Hints for a new Dry Suit owner

[divezonescuba]

I don't think anyone mentioned this yet.

You might want to consider doing an inside out water leak test on the suit when you first get it. I have found leaks this way which were not detectable with the outside out air leak test.

You put the suit on a dry table. You then turn the suit inside out as much as possible, seal the neck, and one arm. You then fill the suit full of water through the other arm. If you're careful, there will be no water except where the suit is leaking.

I have done this successfully on two drysuits which I knew were leaking, but for some reason could not find the leaks from an air pressure and bubble water test. The leaks using the inside out water test became immediately apparent.

It was the crotch and boot on one drysuit and the zipper slider on another. Originally, I thought the water in both was from either sweat or having the zipper becoming dislodged.

 

[Bruce Justinen]

This is Bruce from SEASOFT SCUBA. I find that clamps can damage sensitive seals. For a great solution, go to West Marine or another marine store and get bumpers designed to protect the side of your boat. These come in various sizes and can be used to push into the seals from the inside of your drysuit and close off the seals so you can leak test your drysuit. Here is how it is done:

1. Push the correct size bumpers into the seals from the inside and zip up the zipper.
2. Get a spray bottle of water and add 5 tablespoons of a good quality dishwashing liquid like Dawn etc. to the water. Make sure the water is mixed up with the detergent but not shaken.
3. Now attach the inflator hose to the intake valve of your drysuit and inflate the suit until it is "full"but not bursting.
4. Lay the suit out on a table if possible in very good light.
5. Spray the detergent laden water along seams and anywhere you suspect there may be a hole or leak.
6. If there is a leak present, you will see bubbles "bubbling"; the air escaping makes contact with the water and soap and creates mini "suds".
7. Mark the leak to be repaired later or to be returned to the manufacturer for repair with chalk.

A note on self repair. We often get suits back that have been self repaired. It is relatively easy for a diver to repair a "hole" leak, a leak where something sharp like a spine has penetrated the suit. This can be done with Aquaseal or wetsuit cement or different adhesives available for this purpose. If you feel you can do this type of repair we encourage you to do so.

However, seam leaks are often a different matter. Seam leaks can "travel" as a weakness in the seam can continue to open up more of the seam as time goes on.

So a diver can slather on Aquaseal on one area only to have the leak reappear an inch or more down the seam. The leak has not really been repaired, it has only been covered over and so it continues to do further damage and now when it is time to FIX the problem, it is covered with adhesive and what might have been a fairly simple repair becomes a very expensive repair where neoprene or tri-laminate material has to be replaced.

We always recommend that seam repairs be done professionally to protect you from a very expensive repair later on. If done right away, they are not that expensive. If allowed to continue to grow or covered over they can become nightmares. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Thanks for listening.

Bruce
SEASOFT SCUBA

 

[herr2720]

I use talc unless it's humid/wet out. Use a talc bag to keep from making a mess. You can buy the unscented talc bags for billiards, but to save money I just used a couple of infant socks, filled them with talc and sealed them with rubber bands. You just powder the seals with them and there is not mess. I just keep them in a ziplock bag in my dive box next to the KY for the humid/wet days.

 

[rongoodman]

I keep a spray bottle with a mixture of water and Johnson's baby shampoo for the seals.