Drysuit care

[Jakeh2o]

I recently bought my first drysuit and have logged 18 dives in 2 weeks since I owned it. I would like to ask everyones advice on general up keep of the dry suit/undergarment. I have read that you should be very careful when washing a tri lam suit as to not get little if any water inside... but when its 75+ in the sun, Im sweating and its staying in the suit. So should I just let the suit air out? Also this may seem a bit naive of me to ask but when you was the undergarment its probably best not to use a dryer and just let it air dry?

 

[flw]

Just give it a rinse off in fresh water and air it, probably not ideally in the full sun if you're somewhere very hot. Getting water inside isn't a big deal, other than it then becomes a damp-suit- it can be awkward to dry out the feet part. I got soaked yesterday, and just turned it inside out and let it dry in the breeze.
keep the zip well lubricated with wax or whatever, and if it's got latex seals on it,make sure it is stored with a bit of powder on them
My suits hang upside down in the garage when not in use, or often just stay in the back of the car in the summer and never dry out comletely

 

[TSandM]

What you do with the undergarment depends on the material of which it is made. Thinsulate should be washed as little as possible, and without soap if possible, because washing destroys the wax coating on the fibers and diminishes their insulating quality. It should be air dried (tumble on air is OK). Polarfleece, on the other hand, can be washed and dried if need be. The 4th Element stuff can also be washed and dried, and I believe the Weezle Hollofil type stuff can be as well. Thinsulate is picky.

 

[skdvr]

After a day of diving for me I dunk my suit in a tub of water a few times. My suit has drygloves so I put them on and then all I have to be careful of is the neck seal. Even then it does not really matter if I get water inside because I flip mine inside out anyway. When it is in the 70's or 80's on the surface and 40's in the water there is going to be a good deal of condensation inside the suit anyway. My suit is usually dry on the inside within about 30 min. Then I flip it right side out and let it dry the rest of the way. After it is dry I wax the zipper and leave it hanging folded over a closet rod with the zipper undone. I would not leave it rolled or folded up in its bag, and I would try to store it in a cool dry place away from fumes from any type of motor.

As far as undergarments go, I like to wear a real thin wicking (dryfit) layer between my undergarments and my skin. I do not feel like I have to wash the undergarments nearly as much that way. TSandM explained the washing well for undergarments. All my garments are fleece and if I wash them I use very little if any detergent and then let them air dry. They can be put into the dryer, but for some strange reason I feel better letting them air dry. Plus by the time they come out of the washer they are pretty dry already (Brand new HE washer).

Glad to hear you are obviously loving your new suit...

Phil

 

[DA Aquamaster]

There is nothing wrong with rinising the inside of the suit - you just need to dry it before you go dive again. This is not overly hard with a trilam as the material dries fast. (Neoprene takes a lot longer)

There are hangers made to hang dry suits by their attached boots and that works. However many divers make their own dryer out of PVC pipe and a suitable fan.

Ditto what TS&M said about undergarments. With my thinsulate I always wear a layer under it to keep perspiration off it and I hang it inside out to air out. It has only needed a few washings in about 10 years.

Use an unscented talc on the seals during storage. It helps protect the neoprene and makes the suit easier to don (putting less stress on the seals). It is easiest to apply with a samll porous bag filled with talc that you then just pat against the seals.

Leaving it rolled (not folded or creased) in the bag is fine and I think helps protect the suit from UV, dirt, oils and ozone (depending on the bag). I have a Diamond trilam I bought in 1993 that thas spent most of it's stored life in the bag with no degradation. Ozone will be produced by electric motors and can also be found around gas appliances, so having your drysuit share the basement with the furnace and water heater is a potentially bad idea. Latext is also quickly softended and degraded by some other chemicals so keeping the suit in the bag minimizes the potential for the seals to be exposed to anything that may harm them.

Keep the zipper well lubricated, Leave the zipper unzipped and be careful how it gets bent anytime it is zipped as sharp bends on a zipped dry suit zipper are bad news.

 

[EMT Scuba]

Just got an ANDY'S and tried it out in the wonderful Quarry yesterday. oh man I am soooo sold on dry suits now! Was warm, and dry, that is so cool to finish a dive and be completely dry under the suit!

I've just read this thread and found the storage advice helpful. I was told after about every 8th dive I should wax my zipper. now does one wax the waterproof AND the outside zippers?

Is there a kit to buy for this?

Thanks!:D

 

[rcontrera]

How often you lube your zipper depends on what kind of lube you use.

If you use paraffin (MaxWax, Zipper-Lube or similar), then lube it every time since it is fairly hard and will flake off with the first use.

If you use a softened beeswax (AGS, ZipperEase, etc.) then every few dives will be good. However, remember that the softened stick can also trap crap so don't drop your suit into the dirt after a dive.


If you use a liquid/cream (YKK ZipLube, ZipCare, liquid soap, etc) then every dive again since it can wash off.

I prefer the ZipperEase stick personally. Make sure that you lubricate both the outside of the teeth as well as the inside and then run your fingers along the teeth to squeeze the lubricant into the teeth and to drag the excess off. An old toothbrush will work great to clean out the old stuff as it collects dust and lint and needs to be replaced.