Leaving BCD inflated in closet

[sytech]

After I return from a vacation I wash my BCD thoroughly getting rid of any water, and then I inflate it by mouth and hang it in a closet.

My current BCD (Zeagle Escape) has lost air every time I inflated it lately. I put it in a warm room (so that cold air won't cause it to contract) and a few hours later there is a noticeable loss of inflation. This never happened with prior BCDs I've had.

I sent it back to the retailer who had a technician replace a dump valve and it was returned to me with the note "DUMP VALVE REPLACED, TESTED, NO LEAKS".

I tested it again and sure enough the BCD lost a very noticeable amount of air overnight. I called the retailer who said "all BCDs lose air". Two prior BCD's I had remained nicely inflated for an entire winter in my clothing closet.

Sounds like B.S. to me inasmuch as I believe there MUST be a leak somewhere in the system.

I have since sent it directly to Zeagle for repair.

Am I missing something?

Thanks,



Sy

 

[Jasonmh]

...
I tested it again and sure enough the BCD lost a very noticeable amount of air overnight. I called the retailer who said "all BCDs lose air". Two prior BCD's I had remained nicely inflated for an entire winter in my clothing closet.

Sounds like B.S. to me inasmuch as I believe there MUST be a leak somewhere in the system.

I have since sent it directly to Zeagle for repair.

Am I missing something?

Thanks,



Sy

Sounds like BS to me. Your BC should not be loosing air, esp. overnight. I leave mine inflated for months at a time without any air loss. Sounds like sending it to Zeagle was a good idea.

 

[Damselfish]

agree, saying all BCs lose air is complete bunk. Especially overnight.

 

[Arizona]

Who is the retailer, we can take our business elsewhere...

 

[Tortuga68]

My Eclipse is still hanging up in my closet, fully (orally) inflated since my last dive 3 months ago

 

[RAWalker]

I have a BCD and 2 wings all stay inflated months at a time.
My bungeed wing I dry after rinsing inside and out fully inflated but after it is dry I store it with just enough air in it to put a touch of tension on the bungees.

 

[JDMerk]

Agreed, I dont store either of my BC's full but with just enough air in them to keep the inside walls from touching.
My LDS told me once that during servicing a BC should be fully inflated and if it retains 80% or more of its air after sitting for 4 hours then its OK...mine both hold air significantly better than that...take it for what its worth.

 

[halocline]

Before you send it off, unless you've already done so, why don't you try to find the leak? It's easy, just inflate fully, dunk it in the pool or tub and find the bubbles. It's very possible that the only thing wrong with it is a loose OPV or hose clamp, or a bit of sand in the OPV, or a leaking gasket which is about as hard to replace as changing a light bulb...okay just a bit more involved. You might still need to send it in, but it's going to be much easier to just tighten something up if it's loose.

One other thing, if the leak is so slow it's hard to find, it's not likely to be an immediate problem. I dove almost the whole summer, every day, last summer, with a slow leak in the OPV of my wing. If I was using it as a life preserver to stay afloat for hours on end, it would be a problem, but otherwise no. What IS troubling about a slow leak is that it might get worse, and it's just annoying to spend good money on something and not have it work perfectly.

I wouldn't lose any sleep over this one.

 

[vixtor]

My BC (Pro QD i3) was deflating over night; I have discovered a very-very small leak near the i3 lever (which proved to be caused by a factory badly installed o-ring).

Otherwise than that, I never noticed such leaks on other BCs. Maybe you can submerge your BC in a tub of water and observe bubbles (not necesarily big ones, in my case it was a 1-2mm bubble at every ~30 seconds)

 

[NudeDiver]

Somewhat off topic - but I'm wondering what the theory is about storing them inflated. Can someone please explain?

My are all folded up and stored inside a rubbermaid tub with a cover on it. Keeps mice away.

Thanks!
nd