Getting water around neck seal of drysuit

[jwalko]

The last two times I've worn my dry suit (standard bellows type neck seal), I've gotten water past the neck seal. I ended up with soaked undergarments...which made for somewhat of a cold dive. I've not had this happen before (over the last 50 or so dives), so I'm wondering what I'm doing...or what is different.

Normally when I put the suit on, I try to get the neck seal as low on my neck as possible and make sure it is lying flat against my neck all the way around.

The first time it happened was the first dive of the day on a new wreck. I was horizontal in the water and tilted my head up to see the whole wreck...immediately felt water down the neck. I just attributed it to craning my neck

The second time it happened, I admit I was looking around quite a bit...we were trying to see a certain type of fish and it took a lot of swiveling around to try to locate it...again, water past the neck seal and soaked undergarments. Now that it has happened two times in a row, it has me a bit concerned.

Is this just because I was craning my neck...normally, I don't do this...and never had a leak before.

Or, should I be looking at a problem with the neck seal? The seal is about 4 years old...but is well cared for after every dive and appears to be on good condition. It hasn't leaked before and is actually very comfortable...but it concerns me that i got wet on the last two dives.

Any thoughts? Am I just not getting the seal low enough? Anything I should be looking for?

Thanks;

John

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I had a seal on my first dry suit for nearly five years and it was still in good shape when I sold it. I tend to think it was the craning of the neck and I would not be so concerned with getting the seal as low on your neck as possible. Lying flat is the key and the more material you have lying flat the better the seal.

 

[Herb-alaska]

The last two times I've worn my dry suit (standard bellows type neck seal), I've gotten water past the neck seal. I ended up with soaked undergarments...which made for somewhat of a cold dive. I've not had this happen before (over the last 50 or so dives), so I'm wondering what I'm doing...or what is different.

Normally when I put the suit on, I try to get the neck seal as low on my neck as possible and make sure it is lying flat against my neck all the way around.

The first time it happened was the first dive of the day on a new wreck. I was horizontal in the water and tilted my head up to see the whole wreck...immediately felt water down the neck. I just attributed it to craning my neck

The second time it happened, I admit I was looking around quite a bit...we were trying to see a certain type of fish and it took a lot of swiveling around to try to locate it...again, water past the neck seal and soaked undergarments. Now that it has happened two times in a row, it has me a bit concerned.

Is this just because I was craning my neck...normally, I don't do this...and never had a leak before.

Or, should I be looking at a problem with the neck seal? The seal is about 4 years old...but is well cared for after every dive and appears to be on good condition. It hasn't leaked before and is actually very comfortable...but it concerns me that i got wet on the last two dives.

Any thoughts? Am I just not getting the seal low enough? Anything I should be looking for?

Thanks;

John

Ok first i need to know what kind of neck seal you have. If it is a neoprene they will tend to leak when you have a lot of movement.

on a latex I like my seal just below my adams apple to ensure that movement does not cause a valley or groove which would be a leak. if your latex you need to make sure the seal is flat no puckers or rolls and certainly no bunches that will cause a pucker as you move around. Latex will stretch and it is possible that the seal is getting weak and may need replacement. I like me neck seals just so that I start to feel it. If it is to comfortable it will leak

on both neck seal types if you over inflate with the auto dump closed you will vent out the neck seal with a burp this will also cause a leak as the water enters as the air leaves.

If the seal is older i would check it to see that it feels slipper shinny and does not look like it is dull with bits of small dry spots. A old seal will stretch and cause your leak issue and will leak the more you move around

 

[jwalko]

Ok first i need to know what kind of neck seal you have. If it is a neoprene they will tend to leak when you have a lot of movement.

on a latex I like my seal just below my adams apple to ensure that movement does not cause a valley or groove which would be a leak. if your latex you need to make sure the seal is flat no puckers or rolls and certainly no bunches that will cause a pucker as you move around. Latex will stretch and it is possible that the seal is getting weak and may need replacement. I like me neck seals just so that I start to feel it. If it is to comfortable it will leak

on both neck seal types if you over inflate with the auto dump closed you will vent out the neck seal with a burp this will also cause a leak as the water enters as the air leaves.

If the seal is older i would check it to see that it feels slipper shinny and does not look like it is dull with bits of small dry spots. A old seal will stretch and cause your leak issue and will leak the more you move around

It is a latex neck seal. The seal may be getting weak. When I first cut the seal, it was tight. Now, it is comfortable...but I've lost some weight (actually lost inches...stopped weight-lifting), so I don't know if the seal has stretched or if my neck is smaller. I bought a new seal to replace the existing one...but am reluctant to do this, since the existing seal is so comfortable. I guess I'll try a couple more dives without looking around so much and see if I still have a leak. If I do, then I guess its time to replace.

I am now wondering if I was pulling it down too low. I never really thought about it much...but the last couple of days diving, I did think about it and purposely pulled it low as I knew we'd be looking around. My thought was that getting it lower would cause less stretching of the latex.

Thanks;

John

 

[SeaHorse81]

I am now wondering if I was pulling it down too low. I never really thought about it much...but the last couple of days diving, I did think about it and purposely pulled it low as I knew we'd be looking around. My thought was that getting it lower would cause less stretching of the latex.

Thanks;

John

I actually have the top of my neck seal as close to my jaw line as possible, with the seal snug against as many square inches of my neck as possible. This makes it harder for water to find a path all the way through. So far, so good.

 

[Herb-alaska]

It is a latex neck seal. The seal may be getting weak. When I first cut the seal, it was tight. Now, it is comfortable...but I've lost some weight (actually lost inches...stopped weight-lifting), so I don't know if the seal has stretched or if my neck is smaller. I bought a new seal to replace the existing one...but am reluctant to do this, since the existing seal is so comfortable. I guess I'll try a couple more dives without looking around so much and see if I still have a leak. If I do, then I guess its time to replace.

I am now wondering if I was pulling it down too low. I never really thought about it much...but the last couple of days diving, I did think about it and purposely pulled it low as I knew we'd be looking around. My thought was that getting it lower would cause less stretching of the latex.

Thanks;

John

John of you lost inches in your neck and you could still breath in the suit before I'm betting your seal is too loose on you your neck seal will span an inch or so from one neck to another without a different cut being required but I doubt it would span inches. I lost weight and went from a 18 1/2 neck to a 15 1/2 and definitely required not only a new neck seal but a new suit

my bet is its time to change the neck seal.

Have fun try to stay dry its frustrating diving a semi dry suit One of my suits has wrist issues when I'm working my tendon really breaks the seal and then I get soaked up the arm.

 

[TSandM]

If a latex seal is comfortable, it isn't tight enough . . . And it will leak precisely when you look up hard, or when the air bubble in the suit is large and gets into the neck seal and burps.

I think you need to replace your seal.

 

[spoolin01]

Is your neck nice and smooth? Soft and fleshy, not ripped, or hairy?

Apollo makes a soft rubber neck gasket, the BioSeal. I use it with a neoprene neck seal and it definitely decreases leakage. I do a lot of craning and contortion, and don't usually have much leaking. They say it has oils that might cause latex seals to fail prematurely, but if a new and tighter seal doesn't solve the problem again, this might.

 

[TSandM]

My experience with the BioSeal on latex is that it might buy you a couple of dives, but by the time the seal has loosened up enough to leak, it will continue to get flabbier until it tears.

 

[spoolin01]

Good to know. It does have an oily feel. Love it for my neooprene seal though, it makes a difference.