damn neck seal!

[Durg1]

Could someone please help me out on this one! I have a pro vsn 1100 gates/hunter drysuit but the neck seal keeps letting in water. On the surface it feels fine, even a little tight, and i checked for holes, if I try a tighter neck seal, it would be too tight.
I heard somewhere that if you get a long hood h34r: that goes down to your shoulders it might solve the problem? does any one have any experiences like this? The seal is a NEW latex rubber one.

Thanks
Durg

 

[jonnythan]

Try moving it so it sits lower on your neck. Could be that moving your head around underwater stretches your neck away from the seal and lets in some water.

Does it come in the front, back, or side?

 

[Durg1]

So much water comes in that its difficult to tell what side it gets in! I think it might be the front as the front of my jumper in usually wetter than the back. By the time a 30 to 40 min dive is over, i'm saturated!

 

[gerryw]

Try a cotton shirt that really shows water and jump in the pool for a few minutes.
When you get out, even a few drops of water will show clearly.
After a normal dive, it would be hard to tell where the leak is as there is too much water.
Gerry

 

[Mverick]

Gates Pro VSN 1100. And if you put to much air in it. It vents at the neck seal. I leave my valve Full open. And don't have that problem then. I have the tall valve. Not short. I also have the Full hood on it.

Try not using as much air in your suit. Use your thermals to keep you warm. And just enough air in the suit to keep the squeeze off.

With my valve full open. I fill my suit to knock out the squeeze. If I overdo it. The valve vents it. And to be honest. I have plenty of air in the suit this way. If Head up position. Legs get a little squeeze. Horizontal. All is fine.

I also don't use my Dry suit as a BC. I use my BC for that. Only reason I add air is to knock off the squeeze.

By the way, Suit is tough as hell. I've used it in River Rescue work and Recreational diving. Never a hole. Had it for 4-5 years and haven't had to replace a seal yet.

By the way, is the new seal a Gates? My seal is tight also. Probably to tight. But I like it that way. The Gates is a Bellows style. Put it lower on your neck. Then when you move it moves with you. And wont slide down your neck.

 

[spurtill]

Does your suit fit properly? A firlend had a similar problem but his suit was a little small. When he moved in a certain direction the material of the suit pulled the neck seal away from the back of his neck and he got flooded.

Other than that, same as everyone else, try pulling the neck seal down further on your neck, and obviously don't keep twisting your head

Cheers,

S

 

[Uncle Pug]

I just had a neoprene neck seal put on one of my trilaminate suits and sure like it. No gapping open when I tip my head down or up and it kept my neck warmer as well. However my right knee was soaking wet after a 62 minute dive!

 

[Rick Inman]

Maybe you should rename this thread, Dam neck seal!!
Here's a little something from another thread:

There are a couple of little tricks you can do with your seals to tighten them up.
For the neck seal, if you're not already tucking it down inside your suit, you should try it that way. Just a tiny air bubble up there will clamp off the seal, just remember not to be twisting yer head around all over the place.
An attached hood makes all the difference in the world.

 

[JohnF]

Try moving it so it sits lower on your neck. Could be that moving your head around underwater stretches your neck away from the seal and lets in some water.

Does it come in the front, back, or side?

I had a heckuva time figuring out why my chest was wet after some dives. I thought it was the inlet valve being intermittently dicky. Then it hit me one day. The water was coming in the neck seal when I tilted my head back too far trying while staying horizontal and looking up (or just trying to keep my back arched enuf for those double 72's). With that in mind I've decided I probably cut the neck seal back a little farther than necessary (but it sure is comfy this way and easy to doff & don).

It does help tucking the neck seal down lower on my neck but it doesn't always stay that way. The only real solution appears to be to either keep my chin tucked into my chest which is awkward when maintaining a horizontal attitude, or to install a new seal and trim it a tad less aggressively.

JohnF