Drysuit maintenance - Aaargh!!!!

[raviepoo]

OK, so now I have the suit. I've been diving in it. It fits. It's dry. I'm happy.

After I got back from the beach dive yesterday I soaked it in fresh water, then left it hanging inside out to dry. When I went to turn it right side out again - EGAD! Some tiny bits of sand were still clinging to my pristine, tight-weave, nylon legs!!!! The horror!

So, it went back in for another soak, and this time I hung it right side out. I don't see any sand but I'm still worried that tiny bits of it are there, destroying the water-tight integrity of the material.

I waxed the zipper. No worries there. But then I re-read the manufacturer's instructions about the latex seals. If I put silicone over a contaminant I will be trapping the contaminant under the silicone!!! EDAG!!!!! What if a tiny bit of my neck sweat remains under the silicone, eating away the life of my precious seal?

I'm paralyzed. I'm afraid to store the suit. I'm afraid to silicone the seals. I'm afraid not to silicone the seals.

Am I being ridiculous? Should I just roll the damned thing up, throw it in it's bag, and leave it in the closet until next weekend?

Could some of you seasoned, old, cold-water salts reassure me that my rubber won't rot?

On a happy note, it sure is nice to be warm and dry while everyone else is freezing their keister in neoprene.

 

[Dryglove]

I dont rinse the inside of my suit everytime i use it. I'll usually rinse it after every 3-4 dive trips unless it starts to smell sooner

I wash my latex seals in a mild solution of baby shampoo and water. Be sure to rinse well and towel dry. After that coat with talc or silicone whatever your manfacturer suggests. Be sure to keep your latex away from car fumes, ozone, etc to make them last as long as possible.

Last but not least take good care of that zipper as it is very expensive to replace. Wax often and keep it clean of sand and your undergarment.

 

[ColdH20diving]

After diving I hang my dry suit up and use a hose to rinse off the gunk. My suit is made of compress neoprene so I use a drysuit shampoo to break down the oils, salts etc. After a good rinsing I let hang, out of direct sun light, until dry. I then apply seal saver to the latex seals and wax the zipper before storing. I have an extra bedroom so I hang the suit in the closet. I've had my suit for a couple years now and it still looks new.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I rinse the outside of the suit off in the shower when I get home and the inside only if it is dirty.

I use talc on the seals religeously before every dive to help slide them on without stressing the seal and use talc again after it's dry and ready to go into the storage bag. The zipper gets waxed before every dive day as they are expensive to replace.

Storing the suit in a bag is a good idea as it protects it from uv and ozone. Don't leave it near a propane heater, water heater, etc as the fumes can cause problems. It needs to be dry though before going in the bag, or it will start growing a nice crop of mold and mildew.

There are pros and cons to using a silicone based protectant on the seals. On the one had they may extend the life of the seal, but on the other, if they or the suit have been siliconed anytime in the distant past, it is damn hard to get anything to stick when you are attaching new seals. I just stick with talc and call it good. Latex wrist seals are fairly easy to fix on a do it your self basis. Neck seals are a little more difficult.

A dry suit hanger is a good investment and lets a shell type suit the suit hang by the boots while drying without stressing things. A neoprene dry suit can be folded in half over a piece of 1 1/2 - 2 inch pvc pipe. It keeps the weight of the suit from stretching anything when it's wet and heavy and prevents it from getting a crease which in time will end up being a leak.

I think everybody is nervous about there first new horrendeously expensive drysuit, but they are tougher than they look.

 

[mntdiver]

I've been using corn starch to slip into my latex and neoprene seals in a picnic salt or pepper shaker (you only need one). You know, the ones that have the snap top lids. Nuthin against talc, just another product that works great. I think it started when I was packing for a trip a long time ago and I couldn't find my tube of talc and there was the corn starch in the kitchen cabinet right next to the pound of parafin canning wax... Hmmm... A whole pound of zipper wax...