Drying latex seals

[Arnaud]

I'm pretty careful with my latex seals and use plenty of talc. However, there have been several instances when I left my suit to dry out in the evening (and couldn't use talc because the seals were still wet) only to find the seals glued together in the morning. How do you avoid that?

 

[Bob3]

I hope you're not letting the suit sit out in the sun, the UV rays kill latex, it makes them all gummy...
Just wipe them with a towel, they dry right off.

 

[Arnaud]

No Bob, it's in my bathroom. So, you just dry them off with the towel and put some talc on right after?

 

[BILLB]

Gummy latex seals are a sure sign of deterioration. Using scented talc may accelerate this process. You may also find that these seals will roll up on you and leak too.

Storing your dry suit where is heat and combustion (fuel oil heaters in a basement) may also cause problems. Unfortunately, it is time to change the latex seals.

Washing the seals with hand soap and water may extend the life but they are in a weaken condition and as the Laws of Murphy will prevail, that is the seal will always break at the most inopportune time.

 

[MechDiver]

Arnaud once bubbled...
No Bob, it's in my bathroom. So, you just dry them off with the towel and put some talc on right after?

I've never used talc on my seals and just had to replace them after 6 years. I use the Seal Saver stuff from Trident and soap and water. Like was already said, keep them out of the sun.

MD

 

[trymixdiver]

After washing my suit i hang it up on my Daltons Special PVC dryer. A couple of hours later i go out and wax the zipper and power my seals. IF they are a little wet i just towel them off.

Andy

 

[Arnaud]

Thanks guys! I've bought the blower to build the dryer. I will get the Seal Saver.

 

[ColdH20diving]

I also use Seal Saver, it seems to work great. My current suit is over two years old, the seals still look new. I did read an article stating you should never use silicone products on latex seals, I was surprised to see that Seal Saver contains some silicone. Like others have mentioned keeping your suit stored properly is critical.

 

[BILLB]

Silicone in itself protects latex seals from ozone and other harmful elements. The problem with silicone in my opinion is seal repair /replacement.

Being a dry suit user, there have been times when I had to break out my can of Aqua Seal and repair someones wrist seal (mostly long fingernails cutting through). Seals can be patched easily with Aqua Seal and a piece of used latex material. Duct tape works in a pinch.

If the seals have even the lightest coating of silicone, repairs in the field are next to impossible. The only way I have found to completely remove silicone is MEK and this is nasty stuff that I do not carry with me on dives.

 

[ColdH20diving]

BILLB once bubbled.... The problem with silicone in my opinion is seal repair /replacement.

Thats what I've read, apparently it's difficult to get any thing to bond on latex once it's been treated with silicone. I think from now on I will only apply Seal Saver to the area around the cuff and neck seals. In the past I've used it to coat the entire latex cuff and neck ring.