Gear Washing!

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

okay i have a huge question. How dry should the inside of the bladder be? I really really really dont want to mess this part up. thanks :)

How often do you dive? For storage in winter I unscrew the dump valve and it gets very dry very fast; when on a diving trip I usually drain it after the last dive of the day.
 
How often do you dive? For storage in winter I unscrew the dump valve and it gets very dry very fast; when on a diving trip I usually drain it after the last dive of the day.
I dive maybe 2 times a month, any instructions on uncrewing dump valve on scubapro stuff?
 
I dive maybe 2 times a month, any instructions on uncrewing dump valve on scubapro stuff?
Literally unscrew it.

Don't get too hung up in excessive cleaning. Dive kit's designed for salt water diving and doesn't need to be pristine every day. Kit gets dirty, kind of part of the "patina" showing how much diving you do.

BCDs are simply bags of air. The dumps are big but constantly undoing them will damage the bladder. Simply blowing up the BCD orally, positioning the dump downmost and pulling the cord will drain out the water. Leaving it for a couple of days inflated seems to dry it out well. Then put it away. I never bother with that.

My kit, in the summertime at least, rarely gets cleaned. Sure, I take care of the rebreather lungs and loop, but I'm breathing from that so definitely don't want to breathe bacteria. For normal regulators simply shoving the second stages in some fresh water is more than good enough -- make sure you shake it out. Hang regulators up with the DIN screw / joke uncovered so air circulates inside. When thoroughly dry then screw the cover / ball on.

Drysuits need to be hung up to dry thoroughly or they'll stink. I have a "HangAir" hanger which incorporates a fan. Leave this on for a couple of hours only. I leave my suit pretty much permanently hanging in the garage. Don't dive with a wetsuit, but if I did, that would hang up to dry too, again with the HangAir.

Boots and hood; hang these on a purpose-built hanger; one with spikes for boots and gloves and a long hook for a hood. Keeps them dry and keeps their shape.

Electronics normally need no care. If there's mechanical buttons then an occasional freshwater rinse. Cameras are a bit more fragile and especially the seals. A splash of water helps.

Knives and cutting devices (Trilobite) need to be coated in vaseline/silicon grease when in their scabbards. They're rarely used and seem to rot if left, particularly Trilobites as the blades aren't proper stainless steel. If generously coated knives stay shiny. If used on a dive then check that they're greased up.

SMBs need emptying in the same way as a BCD. Inflating them at home for a few days proves there's no holes in them. Reels and spools need no effort.

An end-of-season cleanup's good to get rid of seawater and salt residue. If diving in lakes and the like it matters less.
 
127 059a (1).jpg
 
Mine is a centre spring that applies a preload/bias tension that needs to be pressed down to screw in the cover…
 
Mine is a centre spring that applies a preload/bias tension that needs to be pressed down to screw in the cover…
Most are like that. Annoyingly they have different diameters.
 

Back
Top Bottom