Autoinflating drysuit

[Randy43068]

Have you checked the 1st stage IP?

I would do this. Check the IP to make sure it's good. Then I'd take the valve apart and clean it. If the IP is good, there is most likely sand or dirt in the drysuit valve.

If the IP is high, then the first stage needs to be serviced.

 

[Randy43068]

or... disconnect the inflator hose alltogether and have him eat a lot of beans a couple of hours before the dive.

 

[SteveAD]

One quickie field expedient fix I have found that will often work on a sticky or freeflowing inflator (bc or drysuit) is to take a mouthful of clean water, stick the chrome inflator nipple in your mouth, depress the power inflator button and blow the water throught the valve. On a drysuit your want to make sure to take precautions to prevent wetting the inside of the suit. This method will usually knock out grit or salt deposits and salvage a dive, but should be followed by a thorough clean and lube when you get home.

 

[Randy43068]

One quickie field expedient fix I have found that will often work on a sticky or freeflowing inflator (bc or drysuit) is to take a mouthful of clean water, stick the chrome inflator nipple in your mouth, depress the power inflator button and blow the water throught the valve. On a drysuit your want to make sure to take precautions to prevent wetting the inside of the suit. This method will usually knock out grit or salt deposits and salvage a dive, but should be followed by a thorough clean and lube when you get home.

Hey, I like that idea! Thanks for sharing it.

Randy

 

[Thalassamania]

You're welcome!

I'd never had one apart either, but parsimony drove me to it!

Maybe I'll coin a new phrase: while "Necessity is the Mother of Invention", "Parsimony is her aphrodisiac".

Dave C

I got spoiled with a draw full of replacement parts, luckily I saved the ones I replaced and now I know what to do with them the next rainy day. Again, thanks.

" There is nothing worse than being ashamed of parsimony or poverty. " - Titus Livius

 

[300bar]

I would do this. Check the IP to make sure it's good.

If the IP is high, then the first stage needs to be serviced.

Sorry just don't see why.

If IP is off(way to high)drysuit valve will not be affected.
Second stage will freeflow,but inlet valve will not.
Inlet valve will have only radial forces,while second stage forces are on the axes,and therefore are prone to a freeflow.

If IP is high,yes get it serviced.

As for the autoinflation,just take the thing apart,clean and lube and put back together.That should solve the problem.

 

[lamont]

We tried to dive today, and Peter's suit was apparently autoinflating. We tried unhooking the drysuit hose and reconnecting it -- no joy. We tried cycling the valve manually a number of times, but a small leak persisted.

Any ideas as to what might be wrong, and is there anything we can do about it, short of either replacing the valve or sending the suit to the shop?

That happened to me and somehow a piece of gunk had gotten inside the inflator. Disassembling and reassembling it fixed it.

 

[lamont]

Sorry just don't see why.

If IP is off(way to high)drysuit valve will not be affected.
Second stage will freeflow,but inlet valve will not.
Inlet valve will have only radial forces,while second stage forces are on the axes,and therefore are prone to a freeflow.

If you are diving argon, there's no second stage hooked up to your inflation bottle...

I'm not sure if Peter dives argon or not, but lots of people up here do...

 

[300bar]

If you are diving argon, there's no second stage hooked up to your inflation bottle...

I'm not sure if Peter dives argon or not, but lots of people up here do...

Story stays the same,in the drysuit inlet valve there are only radial forces,therefore the inflator will not autoinflate due to to high IP.In the case of argon there always should be a overpressure relieve valve.
i.e. a second stage like valve.

 

[lamont]

Story stays the same,in the drysuit inlet valve there are only radial forces,therefore the inflator will not autoinflate due to to high IP.In the case of argon there always should be a overpressure relieve valve.
i.e. a second stage like valve.

okay, i've got more caffeine in my system and i'm parsing you correctly now...

didn't know that...

anway, i did take a sliver of something like eelgrass out of my inflator once which solved an auto-inflation issue...