Manual valve vs Self dumping valve

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Has anyone here ever used a drysuit that has a manual valve instead of a self dumping rotating valve? Is it a lot of work to always have to press button and vent? Thanks.

 

[spectrum]

Close your auto vent and give it a try.

In the day many manual vents were actually pirated BC inflater valves that ran from a chest hose. Sort of handy even if they originated at the low point of the bubble. Most of those suits were neoprene and you were only adding air for squeeze, not loft so there wasn't as much air in play. In my neoprene suit I don't even think about adding air until 30 feet.

If you are deep enough and in a fairly constant depth there can be some value in winding the valve in a bit. Say you're at 50 feet and all neutral, you rise 10 feet to get over a ledge and stay neutral by breathing light (like diving wet) when you drop back to 50 feet you may find yourself "heavy" since the suit burped itself at 40 feet. Closing the valve a little will make it tolerate some variation in the differential and avoid needless auto vent / manual fill cycles. You'll probably want to reopen it for the ascent.

Pete

 

[TSandM]

When I read the question, I thought back to yesterday's dive . . . I was hovering off the end of a piling, lining my camera up for a shot, and decided I wanted to go up a little to change the angle of the shot. It was absolutely trivial to keep my eyes on the subject and my camera pointed where I wanted it to be, because all I had to do was raise my left arm a little bit to vent and become stable again. It would have annoyed me no end to have had to reach across my body to push the valve center to do that.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Yes. This one is a neoprene drysuit so I am thinking it will not be needing as much air coming in and going out as a shell suit. I was wondering whether I should get the valves replaced with auto dumping ones or I should keep these and try them out. It seems like manual dump valves are a little more common in neoprene suits than shell suits and there has to be a reason. But as TsandM explained I am also a photographer so it could be a bit annoying.

 

[spectrum]

1) I though you had a crushed or compressed neoprene suit? I'd consider the behavior of those suits much closer to a trilam than a full foam.

2) As far as I know any complementary suit & diver is using an auto vent valve. If you want less auto just wind it in.

3) What you have is bought and paid for, you may as well experience what it's like before tinkering.

4) You speak of valves a a plural, how many do you have?

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

1) I though you had a crushed or compressed neoprene suit? I'd consider the behavior of those suits much closer to a trilam than a full foam.

2) As far as I know any complementary suit & diver is using an auto vent valve. If you want less auto just wind it in.

3) What you have is bought and paid for, you may as well experience what it's like before tinkering.

4) You speak of valves a a plural, how many do you have?

This is an unbranded neoprene drysuit that I picked up from ebay. Its is one of the best and the most comfy drysuit suits I have been inside but the valves... I am not sure. It has one dump valve and one inflation valve on the chest. My only beef with the inflation valve is that it is not a rotating valve. You can only attach a drysuit inflator from the left side. While that is my usual configuration anyway, since I was thinking of sending the suit in for fixing anyways, I was thinking of getting a rotating inflator as well.

 

[spectrum]

Other than slow drying, needing more weight and not lending to self donning I agree that the neoprene suits are cozy, comfortable and swim nice.

Most are nutted in against a glued sealing ring. it may not be swivel but you may be able to realign it if you ever wanted to come from the right.

Pete