise coming from their diving equipment when being bounced. In most cases, this is due to one of two things:

1. The FULCRUM is not properly adjusted (either the Anti-Rattle Bolts or the Roller Clamp Lock-Nuts)
2. The HINGE has either missing or broken Nyliners ("bushings") which allows the Hinge Pin to rattle around inside the Hinge.

To adjust the fulcrum, you need a 1/2-inch combination wrench and a 9/16-inch combination wrench. Try to isolate which side of the fulcrum is making the noise and then determine if the Roller Blocks is lifting up and banging on the Slide Track (loose Anti Rattle Bolt) or if the Fulcrum Roller is lifting up and banging on the Roller Block (loose Roller Clamp). When tightening, always do so in quarter-turn increments and then re-test. Do NOT over-tighten.

If the noise is coming from the hinge (you can usually see the hinge pin moving inside the hinge), then you need to replace the Nyliners ("hinge bushings"). To do this, you must first remove the diving board and then knock the pin out of the hinge. Clean or replace the hinge pin and then add the four NEW Nyliners to the hinge and then re-insert the hinge pin. Put new "O" rings on either end of the hinge pin to prevent it from working itself out of the hinge assembly. If you run into problems, feel free to contact me at Springboards and More for trouble-shooting over the phone.