DC dry gloves - with inner seal or without?

[Hinalo]

I originally installed my DC rings without the inner seal but eventually did them over so that I had inner seals. I wanted the redundancy. I use a short length of 1/8th bungee under the seals to equalize.

 

[Anti-Hero]

I also use the DC dry gloves with the inner seal.

 

[kathydee]

I believe the idea is that you have something small and removable. So if the glove gets flooded not a lot of water is gonna get in (since the opening is small) and if you need to you could take the glove off and remove the tube and reform that seal.

This is logic I am following & it came from a great source .

I wanted the redundancy. I use a short length of 1/8th bungee under the seals to equalize.

I am also using bungee. Took about a 2" piece of bungee and tied an overhand knot in each end. Just slide it under to open the seal a little - the knots keep it in place.

If there was a rip, not much water would leak in. It seems to work well - occasionally you have to move air into/out of the hands by raising them up or down, but it's easy.

I'd like to try the IV tube too just for comparison.

The seals are not any harder to put on with the glove rings - maybe a little easier because of the added tension.

 

[Peter_C]

I believe the idea is that you have something small and removable. So if the glove gets flooded not a lot of water is gonna get in (since the opening is small) and if you need to you could take the glove off and remove the tube and reform that seal.

How many of you have dealt with a flooded glove underwater? I have, and it was easy to address. I dive a CF200 with Viking rings and regular wrist bottle seals from OS Systems. I use the thumb loop of my undies to create a tiny air gap in my wrist seal. When I had a leak in my glove due to a nick I was able to pull the thumb loop for my undies back enough to allow the seal to function as it is supposed too. I continued the dive with a wet glove and was warmer than in wet gloves, since there is no water exchange. I have tested removing the thumb loop a couple of times and have been successful almost every time. I put my arm up in the air to fill it with air, then push my drysuit towards my hand, then grab both the drysuit and my undies and pull towards my elbow. After a couple of tugs it usually seals up the wrist seal.

Otherwise how would you remove the tube underwater? Not sure I could grab through my dry glove and remove anything.

 

[rdjiv]

How big of a deal is it to have the requirement to equalize your gloves? From what I understand, when using the dry gloves with latex seals, the seals act as a one-way valve allowing air to exit into the gloves but not back into the suit. From those with experience, does this occur frequently enough to have a large enough quantity of air in the gloves during ascent to cause glove overexpansion? What other problems might occur without having a removable item keeping the seal open?

 

[buckeye_jeff]

Another vote for inner seal. I dive the 4th Element Arctic Extreme under suit which has elastic thumb loops attached to the selves which I use to equalize the gloves. Once I've got my arms in he suit I remove the loops from my thumbs and just leave them sticking through the seal. With a little practice I found that I can actually pull the shelve of the under suit up through the dry suit, sealing off the wrist without removing the glove.

One word of warning don't forget to take the loops off of your thumbs. I forgot one time and it was amazing how sore my thumps were after the dive from having that elastic loop pulling on them during the dive.

 

[BigHarryDiver]

How big of a deal is it to have the requirement to equalize your gloves? From what I understand, when using the dry gloves with latex seals, the seals act as a one-way valve allowing air to exit into the gloves but not back into the suit. From those with experience, does this occur frequently enough to have a large enough quantity of air in the gloves during ascent to cause glove overexpansion? What other problems might occur without having a removable item keeping the seal open?

I left the inner latex seal intact on mine too. And I don't put anything in the seal like tubing etc.. and have yet to have any discomfort on my hands without a tube to equalize with the suit and still keep warm diving temps in to low 40's. I've only experienced an over expansion on 1 occasion in about 100 dives in the suit. It occurred on the way back up the anchor line toward the boat and didn't cause me any real problem.

 

[fobturbo]

I haven't had issues of over expansion when I didn't have a way for air to flow back & forth, but I did have an issue of not having enough air in my gloves for me to remove them at the end of the dive easily. It was a big PITA to take them off.

How big of a deal is it to have the requirement to equalize your gloves? From what I understand, when using the dry gloves with latex seals, the seals act as a one-way valve allowing air to exit into the gloves but not back into the suit. From those with experience, does this occur frequently enough to have a large enough quantity of air in the gloves during ascent to cause glove overexpansion? What other problems might occur without having a removable item keeping the seal open?

 

[ae3753]

How big of a deal is it to have the requirement to equalize your gloves? From what I understand, when using the dry gloves with latex seals, the seals act as a one-way valve allowing air to exit into the gloves but not back into the suit. From those with experience, does this occur frequently enough to have a large enough quantity of air in the gloves during ascent to cause glove overexpansion? What other problems might occur without having a removable item keeping the seal open?

If you don't equalize your gloves, it'll squeeze. At 33' there will be half the volume as on the surface. At 100' it's 1/4 the volume. So depending on your comfort level and how much dexterity you want, equalization is recommended.

When I'm doing a shallow dive (teaching), I won't put in an equalization string or tube. I have a little more air in my dryglove at the surface, and it'll compress to the appropriate size at depth.

Dry gloves with latex seals do not act as a one-way valve. When you're diving with wet gloves, does air leak out of your latex seals? If so, then it can act like a one-way valve. But I haven't seen this happen.

What can happen is that when diving with wet gloves, you can get water through the latex seals. This usually occurs when you grab hold something or someone. Make a tight fist and take a look at your wrist tendons. See canals? If so, then you can let air pass through your latex seals without a string, tube, or loop.

 

[rdjiv]

If you don't equalize your gloves, it'll squeeze. At 33' there will be half the volume as on the surface. At 100' it's 1/4 the volume. So depending on your comfort level and how much dexterity you want, equalization is recommended.

When I'm doing a shallow dive (teaching), I won't put in an equalization string or tube. I have a little more air in my dryglove at the surface, and it'll compress to the appropriate size at depth.

Dry gloves with latex seals do not act as a one-way valve. When you're diving with wet gloves, does air leak out of your latex seals? If so, then it can act like a one-way valve. But I haven't seen this happen.

What can happen is that when diving with wet gloves, you can get water through the latex seals. This usually occurs when you grab hold something or someone. Make a tight fist and take a look at your wrist tendons. See canals? If so, then you can let air pass through your latex seals without a string, tube, or loop.

Thanks for the info - definitely good points to take away.

I obviously forgot about suit squeeze - its been a while since I've used a dry suit. Thanks for the Boyle's Law refresher.

What I meant by the "one-way valve" analogy was that I thought you could force air into your gloves by increasing your suit pressure. Then I'd imagine you're stuck with air in your gloves which, as you put, can be relieved by flexing a fist and open up an air passageway. Thanks for the hint.