Leaky DSMB, asking for advice, please.

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brownie

Contributor
Messages
155
Reaction score
128
Location
Toronto, Ontario
# of dives
1000 - 2499
My 5 1/2 foot tall Halcyon DSMB has been a faithful friend over the years--it's been with me on 1600+ dives. The long, folded (not stitched) edge has developed small holes that leak air slowly. I am thinking I might slap some aqua seal on these holes, also considering applying aqua seal to the entire length of the edge.

Everything else works fine (the OPV, the inflator thingamajig) and I can certainly afford to replace it, but if it's possible to execute a good repair then I would opt for a repair.

Any advice? Anyone out there who has done this successfully, or not?

Thank you in advance.
 
Do the repair, inflate it fully, and do a leak test (spray soapy water). Then leave it for a while. If it lasts a few hours without losing a meaningful amount of air that would indicate it will hold long enough for you to get to the surface (where you can top it off if it looses a little air over a few hours of being stranded).

At that point I would personally find it "safe" to use.

That said: This might be a sign it's time to replace it. At the least I would very thoroughly inspect it (threading, valves, etc) to see if it is showing other signs of wear. Couldn't hurt to call the manufacture as @lowwall suggested.
 
Thanks guys. I took a screenshot of my original post and forwarded it to Halcyon to see if they can help me out--maybe send me a demo or a gently-used dsmb. I went to my dive shop this afternoon and priced them: over $200 before tax. I also picked up some aqua seal and will work on the fix tomorrow.

If I hear from Halcyon, I'll share the info. In the past, they have been very good to me.

I very much appreciate your feedback.
 
$30 seems more appropriate, depending on features:

Lift Bags - Marking Tubes

Here's my main DSMB:

DGX Gears Yellow/Orange Combo Surface Marking Tube { 5 ft | 1.5 m }

I have a couple other DSMBs and lift-bags I keep as backups, that I acquired through various craigslist lots. If you really like your DSMB, I say patch it, but maybe also get a $30 one as a backup. A lot of tech-divers roll with two DSMBs.
 
I heard from Halcyon this morning (I had sent them a screenshot of my original post). They recommended I look at their brand new (cosmetically blemished) smb's that were available for sale, and heavily discounted, through one of their dealers. When I contacted the dealer I was advised they were all "sold out", but to follow their FB page for future inventory. He also said they get snapped up in an instant.

Getting ready to crack open the aqua seal.........
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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