Drysuit Questions

[Rolobingo]

Hey everyone...

I purchased, second hand, a dui tls350. Never been in a drysuit before. Wasn't sure whether or not to take a class, read many mixed reviews on the quality and value of them. So I decided to give it a go in a 12' pool.

since the pool is 85f, i wore only a t-shirt and long underwear beneath the suit.

Pretty comfortable with it from the get go. Practiced disconnecting the hose, recovering from feet high ascent, and general control and weight tuning.

Here are my concerns;

first, im not sure the exhaust valve is operating properly. it doesnt seem to rotate cleanly from closed to open. It sometimes makes strange noises and i have no idea what position its in, so i turn it more and it makes more noises.
other times if im gentle, theres a range of about 100 degrees where it makes smooth quiet, even clicks. If you turn it beyond this range it seems to ride over and make the louder noises. god, what a horrible description... the valve does seem to work though, turn it clockwise and the suit will hold more air before venting. just want to know if this operation sounds normal or shoukd i replace it?

The dui manual and padi say to dive with the valve wide open. i find that when i was hovering, with my arms out front, parallel to the bottom, all the air would just vent out. Do you just keep your arms down when on the bottom? or does having a real undergarment on change the way this works..

So to sum it up... how does a perfectly functional exhaust valve behave? and, where do you keep it set while diving?

was the air all venting out due to bad technique, lack of undergarment, or bad valve?

Thanks so much

Roland

 

[spectrum]

Sounds like a lack of training... Seriously, get a mentor or take a course. Playing in a shallow pool and diving cold water with a garment are 2 different deals. You don't know what you don't know and Q&A instruction will be riddled with gaps.

A wide open valve will vent nearly all air from the high point If you trimmed to put the valve largely high then it will vent.

Pete

 

[Rolobingo]

Hey Pete, i may or may not take the class. Leaning towards not however. Read the book, watched the dvd, read dui manual. Plan on doing shallow, somewhat confined dives, with more experienced people if possible. Taken enough classes to have picked up the routine; spend inordinate amount of time telling you what you have already read, and re read. I knew i was gona get a bunch of people saying "take the class" and i might, believe me when i tell you that im not reckless or foolhardy. just dont feel like paying hundreds for the pieces im missing... Thanks very much for your response.

R

 

[PhASe]

Ditto above comment. There are "tricks" to diving a dry suit that are hard to covey via forum. My students learn to dive with valve full open and when taught properly their suits hold air when they need it and have the capability to dump large amounts when needed. Take a class, its quick, informative, and will make your drysuit diving experience far more enjoyable.

 

[al248005]

Ya I would agree to take a course. I took a course and I was able to vent fine in a pool; however when I hit open water and the tank was fully drained down it was a little more of a challenge to vent on ascent while maintaining a safe ascent rate. It is a lot easier to vent without any undies on due to the fact that the air has a direct line to the valve whereas with undies on you have to move the "bubble" around the undies to the highest point. Just be patient with it; the more you dive in it and the more comfortable you will get with it.

 

[Dsix36]

Oh hell, a drysuit class is not needed for everybody. With just a bit of information and help from a buddy, all that is really needed from there is simple progressive dives to build up experience.

Practice feet overhead recovery, lost buoyancy of suit, stuck inflator, and you should be fine. Just do some simple shallow dives get used to it. If you have any friends that dive dry, they can help too.

Remember that a leak in cold water can make for a very bad dive and proper undergarments can make a world of difference.

Make sure that you can vent the suit easily upon assent. Emergency procedure may be to go vertical and pull your neck seal open to vent it, this will let in the water too so it is best not to.

 

[Rolobingo]

Thanks for your responses!

So, how does a perfectly functioning exhaust valve behave when you operate it, i mean in my living room. like i wrote, mine does some strange things. I need to address this whether or not professional instruction is procured..

R

 

[al248005]

The cold water does make a difference....cold water in some states can be 60. Cold water to myself is water is in the mid 30's. The colder the water you dive in the slower your reaction time will be.

---------- Post added December 18th, 2012 at 10:04 PM ----------

I have a brand new DUI..about a month old. Turning the valve counterclockwise till it stops means its fully open. My valve when you turn it also makes a clicking sound.

 

[Rolobingo]

The cold water does make a difference....cold water in some states can be 60. Cold water to myself is water is in the mid 30's. The colder the water you dive in the slower your reaction time will be.

My next dives, class or not (the class would be held there), would be dutch springs PA.

in march/ april its probably 50 on the surface, 40 at 60'

 

[al248005]

If its in March theres a chance you will see temps in the 30's at depth depending how cold of a winter we have. In Ohio right now I'd say temps are somewhere near mid-low 40s at around 40 ft and it really hasn't been that cold yet.