Latex seal problem

[boulderjohn]

I had my dry suit stored away sealed) for a little over a month before using it today. I discovered thst one of the wrist seals had a curious deterioration. It looked as if part had been eaten away by something corrosive. The edges around that part were soft and sticky. I got some on my wrist, and it later took a lot of scrubbing with soap and water to get it off.

It sure looks like some kind of chemical reaction.

The only thing I can think of is that I use Seam Sealer frequently. I rub the excess off, as directed. I wonder if I may have let some of it pool accidentally. Would that caused the problem? If so, what do I do about it? It is still soft and sticky around that part. The rest of the seals look great. (They are 1.5 years old.)

 

[dave4868]

It sounds like typical latex rot, although happening a little early in your case perhaps (depending on how much exposure your seals get).

I'm a fan of periodically washing latex seals with soap and water to remove body oils or other contaminants and then dusting with talc powder when dry. (Note my conflict of interest!)

Even with the best of care, latex will eventually break down to that sticky state you observed. Yours was probably not from anything you did or didn't do.

Now that yours have some rot, to avoid spreading it, keep that area from coming into contact with other parts of the latex. That's where dusting will help. You might stop using Seal Saver and switch to powder at this point, IMHO.

But I AM biased....

Dave C

 

[D_B]

I asked DUI and it's perfectly acceptable to use water soluble silicone (food grade) on them, so that's what use before I store mine, zippers and all , on the old wrist seals it sure seemed to make them more pliable
Make sure it's 100% soluble in water as per the Material Safety Data Sheet

 

[dave4868]

I asked DUI and it's perfectly acceptable to use water soluble silicone (food grade) on them, so that's what use before I store mine, zippers and all , on the old wrist seals it sure seemed to make them more pliable
Make sure it's 100% soluble in water as per the Material Safety Data Sheet

Your post made me look at my McNett's "Silicone Pump" to see the "pure food grade silicone" on the label. (I actually use it for other applications like treadmill belts, etc, because it has no petroleum distillates.)

The OP can get McNett's pretty easily, I think, at his LDS or online.

Just curious, do continue to use silicone after rot begins?

Do you ever wash the seals between applications?

Dave C

 

[Brewski]

I asked DUI and it's perfectly acceptable to use water soluble silicone (food grade) on them, so that's what use before I store mine, zippers and all , on the old wrist seals it sure seemed to make them more pliable
Make sure it's 100% soluble in water as per the Material Safety Data Sheet

Interesting.
My owners manual specifically states not to use silicone as it makes it difficult when they need to make repairs. Being water soluble sounds reasonable tho.

BoulderJohn, I have read that for long term storage, you should store your suit in a plastic bag to prevent the seals from being deteriorated by ozone. Your storage location could be the problem, is it a garage or utility room with say a water heater and furnace?

 

[muddiver]

I agree with dave4868, I just wash and dry my suit and seals every so often and I have never had a problem. Adding any chemical, like silicone or seal saver, is just asking for trouble because different manufacturers might have slightly different chemical compositions for the seals they use. My vote is that the combonation of body oils and the Seam Sealer has attacked the laytex material. It is time for a new set of seals.

I am also a big fan of diver replaceable seals like those on the heavy duty Viking suits or the Zip Seals by DUI (haven't tried them yet).

 

[D_B]

Interesting.
My owners manual specifically states not to use silicone as it makes it difficult when they need to make repairs. Being water soluble sounds reasonable tho.

BoulderJohn, I have read that for long term storage, you should store your suit in a plastic bag to prevent the seals from being deteriorated by ozone. Your storage location could be the problem, is it a garage or utility room with say a water heater and furnace?

well, DUI had no trouble replacing the zipper (it was a well used rental suit purchased off ebay .. I could not move the zipper at all until I sprayed it when I first got the suit .. found some gaps in the zipper seal after testing in pool)

The old and slightly cracking wrist seals look and feel a lot better after using the silicone on them

the key here is to remember that it has to be 100% water soluble .. it will wash off with nothing but water

 

[boulderjohn]

Thanks for all your thoughts. I will try to learn from them.

 

[TSandM]

This is exactly what happened to my wrist seals in Florida -- the right one got eroded edges, and was disintegrating into black smears on my wrist. Never saw that happen before. I don't use any kind of lubricant on my wrist seals because my hands just slip through them.

 

[boulderjohn]

This is exactly what happened to my wrist seals in Florida -- the right one got eroded edges, and was disintegrating into black smears on my wrist. Never saw that happen before. I don't use any kind of lubricant on my wrist seals because my hands just slip through them.

OK, we are both Fusion users. Is there anything you are doing now to prevent this?