Drysuit seal fragility

[NeesiePie]

I'll start off by saying that I don't know a lot about the various types of drysuits and their options. When I borrowed a drysuit from a friend they lectured me with a long list of no-no's, and basically convinced me that even looking crosseyed at the seals would cause them to deteriorate before my very eyes. I bought a used suit (DUI trilam) with latex seals in excellent condition, used it twice - and then my house flooded, the restoration company left the suit in the house with 700 degree heaters going (I was out of town), and ended up manhandling it into a box with a bunch of other stuff. Needless to say, the seals are shot. I'm contemplating whether to replace them - frankly, my friend did such a good job of putting the fear of god into me that I'm spooked by their fragility. I tend to be kind of rough on my gear as it is... exactly how fragile are they in real life? I don't have a need to dive dry very often, and I have nightmare visions of having to replace my seals before every dive.

How fragile ARE seals under normal use and care? Are some more durable than others?

Thanks!

 

[Marie13]

The big thing to remember is to lube your seals before putting on suit. I use pure talc, but some use diluted baby shampoo (like you would also use for mask defogging). Don’t lube and you may have issues. Ease your way into seals. Don’t manhandle your way in.

 

[NeesiePie]

Thanks - I'm not as afraid of tearing them as I am about them inadvertantly coming into contact with something that will cause them to deteriorate - the whole No shampoo, No soap, No hairspray, No lotion, etc. My friend made it sound like you practically had to prep for going into a clean room.

 

[macado]

There are a lot of variables. Latex seals are sensitive to UV, ozone and even the oils in your skin. Some latex seals are thicker and may last longer. For example: DUI and other companies do offer heavy duty latex seals and these tend to last longer for me but I personally rarely get more than 2-3 years out of them.

My latex seals usually last 1 to 2 dive seasons if I am lucky (I have multiple suits that I do rotate) but these suits get used on a weekly basis. I've heard some people get ~3-5 years but they may not dive as frequently. After 2-3 years for me I can see warning signs (they start cracking, get a little gummy).

Silicone seals are also very popular. They don't degrade by UV and ozone but I find they are "softer" more fragile and tend to rip or tear more easily. They tend not to give any sort of warning signs before they completely fail but they can last a lot longer if you're careful. Some people prefer silicone seals if your suit supports them but they usually need a ring system or zipseals (as far as I know silicone seals can't be "glued" into a suit but I may be wrong). I have a silicone neck seal in one of my backup drysuits that is 5 years and still going strong.

It's best to keep all seals out of direct sunlight, rinse seals with fresh water after using the suit and some people will even recommend a UV protector like McNett UV Tech McNett UV Tech Protectant and Rejuvenator - 12 fl. oz. | REI Co-op. Store somewhere climate controlled if you can.

Don't store in a garage with heavy solvents/chemicals or next to motors/machines that generate ozone.

I talc seals lightly when I store them or before I put them on. Some people use baby power (this can have additional chemicals/etc).

Honestly latex is just going to slowly degrade overtime. A lot of people who simply store their drysuit in a closet for a year or two will often find their seals completely shot when they pull out the suit out of storage. You can extend this by cleaning them, using seal protector or even storing the seals in a plastic bag but they will eventually break down.

Basically you should consider your drysuit seals to be a consumable item that you need to replace. You may get lucky and they may last a few years or you may only get a season out of them.

 

[runsongas]

I use the seal saver that DRIS sells, but some type of seal ring system is a gamechanger. at that point, just buy some extra seals from DGX and stop worrying if you tear a seal. i do like going with HD latex though as I don't find the silicone seals to be that much more comfortable (but also they don't come in a larger size like latex does)

 

[boulderjohn]

Thanks - I'm not as afraid of tearing them as I am about them inadvertantly coming into contact with something that will cause them to deteriorate - the whole No shampoo, No soap, No hairspray, No lotion, etc. My friend made it sound like you practically had to prep for going into a clean room.

About 10 years ago there was a world-wide epidemic of deteriorating latex seals, especially with suits made by Whites. They would be doing fine and then suddenly have a gooey spot appear, after which they were history. We were all told that it was because of contact with a contaminant. I was a victim several times. In fact, the entire stock in my dive shop went bad at about the same time.

I took a ruined neck seal and cut all the good parts into squares, and I contaminated those squares with everything I could think of that might cause a problem, including the ones the manufacturers like Whites were blaming. Absolutely nothing caused a problem. Absolutely nothing.

I talked about the problem with two different Ph.D chemists, and they both called BS on the contamination theory. One of them said a manufacturer who said that should be ashamed of such a lie. He said the problem was obvious--shoddy manufacturing of the latex.

Well, that was 10 years ago, and I haven't heard about a problem since those days. Either people all over the world have stopped contaminating their seals or the latex manufacturers have cleaned up their acts.

Because of that history, I switched to silicone seals many years ago. The first versions of those were delicate--very easy to tear. The newer ones are much better. I have not torn a seal in years.

 

[Jcp2]

DIY seal replacement takes some time and practice but is not difficult to do. Our whitewater paddler and sailing friends do it all the time.

 

[Lorenzoid]

When I borrowed a drysuit from a friend they lectured me with a long list of no-no's, and basically convinced me that even looking crosseyed at the seals would cause them to deteriorate before my very eyes.

When looking into my first drysuit I, too, got this impression. But I took very good care of my latex seals, washing them in mild dish detergent after sweaty dives, putting some talc on them before storage, storing the suit in the dark in the controlled temperature and humidity of my home, etc., and only now, after 6+ years of ownership and an estimated 200 dive hours, are the seals looking worn and raggedy as though ready to give out at any minute. I would have had the seals changed months ago, but I bought a new suit and kept using this one while I waited for the new suit to come in, all the while anticipating a flood. But my luck held. I understand this is an unusually good lifetime for seals (and a suit as a whole), but it shows how long they can last if you take care of them AND are just plain lucky. I lucked out on the zipper as well.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I've had seals last 4 to 5 seasons with close to 100 dives each season. I only have the heavy duty latex seals they put on commercial suits installed. McNett seal saver and uv protectant after washing with mild dish soap and water after each weekend.
For lubrication I use water based personal lube. It doesn't have an perfumes like shampoo and doesn't need to be diluted. No residue after.
And it's fun to go into wally world and buy 4-6 big tubes along with duct tape and a tarp. When someone says have a great day, smile real big and say "Oh, I will! You can bet on that!"

 

[isr_tt89]

I have HD latex seal on my drysuit and I always talc the seals before getting in the suit.
Once in a while when doing one dive after another I just yank my suit on and no troubles so far.

So, not that fragile after all.