Cleaning Your Gear

[ReefHound]

I would give the OP a break - he's probably still new and just enjoys messing around with his gear.

I rinse well and hang to dry, takes about 30 minutes after a FW dive and 60 minutes after SW because I rinse a little more thoroughly. After some springs/caverns I consider that the rinse.

I want my gear to stay in good shape, primarily for safety but also to maximize lifespan and/or resale value. But I see no sense in spending hundreds of additional hours over time to eek out a few more years of equipment life.

Scuba equipment is really pretty durable. Clean the BC bladder, keep the regulator innards dry, rinse the neoprene, that's the main things. Just as important is to store in a cool, dry location out of sunlight.

 

[dave4868]

For saltwater shore dives, I bring about 12 gallons of freshwater with me for soaking the camera between dives, then use it for soaking the gear immediately at the dive site after the last dive.

Usually, a 30-minute freshwater soak in a plastic tub right at the dive site is all my gear needs, since I don't have a neoprene wetsuit.

In the following order: camera (separate soak), regulators (separate rinse), bcd (rinse interior with clean water, then soak exterior), trilam shell drysuit (soak), then everything else.

If soaked right away, before the saltwater has a chance to dry, I've found that 30 minutes in freshwater is sufficient to get rid of any taste of salt, even on the neoprene hood or crushed neoprene socks of the drysuit.

If the gear didn't get rinsed right away or if it partially dried, I'll soak it for an hour or so.

Occasional taste-tests have convinced me that this is enough to remove the salt quite well!

Greater amounts of neoprene would probably require more water or changing the water at least once, I'm sure.

Taste-tests apply only to non-contaminated waters, though....

Dave C

 

[jonesbf]

I rinse on site or at the first fresh water then store in my dry bag until I get it home. Then it gets a soak in the mud sink for about 20 minutes w/ some ivory soap. I rinse the inside of my bc about 3 times w/ the ivory soap solution. Then everything gets a good rinse and hung to dry. I remove the dump valve and inflator hose from my bc to let air get in. Usually takes about 3 days to get the interior of the bc fully dry.

 

[tlawler]

If I'm diving salt, I try to rinse it off on site as well as possible, then when I get home, I throw it in the pool for an hour or two, then pull it out, rinse it off with a hose, dry it and put it away. If I'm diving springs, I just make sure I don't have any mud, sand, or weeds stuck to it, then hang it out to dry.

 

[Trickie Dickie 99]

what are you diving in that requires 15 washes??? (3 days x 5 tubs of water per day) a toxic waste dump or a swamp???

He's at Roxby Downs.....say no more, my cousin works there.

http://www.ccsa.asn.au/nuclearsa/a5.html

 

[Trickie Dickie 99]

Do you clean your gear? If so how? For how long?

I soak all my gear in a bath for about 3 days changing the water around 5 times a day, then hang it out on the line.

What about you?

KierenConnell

I have a big blue plastic 44 Gallon drum (food grade from the local "pure" fruit juice manufacturer).

I reconnect my regulators to cylinders, turn the air on, stand em upright in the 44, put the hose on to fill it up so the regulator first stages are completely covered, then let them soak for 30 mins or so, go and have a nice cuppa tea, or if the sun's over the yard arm, maybe a beer or a refreshing gin & tonic.

Once that's done, I fish out the cylinders, and let them drain, then just chuck everything else in the 44, give it a quick swill, then it's out to drain and auir dry, or wetties/drysuit go on the washing line to drip dry overnight, then they are hung up in the garage to air dry.

BCD? Just give it a swish, might occasionally rinse out the innards once in a while. Main danger is salt crystals forming and cutting into the fabric but if it's always wet inside, this can't happen as it never dries out enough.

I'm pretty anal about the regs though, salt drying out in them is a real no-no, hence the long soak, sometimes I leave em in overnight, the longer the better.

You should NEVER chuck a reg in the water unpressurised, as anything pushing on the diaphragm/purge button, even water pressure if it's deep enough will tend to allow water into the IP hose etc through the sercond stage, so I'm always pretty careful about this.

As per Almity wife, although we aren't in drought here in Tassie, it get's dry but we've water aplenty in our cold clear rivers, I usually siphon the contents of the 44 onto the veggie patch.

Every 6 weeks or so, I remove the boots from my steel cylinders to check for rusting etc.

 

[SkullDeformity]

I use the "taste test" too Dave. But I thought it was wierd so I didn't bring it up, don't wanna be called a dork you know.

 

[muddiver]

Rinse gear? My commercial stuff is covered in coal tar and oil, it will never corrode.

I rinse my gear after a day of diving as soon as possible with fresh water for about ten minutes. If it is still wet when you go to rinse you will probably get most of the salt out.

I also use to plastic 55 gal drum technique when I dive locally.

 

[muddiver]

what the...... we have a drought here (dont you in SA??) so no way would i waste so much water (unless you collect and recycle then snaps to you)

we have a bathtub near our lockup with water faucet

wash gear in fresh water thoroughly then into the lockup it goes... i can do 2 sets of gear in about 20/30mins i guess

then our neighbour uses the water in the tub to water his gardens by bucket

what are you diving in that requires 15 washes??? (3 days x 5 tubs of water per day) a toxic waste dump or a swamp???

I work for the water distric, I'll turn him in on Monday!

 

[diver 85]

Do you clean your gear? If so how? For how long?

I soak all my gear in a bath for about 3 days changing the water around 5 times a day, then hang it out on the line.

What about you?

KierenConnell

Same here EXCEPT I soak in the tub for 2 days changing the water once @ the end of day one.....(has worked for 22 years)....Cleaning our 'stuff' is somewhat exaggerated @ times IMO...My son who worked(as a DM, instructor, & UW videographer) on Roatan for 3 and a half years, only dipped his stuff in the fresh water tank all resorts have @ their docks daily. He never 'lost' any of his gear due to corrosion or what you would think would happen--made 3400 dives there during that time, only had to replace his wetsuits(they went thru them like candy there) & a BC(broke a backplate on his Scubapro doing a giant stride off the bow of the Wind Dancer & couldn't get a new one till returning to the states months later).......


Edit.....Forgot, wife washes the skins & shorties in Woolite on a gentle cycle....I've got a set of skins that have made about 450 dives(bought sometime about '90 or '91) with I'm thinking, of course I 'upgraded' them with a shortie to cover some of the holes about 6 years ago....lol....