Drysuit Exhaust more difficult then previous suits

[Luke99]

Hey There,

Looking for thoughts from more experienced drysuit divers then myself.

I recently bought a new drysuit, with a si tech exhaust valve, and it seems like I'm really having to work to get it to vent.

On ascents with it fully open, with the valve at the highest point it refuses to exhaust much of any air. The only way I seem to be able to get it to exhaust any significant amount is to raise my arm straight up, let it fill with air, then chicken wing while my right hand squeezes my left shoulder a bit, which then causes it to dump air well. Rinse and repeat this the whole way up.

Previous suits I have rented I have had zero issues with just leaning to the right a bit, raising my left arm and letting the extra air exhaust easily.

The under suit is a bz400, I'm thinking that might be part of the problem, but wanted to get some other opinions or suggestions!

 

[Boarderguy]

Take it apart and clean it. Sounds like the valve isn't working correctly. My sitech dumps easily and quickly and I run it about halfway open. A slight tilt or raising of my elbow and I get a rush of bubbles.

If after reassembling it still doesn't dump then you should contact the suit manufacturer and maybe sitech about getting it replaced.

 

[Imla]

Which suit is it, and where on the arm is the valve located?

 

[davehicks]

Try putting some elastic around your arm & undergarment at the valve position. Sometimes the undergarment can block air flow.

 

[Luke99]

Try putting some elastic around your arm & undergarment at the valve position. Sometimes the undergarment can block air flow.

I did put some tape on the under suit, that didn't seem to make a difference. What do you mean by put elastic around my arm though. Do you mean make a loop of bungie and put outside the suit past the valve on my arm? If so that might be an interesting thing to try, force the air to build up more near the valve then continue past into my forearm.

Just to clarify, I'm getting the bubble to the valve. I have a huge bubble right under the valve and no vent unless I physically squeeze the bubble. (the valve is very much fully open, that isn't a question lol)

Which suit is it, and where on the arm is the valve located?

Its a dive rite 901, the valve is located in the standard location, if you look at the pics at the link below thats where the valve is on mine.

901 Series Drysuit - Dive Rite

Maximum flexibility, superior waterproofness. Lightweight and durable, the 901 Series Drysuit will provide you with guaranteed comfort during your diving adventures. The 901 is made from a trilaminate material that is about thirty percent lighter than common drysuit fabrics while maintaining...

www.diverite.com

@Boarderguy it is very much possible the valve itself is having issues, I may get to the stage of replacement, not sure I trust myself to take the valve apart haha but could try if I can find a video guide.

 

[davehicks]

My wife had an undergrarment that did this, and she used an elastic hair head band. If you tried tape and it didn't help, your valve should be rebuilt or replaced. They usually come off easily so it could be simple to swap it out, but a few brands do glue them in.

 

[lexvil]

I would first suspect the BZ getting material in the way but making sure the valve is working properly is easy enough by removing it and cleaning it, even easier would be to ask your shop where you rented the suits before if you can borrow one of their valves, if you weren’t in Canada I could send you one of my spares but I’m sure they can get you through this.

 

[crofrog]

Take the valve apart and make sure nothing is binding and the spring is seated and not weirdly preloaded.

 

[Luke99]

Just dropped it off at my LDS, hes going to inflate the suit to test the valve.

If he finds that its not auto venting as it should hes going to take the valve apart to check it out.

If no issues maybe its the bz400, but he suggested that perhaps there is too much material for the air to spread out in the shoulder so the pressure isn't getting high enough to vent on its own. I'm skeptical about this because I have dove 6-7 dry suits, all of which fit worse and I didn't have this issue.

 

[crofrog]

If you push on the valve and it vents, it's not the undersuit