P-Valve Sterilization

[Anti-Hero]

After reading some particularly unnerving threads about UTIs caused by dirty p-valves I wanted to ask the medical professionals if my cleaning method was sound.

I am currently flushing the valve / plumbing with a 1:4 solution of Listerine - water. Is that enough to disinfect, or should I be using something stronger, as in either a higher ratio of listerine to water, or something like a commercial disinfectant or bleach?

 

[Saturation]

Listerine is not very effective is killing the bacteria that inhabit the urinary tract, or sea or fresh water. A 5% solution of bleach is best, a strong solution is 10% bleach. Please check if the tubing material is safe to use with bleach. Generally you simply rinse it on, leave for a 1-2 minutes, 20 is best if you can, then flush with clean water. You can disconnect all the tubing, soak it in a bleach solution for 20 minutes enough to cover the tubing, then soak in pail of fresh water to rinse out all the bleach, the flush with fresh water before storage.

For parts that cannot be removed from the dry suit, such as the fixed portion of the valves, you can use a less corrosive disinfectant but generally a thorough water rinsing then a complete drying or exposure to UV light, like sunlight can do the trick. The key is drying.

UTI from pee valves is uncommonly reported. While many think nothing of it, why suffer the treatments and possibly the complications, when the whole disease can be avoided with good hygiene?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

When doing this do you go by the same rules as when using a bleach solution for anything else in that it should be used in a certain time frame. ie the solution is not something you make up and store for a year. And could 70% isopropyl alcohol be used instead. I'm a little leery of running bleach thru onto the black leg of my drysuit! My suit just got sent to have the valve installed and a minor leak looked into.

 

[CompuDude]

Don't most people just use vinegar?

 

[crpntr133]

Never heard of bleach. Everyone I know of uses vinegar. A water bottle with the proper nipple in the cap makes life a lot easier. Just be sure and mark it as vinegar or someone might drink it.

 

[SteveAD]

Anyone who drinks from the unlabled bottle stored with my p-valve supplies deserves what they get.

 

[crpntr133]

Anyone who drinks from the unlabled bottle stored with my p-valve supplies deserves what they get.

I have seen them on the side rail of a truck and almost get picked up. We started using a strip of tape around it. Just peeling the label wasn't enough.

 

[Anti-Hero]

I think I'd rather use vinegar than bleach due to the oxidation and bleaching that could occur.

Now the question is: White vinegar or Malt vinegar.

 

[Tanked Monkey]

Malt vinegar tastes better

 

[Jim Lapenta]

My halcyon valve came with a little bottle for just that purpose. Hell I'm betting that bottle is worth about 100 bucks of the 150 my wife paid for the valve. Surprised it doesn't have a Blue H on it!