Major Problem with New DUI TLS drysuit

[alibi 2]

After attending the DUI demo day in Monterey I bought my first drysuit. My husband already had a DUI suit. He is an instructor and im his DM. I have dove over 30 years wet and love it but with all the "sit' time on the bottom with beginner classes i am getting cold. So i got the TLS drysuit, devoured the manual and got drysuit certified.

During my first ocean dive i got wet, all over but thought it might have been presperation because i made the mistake of wearing a cotton t-shirt. I did not make that mistake again. The next time i dove i was damp but I didn't think a lot about it because the polartec suit absorbed it..The next time there was no doubt i was wet. I felt the cold water come in and i was frozen during and after the dive and my polar suit was drenched and water was in my feet.

I check all the seals and everything is good. After everything dried out i tried it again making sure my seals were properly placed. As soon as I began descending I felt the cold. Once again I was drenched. I felt the water in my chest area and left arm down my torso and legs and feet are drenched...Im freezing!....We are at a loss to what is going on...I will take the suit to the shop and see if they have any idea...but in the mean time im back to diving in my Wetsuit.

So far my experiance with the DUI drysuit has been very disappointing. At least with a wet suit i can warm up. Once wet in the drysuit the diving is over. This is not an option for a DM or instructor. Im Hoping that DUI will be able to help us figure out what is wrong and correct this issue..Im even beginning to think maybe my body type is not able to wear a drysuit..but on the demo day i was warm and toasty after a 30 min. dive!

 

[Scott L]

......

 

[Belmont]

On a positive note...

When all is said and you have hopefully found a solution to your problem, please, make a full report of your findings here.

Now, one possibility: if you have a bony built with not much "padding" on your bones the tendons in your wrists could be creating a gap that lets water in, the same with your neck.

The cure for this would be dry gloves and a neoprene neck band that would fit between your skin and the suit's neck seal.

Apart from a leaking seam or puncture I don't see what could be the problem.

Since you had no problems with the first suit you tried, your seals could have been trimmed too big.

Good luck

 

[Peter_C]

Either fill it with air and spray it down with soapy water, or put on some cotton clothes and jump in the pool/hot tub for a couple of minutes.

 

[jsf35]

Make sure that the backs of your inflation and exhaust valves are tight. They can loosen off, and since you mentioned you were wet on the chest and left arm......
Cheers,
Scott

 

[tstormdiver]

Might also make sure that the zipper is pulled all the way & in the "home" position. If even left a tiny bit open, the zipper will leak.

 

[w ripley]

Turn it inside out, put a bright light inside and turn off the lights. My last trilam was full of pin holes and after a year of aquaseal DUI replaced it. I went to their crushed neoprene and have been happier, but it still goes back to the factory every 2 years. An expensive suit but I like the zip seals.

You could have a bad zipper or you could be putting zipper wax on the rubber part of the zipper. You could have a leak around the inflator or exhaust valves. Could be anything.

If the light trick doesn't work plug the wrist seals with plastic cups and neck with a tupperwear-type bowl and blow it up. Cover it with soapy water and see what's going on.

Good luck.

 

[flots am]

After attending the DUI demo day in Monterey I bought my first drysuit. My husband already had a DUI suit. He is an instructor and im his DM. I have dove over 30 years wet and love it but with all the "sit' time on the bottom with beginner classes i am getting cold. So i got the TLS drysuit, devoured

It's either you or the suit, but you'll never be able to get an actual answer on the internet.

My suggestion would be to take your $3000 suit back to the dealer and tell them what's going on. They should be able to go to the pool with you and your suit and figure out what's wrong.

flots.

 

[alibi 2]

thanks all...some great ideas to try for finding holes..ext...I wish the problem was I was bony...but unfortunatly, baby got back!..lol...I do have wierd wrists,,so i have moved the wrist seals around and I seem to be dryer around the wrists now...but the water im gettting is coming in the main body area...I have the zip seals on my suit. I have lost some weight since triming the neck seal but i still have a good inch of the seal lying flat around the neck..

I have made sure the zipper is "seated" good...so im beginning to think there is a leak somewhere..either at the valves (due to the volume coming into my chest and down my legs) or pin holes I can't see in the suit it self, I haven't ruled out the neck seal either...Thank you for the great ideas i will try some of those to try and rule out holes then work with the shop in a pool to examin seal fit and valves...I will report here the final out come...in the mean time it looks like im back to my XCel Wetsuit for the winter months...

 

[alibi 2]

ANSWER!!

Thank you to all for all your advise...We filled my suit with air...put a strong flashlight in it and turned off the lights...not a sign of any holes...

We then took the suit to the store and again it was filled with air and soap was added all over...it looked like all was well when a employee of the store noticed the sound of air escaping from the suit..the sound was coming from the shoulder valve...after further inspection, it was noticed that we could "feel" air escaping from the shoulder valve...

RESULT OF TEST: The shoulder valve of my DUI suit is defective and was allowing air to escape the suit and water to enter the suit..The suit has now been sent back to DUI. They are replacing the defective valve and it should be back to me within 10 days....