DUI Flame of sorts...

[OE2X]

Did you store the suit with the zipper closed ?

NO. Should I have? Just kidding. I've been using drysuits for years, so I'm pretty familiar with zipper care. This issue was on the first suit. I heard they were having a problem with some of the zippers and I got one of them. No problem with the fact that they warrentied it. Where I do have issue is that they had the suit for 5 weeks and didn't fix the problem on the first try. It took a reaming from my LDS after they sent it back supposedly fixed to get right a second time. Thats when they had to Fedex up suit #2 - my current one that now is leaking.

 

[OE2X]

oh - with the inflator valve - maybe you checked this already..

I sold a suit, same thing, customer complained about getting wet, and the damn thing was barely screwed on!!

I assume you've checked this, but....

Yes it's screwed on so tight that I can't get it off. This was the case on the shoulder dump on my first suit. The LDS opened it up and found a big wad silicone glueing the valve together. They replaced the valve free of charge and it stopped leaking.

 

[Robert Phillips]

I have had issue with dumping with my TLS350 too. I have to roll to the left and lift the valve up with my right hand to make sure it is at the highest point. I started trying the 'reach back like your doing a valve drill' thing and it seemed to work as I could hear gas escaping, but I need to try it on several more dives before I trust this method. Once you get the inflator fixed, you should try it. Or get a wrist dump like everyone else
My buddy has a Diving Concepts that had the same style valve as the DUI. He hated it for dumping and it leaked. He changed it out with an older style SiTech valve and loves it.

 

[hardhat]

I've resisted in flaming DUI publicly, but I'm now on my second CF 200 since this past April and it's not so pleasant. I guess what I also want to find out is if others are having the same problems as myself.

Here is my story. I bought a CF200 off the rack because it fit me beautifully. I dove it about 20 dives and it started leaking around the bottom of the zipper. Ultimately I tore a wrist gasket so I brought it back to my LDS to get fixed. I was unimpressed with the fact that after about 60 dives that all the gaskets were showing real wear. My LDS fixed the problem and pressured tested it to find the leak. Well, since it was a new suit (only 3-4 months old) they sent it back to DUI to be fixed. It came back after 5 weeks and leaked just as badly as before. Needless to say I and the owner of the LDS were a bit perturbed. I was leaving soon on a trip that I needed the suit for and my LDS assured me after talking with DUI that they were sending me a brand new replacement. Great thought I. My problems are solved. The suit would arrive three days before departure and my problems would go away. I called my LDS on the day of expect arrival and asked if my suit was there. No was the response. They called DUI and was told that the suit wouldn't arrive until Monday. I was leaving on Sunday early AM. Upshot of this was that my LDS made DUI Fedex another suit for a Saturday delivery. Me - I will continue to buy locally thanks to my LDS. They went to bat for me at every turn.

The new suit has worked fine until recently. I've probably put 60 or so dives on it and now it's leaking on the chest inflator. BTW the old suit had to have a new dump valve put on it as well. The new one has not experienced this problem. So here I am. I've now had two DUI CF200 suits that are supposed to be the most durable, the best, the most amazing and last drysuit you'll ever have to own and they both have leaked like the Titanic. WTF comes to mind. I have yet to bring it in to my LDS. That will likely happen tomorrow. I'm hoping that it just needs a new inflator and I'm sure that my LDS will take care of me.

I like the suit for the most part. The fit and comfort is excellent. It does have one issue besides the leaking. What I don't like about the suit is the placement of the dump valve. I find it is completely ineffective doing a horizontal ascent. While my buddies roll to their right and raise their arm, I have to turn on my back drop my feet and then pump my fist like Tiger Woods. Yesterday on all three of my dives I decided to do all my mid water stops supine - face up. Try as I may my feet generally are just a bit lower than my head in this manner. What I noticed though was that my dump valve worked beautifully the whole time. If I were to hold my stop in a vertical position then my dump valve would work well too. Much of my diving though is from the shore. I like to be inches off the bottom at my 10' stop looking at the critters. In other words I can't always be supine. The reason I bring all of this up is to say that I believe that DUI has made an error in the placement of the dump valve. On this suit they place it on the front of the bicep. In other words pointing towards the bottom when you are hovering. Were it placed centered or slightly on the back of the bicep I wouldn't have to roll on my back to dump the suit.

So my questions for those of you who own or have owned this suit:

Does yours leak?

Do you have issues with your dump valve? If so what technique (s) do you use to overcome it?

If you were to buy another suit what brand and model would you buy?

At this point I'm having a hard time recommending DUI to any of my friends or anyone else - one of whom is looking to buy the same suit that I have. Please tell me that you all have had great experiences with DUI and that my two suits are anomalies.

The CF200 is a great suit. I've had a few oportunities to dive them in the past. Feels great in the water. But I've also seen a lot of problems with them. Seems like if a person gets one that leaks, it's always going to leak, no matter how many times it goes back into DUI for repairs. If some one gets one that does not leak then they have one of those, "last you'll ever need to own" type suits. It's a true pain in the butt these days (for us Canadians) to be sending things back and forth over the boarder. So getting repairs done in California is a little more of a deturant to buying one. Personally I can think of other suits out their that I would rather have than a DUI.

 

[lragsac]

So my questions for those of you who own or have owned this suit:

Does yours leak?

Do you have issues with your dump valve? If so what technique (s) do you use to overcome it?

If you were to buy another suit what brand and model would you buy?

At this point I'm having a hard time recommending DUI to any of my friends or anyone else - one of whom is looking to buy the same suit that I have. Please tell me that you all have had great experiences with DUI and that my two suits are anomalies.

As for the placement of the dump valve, I had DUI re-locate mine to the forearm area on my TLS350. I paid to have this done and it was well worth it.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I have a TLS350 with over 100 dives on it. The first 30-40 dives always ended with my stomach being wet. DUI performed four leak tests on it without luck finding a leak. One day after I put the suit on I had to wait for my buddy. I sat down for about ten minutes and noticed my zipper had opened by itself. I closed it tight, but it opened again. The next day, I put a glob of rubber cement under the zipper closure tab. Never leaked there again. If I open my dump valve all the way I get water in there as well. One of my buddies bought a Bare drysuit on eBay for less than 20% of what I paid for my DUI and has never gotten any water in his. I'm pretty sure I have bought my last DUI suit.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

If I open my dump valve all the way I get water in there as well. One of my buddies bought a Bare drysuit on eBay for less than 20% of what I paid for my DUI and has never gotten any water in his. I'm pretty sure I have bought my last DUI suit.

The dump valve issue isn't DUI-related ... it's a "feature" of the low-profile Apeks valve. I've had the same issue on both my Northern Diver and Diving Concepts suits (which use the same valve). There's an easy fix ... open the valve all the way, then turn it back toward closed 2 or 3 clicks. It tensions the diaphragm just enough to prevent leakage.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[dtdiver]

I have had issue with dumping with my TLS350 too. I have to roll to the left and lift the valve up with my right hand to make sure it is at the highest point. I started trying the 'reach back like your doing a valve drill' thing and it seemed to work as I could hear gas escaping, but I need to try it on several more dives before I trust this method. Once you get the inflator fixed, you should try it. Or get a wrist dump like everyone else

what undergarment are you using? since you can dump by lifting the valve away from the garment it would seem that could be the problem, not the valve.
billowing fabrics like the weezil can obstruct the dump valve.

Doppler once suggested melting holes in the weezil where it contacts the garment to increase gas migration through the outer fabric.

i don't mind the shoulder dump on my 350 and really have few problems dumping even with my weezil. i take my time and let the air migrate, a quick roll and slight heads up, the low profile dumps and i'm on my way.
no wet spots (in my dry suit at least) etc ever. no zipper problems. i love my 350.

as a suggestion, i find that diving with less air in my suit helps many problems with bouyancy and dumping.

and if i were to put a wrist dump on i'd have no room on my forearm for a slate!!
some of buddies that have forearm dumps and use fleece undergarments say it takes time to get the air into the arm also.


dt

 

[Robert Phillips]

It's not that I am lifting it off the undergarment, it's getting it to the highest point on my body. I have a little less than two dozen dives on the suit so I am still training myself. In California I wear a non-cotton sweatshirt as top to my 300g fleece pants.

I just bought a DUI 300g fleece Action Wear jumpsuit and do the same thing. It dumps just as well when I do the simulated valve drill thing with my left arm, I just cant see the gas leaving, so I don't trust it yet. I just started trying that and need to do it for a while before I can feel comfortable that it is working. That's just me I can hear the gas leaving the suit but when I need it to dump I want to see it.

what undergarment are you using? since you can dump by lifting the valve away from the garment it would seem that could be the problem, not the valve.
billowing fabrics like the weezil can obstruct the dump valve.

Doppler once suggested melting holes in the weezil where it contacts the garment to increase gas migration through the outer fabric.

i don't mind the shoulder dump on my 350 and really have few problems dumping even with my weezil. i take my time and let the air migrate, a quick roll and slight heads up, the low profile dumps and i'm on my way.
no wet spots (in my dry suit at least) etc ever. no zipper problems. i love my 350.

as a suggestion, i find that diving with less air in my suit helps many problems with bouyancy and dumping.

and if i were to put a wrist dump on i'd have no room on my forearm for a slate!!
some of buddies that have forearm dumps and use fleece undergarments say it takes time to get the air into the arm also.


dt

 

[grouchyturtle]

As far as the exhaust...it seems all manufacturers put them in the worst position these days.

I guess they refer to some training manual, with some stroke swimming around vertically, when deciding on placement.

I hate the dump on my Dacor. same problem have to roll almost completely over. Just got it moved to the forearm. Haven't dive the suit since the move though.