OP
orangelion03
Contributor
I sent the photos and questions to Steve Gamble, who had installed these seals and will be installing the replacements.
His response:
Latex doesn't like anything. Heat, humidity, uv, ozone, oils, etc, etc. It starts out as a liquid then is dipped onto molds. When it first starts going bad it will dry out and the plasticisers will start to off gas. At that point you will see the cracking. After that it will start to go back to it's liquid state. The best thing for the seals is to wash in organic soap every 10-15 dives, spray with uv tech once every 2-3 months, hang to dry in the shade. When dry roll into dark bag and throw in an air conditioned closet. That will help. To get something you give up something.
I'm shipping the suit out next week.
Thanks to all for your responses and suggestions on how to prolong the life of the seals.
His response:
Latex doesn't like anything. Heat, humidity, uv, ozone, oils, etc, etc. It starts out as a liquid then is dipped onto molds. When it first starts going bad it will dry out and the plasticisers will start to off gas. At that point you will see the cracking. After that it will start to go back to it's liquid state. The best thing for the seals is to wash in organic soap every 10-15 dives, spray with uv tech once every 2-3 months, hang to dry in the shade. When dry roll into dark bag and throw in an air conditioned closet. That will help. To get something you give up something.
I'm shipping the suit out next week.
Thanks to all for your responses and suggestions on how to prolong the life of the seals.
