Hm, my dry suit leaked

[gnominic]

So, on my first open water dive with the new DUI TLS it leaked a little. I dumped out maybe a couple of pints of water after the dive of maybe 30 minutes of chipping oysters off a couple of boats.

I'm not sure how to go about diagnosing a leak. I'm thinking it was the zipper because the top part of me wasn't wet much. Anyway, is there a way to look for a leak without gearing up and jumping in and out of the pool with undergarmets impregnated with phenolphthalein?

I'm getting in the pool tomorrow to see if it leaks again. I also suspect the neck seal because 1) I don't remember running my finger through the seal pre-dive and 2) I hadn't shaved in like weeks and weeks.

Any help or advice is appreciated. Thanks.

-dennis

 

[gnominic]

Also, I have this question. I dive from a lot of small boats, kayaks and the like. When you dive from small craft (really small craft) you get in the water, you dump your gear over the side and don the gear in the water. Is there some way to do this with a dry suit? The inflator hose can't be attached until you're in the water, but if I get in the water the inflator valve is underwater without the hose attached. Is that the end of the world? Any advice?
Thanks,
-dennis

 

[tbone1004]

not the end of the world. If you think it's the zipper you may not have pulled it all the way... that's not an uncommon problem, people think they get it closed all the way but don't.

As far as boats go. No a little bit of water in the valve won't kill it, if it's salt water I'd rinse it out with fresh water afterwards and most inflator valves can be removed quite easily, just unscrew. It's basically identical to your inflator on your BC

 

[TSandM]

I have found the very best way to find a leak in a dry suit is to don some kind of clothing that will show a wet spot clearly (surgical scrubs are perfect for this purpose ) and put on the dry suit, and get in some kind of water. (We use either our swimming pool in summer, or a hot tub in winter.) Stay in a couple of minutes, and then get out and very carefully get out of the suit, and inspect the underclothes for wetness. This will narrow the area of leak to one region of the suit. Then you can stuff bottles or cans in the wrists and neck seal, and then blow the suit up and spray soapy water on the area of interest.

The problem with localizing leaks is that, while you are underwater, all water leaking into the suit will run to the thing which is gravitationally lowest. So if you are in good trim, all leaks will result in wet underpants This is regardless of whether the leak is zipper, neck seal, inflator valve, or elsewhere.

 

[Hank658]

..snip..all water leaking into the suit will run to the thing which is gravitationally lowest. So if you are in good trim, all leaks will result in wet underpants ..snip..

Absolutely classic Lynne!!!

 

[Skarn]

How familiar with the dry suit are you?

When I took my Drysuit class, I got some water in mine from "burping" via the neck seal. We did inverted drills where I held onto the pool bottom and my instructor filled it with air then I let go and would curl/roll/flip to upright allowing the air to escape the vent. But with that much air, a bit would burp out of the neck seal.

You obviously didn't do that, but just wanted to point it out in case you had an excessive amount of air, it tends to escape via the path of least resistance....aka the neck seal.

Skarn

 

[gnominic]

I am new to dry suits, but I did read the book! I burped it on the dock and then again in the water, but the neck seal was above the water at the time. I think my wrist seals are too tight, so I doubt anything could pass there.

I'm going in the pool today to try it all out. I have three sets of under garments so if I have to look for the wet spot I have something to work with.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions.

-dennis

 

[Ramsy]

One other way to test for leaks is to basically do what DUI does when they do a leak test. Zip tie your wrist and neck seals. Inflate the suit, stick it in a body of water and look for air bubbles.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

Easiest and fastest thing to do....

Take some aerosol cans or pop cans and shove them into the wrists. Grab your kids Hannah Montana Rubber bull and shove it into the neck. We actually use capped 2" PVC for the wrists and Hannah for the necks. Grab your tank and fill it up with air. When done, pay attention to the posture of the suit. Grab a bucket of soapy water and a towel or sponge. Soap down the entire suit. If there is a leak, it will be evident in a few ways.

- Bubbles coming from leak area. Sometimes you need to go away for a few minutes and come back to see the trail of bubbles.
- If hard to find (these are a pain) the suit will continue to deflate and be a tell to keep looking for the area. These are a pain as you know there is a leak that doesn't want to be easily found. IN this case, it can sometimes benefit by turning the suit and inflate valve inside out, inflating, soaping, and looking that way.

Be sure to close the exhaust valve. To expedite the process if you can't see any bubbles, place 10-20lbs of weight on the suit. With no leaks, the suit will remain full for over 72 hours without losing any air. You do not need to wait that long though. If no loss after 4 hours with weights on the suit, your good

 

[dave4868]

So, on my first open water dive with the new DUI TLS it leaked a little. I dumped out maybe a couple of pints of water after the dive of maybe 30 minutes of chipping oysters off a couple of boats.

I'm not sure how to go about diagnosing a leak. I'm thinking it was the zipper because the top part of me wasn't wet much. Anyway, is there a way to look for a leak without gearing up and jumping in and out of the pool with undergarmets impregnated with phenolphthalein?

I'm getting in the pool tomorrow to see if it leaks again. I also suspect the neck seal because 1) I don't remember running my finger through the seal pre-dive and 2) I hadn't shaved in like weeks and weeks.

I think you're probably right about the potential problem areas, and it's probably just a matter of closing the zipper fully or making sure your neck seal is flat against the skin.

Since you're getting into the pool tomorrow, hold off on leak-testing the suit, but follow the other suggestions here.

In other words, make sure the neck seal is making a good seal (shave if necessary), make sure the zipper is closed and wear some clothes that will provide a tell-tale if a leak occurs. Once you're in the water, assume a variety of positions and postures, and then get out of the water within a few minutes to carefully check your clothes.

If you've still got a leak, do a leak test. I like the soapy water method as suggested by Dive Right In Scuba. It's the easiest and often works.

Dave C