drysuit neck seal leak

[phishphood]

So I think I know the problem here for me. I've been trying to get my drysuit dialed in with regards to weighting. For some idiotic reason, I went with the 'start with less weight and add more every dive' approach. This has led to me having to surface dive to get down to depth and some interesting feelings of suitsqueeze Both dives I've done so far, one with less squeeze than the other, have led to me having a nice wet spot on my undergarments (that phrase just came out wrong...) from neck area. I'm 90% sure there's no leak in the actual suit, just something going on with the neck seal. I'm guessing that when the suit is squeezed up against me w/o enough air in it, it's more likely to pull on the seal when I move my head around. Any thoughts?

 

[fjpatrum]

I had issues on my first two dives (only dry dives so far) of my neck seal "burping" a little and some water getting in at that point. I needed a haircut at the time and my buddies thought maybe that had something to do with it, but once I got it burped there were no problems. Could something similar be happening to you?

 

[Scuba_Noob]

It sounds like the water is entering because you have too little weight and are ascending a little quickly. Drysuits can't dump air extremely fast from the valve alone, so when you ascend too fast and the air expands very quickly, some may be forced out from the neck seal. That's where the 'leak' comes in. I would suggest ascending more slowly and making a conscious effort to lift your valve up and expel air (you can even push around it).

Also, make sure your valve is completely open when ascending. Air will force out your neck seal if your valve is closed and you're ascending.

Make sure the neck is sealed against your neck before you dive - it should be flat without any edges rolled.

Finally, I used to find that my neck seal leaked a tiny bit when I looked up a lot. Changed to silicone, no problems anymore.

 

[Peter_C]

As mentioned above hair on the neck can cause a slow leak. Burping usually causes a fast leak. If unkown I would do a pressure test on the suit.

 

[mdb]

So I think I know the problem here for me. I've been trying to get my drysuit dialed in with regards to weighting. For some idiotic reason, I went with the 'start with less weight and add more every dive' approach. This has led to me having to surface dive to get down to depth and some interesting feelings of suitsqueeze Both dives I've done so far, one with less squeeze than the other, have led to me having a nice wet spot on my undergarments (that phrase just came out wrong...) from neck area. I'm 90% sure there's no leak in the actual suit, just something going on with the neck seal. I'm guessing that when the suit is squeezed up against me w/o enough air in it, it's more likely to pull on the seal when I move my head around. Any thoughts?

phishphood: As usual on Scubaboard you are getting good advice from other divers. Here is an option that is used by many drysuit divers with a similar problem:
Apollo Sports: Dive Gear: Bio Seal

 

[TSandM]

Well, one question is whether the neck seal fits or not. Properly fitted neck seals should be mildly uncomfortable on land. If the seal lies softly on your skin, it's too loose, and it will leak when you move your head.

 

[Pook-60]

Howdy

I've used a method best described by Uncle Pug near the bottom of this link for a while now. I included the whole conversation to give context of the challenge to manage "squeeze", avoid too much air in your suit (and that unhelpful exchange of air for water) and reach trim efficiently. It may help.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ex...-too-squeezy.html?highlight=uncle+pug+squeeze

Dane

 

[BRT]

One of my buddies was wearing his seal too high on his neck. Moving it down allowed more movement without the seal breaking. He does have a long neck.

 

[al248005]

Also make sure after you burp your suit on the surface, make sure the seal is flat against your neck. I have found the seal wants to roll on my neck before the suit is burped but afterwards it seems to stay put a lot better.