Moldy BCD Bladder?

[Stine]

OK, I am tired and hung over and thinking of my brand new BCD hanging in my closet, and I am wondering:
I rinse the bladder with fresh water, drain, and then store it with a puff of air in it- Won't it go moldy with the damp?
If I then orally inflate my BCD, is there a chance the mold wiill then go into my mouth?
I think I just grossed myself out!

 

[sasscuba]

I had a BC I just threw away due to it being over 10 years old and after every dive I rinsed it with fresh water and drained it and stored it with a little air in it and guess what? Bladder still looked like new with no mold whatsoever, so I think your ok.

 

[DiveMaven]

I add a little Lysterine after the final rinse. Figure it should disinfect and it keeps my BC minty fresh.

 

[billtodive]

I rented for the first 20 or so dives after OW. The shop I used rinsed the rentals with a cherry flavored disinfectant.........a bit of a surprise the first time, but tasted good!

And I felt more comfortable renting.

 

[Stine]

MMMMMM Cherry!
Did it bring all the fishies around?

To disinfect or not to? Anyone know of a disenfectant made for diving gear (or not) that is biodegradable, and not tested on animals?

Thanks for everyone's help on this one BTW, it would be a terrible waste of a BCD if it went moldy!
<a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008_ZSYYYYYYYYCA' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_3_130.gif' border=0></a>

 

[Vayu]

After you wash it and rinse it, water particles will still accumulate so you must continue to flush the bladder for a day or two.

I've never really been concerned about mold. Although, if you are ocean diving near a coast there is probably a good amount of bacteria in the water.

I would say... talk to the manufacturer to see what is safe to use inside of it. Some bc's are more resistant to chemicals than others.

 

[SangP]

It's a bc not a camera or some easy to break gear. Ever seen how rental bcs are taken care or not. Dried in the sun, abused by pp, dragged through the surf and sand then flushed with the same pool of water that everyone uses and dried in the sun again.

These things are tough but if you really want to take care of them, leave them in fresh water for a day or two, pour a drop or two of shampoo into the bladder and fill with water. Flush, rinse and repeat a couple of times then hang to dry. You could unscrew the dump valve and let it drip dry or place near a fan, aircon or whatever. Once dry, pack into closet till ready to use again.

You gotta leave it for a real long time before it gets moldy. Don't worry it isn't bread, a bc won't get mold that easily unless it isn't totally dry when you store it. That or you stored it with some bread LOL!

SangP

 

[Stine]

Thanks everyone!

I will no longer worry about my BCD being moldy! Now about that bread?

 

[KansaiKitsune]

It's a bc not a camera or some easy to break gear. Ever seen how rental bcs are taken care or not. Dried in the sun, abused by pp, dragged through the surf and sand then flushed with the same pool of water that everyone uses and dried in the sun again.

I've abused a few wetsuits with pp, but couldn't get it up high enough, or the bc down low enough to ever abuse my bc with pp. I'll have to keep working on that.

(Sorry. )

 

[AlexMDiver]

I remove the dump valve and stand it up with the bladder opened so that air can circulate until fully dry. Storing the BC still wet inside is going to cause things growing in it in some way.
Ever heard of legionnaires disease?
It's a pneumonia-like illness spread through standing water (usually warm contained water).
Ok, before you are worried, I have not heard a case transmitted through BCs, but I certainly would keep the BC dry during longer storage (more than a few days) and avoid breathing from the bladder. It could contain mould and bacteria as well, although I am sure it is probably fine.
Use disinfectants. I would not worry about it being tested on animals, I think they test it on germs instead