P Valve Problems

[Robert Phillips]

Another reason to stick with the proven Depends!

Sorry, I gave up peeing myself at around 3 or so. And the way I hydrate before a dive, I'm using my valve multiple times. I don't think any diaper in the world could cover that efficiently.

 

[Scuba_Steve]

I can get under just fine. I let the air out and down I go. I just can't put very much air in the suit once I'm down there and certainly not on the way up or else up I go. It's my buddy thats telling me my mask should be at the water line with the air out when I start and therefor I am overweighted. He's telling me that to get down I should invert and swim down.

Disregard your buddy then, he's wrong. Mind you, you don't want to be putting any in on the way up either.

I doubt the squeeze is affecting the valve at all. It may possibly be tugging at the cath a bit if it's not poistioned nicely and you're doing a lot of moving and squirming around (we will wear ours for an entire day and so we do a lot of walking, up and down etc, I think that has contributed a little bit to the odd failure with me but I cannot be entirely sure here).

 

[Rick Murchison]

I use 18lb in a swimming pool, 26lb in a 7 mil. The undies I'm using are the polyester one piece ones you get custom made from the gal on ebay. The dry suit is a Bare xcd2 pro which is a 2mil compressed neoprene and the BC is a Ranger. Still not right??

At 6'6" and 250 there is no way your body alone is 18 pounds positive (well, I guess it could be, but I'd be really surprised)... Something is really (unnecessarily) floaty...
---
As for the catheter, the latex Mentor is a little weak in the "stay on" department. I use the "Freedom Clear" Mentor, which has a much better adhesive and doesn't have near the "blow-off" problem of the latex ones.
Anything will leak if you get a kink in it, so double check routing
Rick

 

[CompuDude]

Whatever happened to good ol' fashioned clothespins?

 

[matt t.]

Whatever happened to good ol' fashioned clothespins?

They're being used to hang the "Depends" out to dry before the next dive.

 

[Waterlover]

Maybe there is to much Johnson wax to allow it to stick

Maybe some wax remover to clean things up and give good clean dry surface

 

[Double_D]

When I was sizing catheters a few years back it was a very disheartening experience, for the sizes were:
Large
Medium
Small
Infant/Geriatric
Sheeesh! Like looking forward to old age ain't bad enough already...
Rick

I recall the anecdote about the Gemini astronauts getting fitted for their EVA suits. There's no way anybody with the Right Stuff could settle for catheter choices like small, medium and large. So the choices were renamed on the form as extra large, immense and unbelievable.

Your mileage may vary.....

 

[Rick Inman]

Do yourself a favor and do a search on this and read all the threads - including the complete one on TDS. I've had blow-offs, but don't no 'mo.

Dump the Mentors (don't know about Rick's "Clears")and get the Wide Bands.

Don't go too small - a non-stretched fit secures better.

Clean first. And I mean, right before you put on the jacket. I carry those individually wrapped alcohol swabs and use one when I'm ready to put it on.

Route the hose right. YMMV, but I like the up-and-over routing. IOW, I pull the hose (and what's attached to it) pointing straight up, run the hose in a loop back down and then in a straight shot to the valve. Just the right amount of hose - not too much, not too little - so there's no possibility of kinking.

Prime the system before you descend so it's liquid filled before you put pressure on the system. Even your torso hanging down in the water while on the surface puts some squeeze on it, so the sooner, the better. Not that I'm suggesting you prime the system before you hit the water, like on the beach, on in the parking lot, on on the dock, or on the boat...

Control the flow. Go nice and easy... get a good, even stream. Don't try to open the hydrant all at once.

And last of all, if your standing in four feet of water with some other divers who are rinsing their masks in the water around you...

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I envy you all, every last one of you. Able to pee subsurface and all.

 

[Pearldiver07]

I can get under just fine. I let the air out and down I go. I just can't put very much air in the suit once I'm down there and certainly not on the way up or else up I go. It's my buddy thats telling me my mask should be at the water line with the air out when I start and therefor I am overweighted. He's telling me that to get down I should invert and swim down.

He's on the right track, but you don't need to invert and kick. You should be able to exhale and easily descend.

If you're having to fin or inflate to stay at the surface with a near-empty tank and no air in the BC (and minimal in the suit) you're too heavy. Likewise, in the pool you should have no air in the BC and a slow, comfortable exhale should allow for a nice descent with a near-empty tank. If you're finning to stay up rather than using breath control, you're too heavy.

Most divers I met who make a claim to need serious weight in order to descend are actually finning without even realizing it. Try your descents with your feet crossed at the ankles. You may well find that you drop quite nicely.

Of course, uncross your ankles once you're dropping, you'll already know if it was the finning or not by then.

Remember, the more air you put in that suit, the more volatile it will be with regard to changes in depth (larger bubble = larger changes per foot).