My Drysuit Experience w/o Course

[Still Kicking]

most likly you were trying to dump air from yor valve , if air doesn't come out water will go in .......

Is this the case?

The exhaust valves i am familiar with have a mushroom valve that lets air out but close under pressure from water on the outside. If more than a few drops of water comes in with these valves, they are malfunctioning.

Maybe i am misunderstanding......

 

[flymolo]

Yeah, this talk about closing the valve is strange to me. I don't think I ever touch the valve underwater. On the surface i usually enter with it closed with air in the suit and invert myself to get the legs and crotch and shoulders all settled into the right spots (it looks funny but oh well), but then I open it and it stays open. Since I've been diving CCR I've toyed with the idea of closing it to help manage drysuit volume on deco (if i go a couple degrees out of trim the suit vents and I have to add more gas to it, which is annoying and wastes inflation gas, but I think with enough time the skill issue should go away). But I digress..

I have a regular low-profile DUI valve but some friends have the larger apeks style dump valves- I don't think they open/close them either.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

If I would keep my exhaust valve fully open on my DUI FLX Extreme it would leak. I had to close it 2-3 clicks. So left fully open exhaust valves can leak. The valve worked perfectly fine otherwise it was just that fully open it was easy for some water to trickle in throughout the dive. I learned through experience that just 2-3 clicks closed is all that it took and I was bone dry (minus the perspiration and condensation).

 

[flymolo]

If I would keep my exhaust valve fully open on my DUI FLX Extreme it would leak. I had to close it 2-3 clicks. So left fully open exhaust valves can leak. The valve worked perfectly fine otherwise it was just that fully open it was easy for some water to trickle in throughout the dive. I learned through experience that just 2-3 clicks closed is all that it took and I was bone dry (minus the perspiration and condensation).

strange. i never noticed that myself. did you ask them to check out the valve?

 

[Divin'Papaw]

strange. i never noticed that myself. did you ask them to check out the valve?

Ask who? DUI? No. Plus it's not a DUI valve. I believe they use Apeks valves. Anyway, I wasn't going to send it in for service just for something that 2-3 clicks easily fixed.

 

[flymolo]

Yeah. Just saying, I use the DUI valve and I open it fully and it doesn't leak.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Yeah. Just saying, I use the DUI valve and I open it fully and it doesn't leak.

The valve on my Bare HD Tech didn't leak either when fully open. But I do believe it isn't a rare occurrence for exhaust valves to leak when fully open.

 

[flymolo]

Interesting, thanks for sharing. I'll definitely keep that in mind when I replace this drysuit.

 

[davehicks]

If I would keep my exhaust valve fully open on my DUI FLX Extreme it would leak. I had to close it 2-3 clicks. So left fully open exhaust valves can leak. The valve worked perfectly fine otherwise it was just that fully open it was easy for some water to trickle in throughout the dive. I learned through experience that just 2-3 clicks closed is all that it took and I was bone dry (minus the perspiration and condensation).

It works perfectly except it leaks. That is a broken valve! The sole purpose of the valve is to vent air while not passing water. You should service or replace the valve. It is pretty simple to DIY replace one yourself. They are under $100 for a new one, and there are lots of Youtube vids showing how to service your old one.

It is NOT normal or expected for a dry suit valve to leak.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

It works perfectly except it leaks. That is a broken valve! The sole purpose of the valve is to vent air while not passing water. You should service or replace the valve. It is pretty simple to DIY replace one yourself. They are under $100 for a new one, and there are lots of Youtube vids showing how to service your old one.

It is NOT normal or expected for a dry suit valve to leak.

It wasn't even worth $100 for a new valve. 2-3 clicks and it was fine. Wasn't worth the bother.

I now live in South FL and my drysuits are in most likely permanent storage. I now get wet on every dive on purpose!