Neck ring/seal leak - tightness?

[WetDane]

Hey,

I have been having some troubles with my neck seal leaking - I have a ring system on an old Typhoon commercial suit and have pretty much concluded that it is in the neck seal - I have check for actual tears andfound none, I'm suspecting that the mount onto the ring is not tight enough and I wonder how tight it needs to be. I have tightened the clamp to some resistance but I don't want to cut the seal in the process.

As far as the symptoms goes, I get wet in a 3 inch patch down my chest... Very annoying.

Any ideas? Oh, hte seal is almost brandnew - I took it off to check for polutants under it, nothing though...

Thanks,
Dane

 

[SubMariner]

WD, even though the seal is new, it may not fit you exactly as it should. Or it may have some sort of flaw that made it wear faster in one place than it shouldn't.

The pattern you describe sounds like a leak is following down one of the tendons or cords in your neck. The problem usually is aggravated by "looking up" and stretching the neck.

Does that help at all?

~SubMariner~

 

[WetDane]

That makes a lot of sense, there is a very narrow 1" wet spot on the inside of the seal wehn I come out - but it seems tight enough -

What do I need to do? it's a neoprene seal so do I need to get a smaller one?

I will try to avoid looking up for now.

Thanks,
Dane

 

[Frog]

Well i have been told from several very experienced technical and commercial divers that you never stay dry in a dry suit. They tell me that all suits leak to a certain degree.

 

[WetDane]

well, that's true Frog, but this is more than a little - normally you will get damp - I'm wet...

I'll be having one of the better techs here take a sliver out of the neck for me so it get a little tighter..

 

[Frog]

Hi there again. WettDane maybeyou can watch him do it? I have to but my neck seal down when i recieve my suit in a few eeks time. Cheers

 

[SubMariner]

WD, another thought: most neoprene neck seals work because the diver rolls them inward and down into the inside of rest of the seal. I'm thinking that perhaps one part is not smoothed down enough when it's being rolled...

How easy it it for you to check whether or not the seal is flush against your neck from the INSIDE of the suit? If you have a back-entry suit, you may need to have someone else check it and see that it's not being folded over improperly in one spot.

If you still wind up with that wet streak, then you may have to replace the seal. Make sure they have your EXACT neck measurements when they do it and that may help them give you one that fits a bit better. It may well be that particular one just has some "wow" or "bend" where it shouldn't.

BTW, Frog, a good drysuit seal will NOT leak like that. You may get a bit DAMP around wrist or neck, but nothing like WD describes.

~SubMariner~

Good luck!

 

[WetDane]

Hey SM,

Yeah - my suit is self donning - the old Typhoon style so I can get to the seal from the inside.
This morning I folded it down a bit further than ai have been figuring that there would be more material to seal - now about 2 inches folded down and I was extra careful to make sure that it was smooth on the inside.

No goose - still got wet - I'll be at the shop tomorrow so I'll see what I can do to have it replaced, otherwise one of the guys have a sowing machine and may be able to take a sliver out for me.

Thanks for the info, others have confirmed what you have told me, I'll have to see how much a new seal is.

Dane

 

[Sue]

Hi Dane

I was wondering if you have your problem solved. Did you replace the seal or have they tightened it?
I have the same situation in my Poseidon dry suit and I'm thinking to replace the neoprene neck seal for a latex one.
But I would like to hear from you what happened to yours.

Cheers

Sue

 

[WetDane]

Hi Sue,

Well, it is clear by now that it is the neoprene seal that is "too" comfortable...

Since I have a "ring" system it is easy for me to replace the seal. My problem is that the duit is a Typhoon from England and getting another seal here is a pain - so:

I will have th eseal taken in - apparently you can have a neoprene shop do this for about $25 - or so, reasonable if it works.
At the same time I'm ordering a spare latex seal as well as spare wrist seals - might as well get all at once...

As far as I have been informed, the issue is that the latex seals are much tighter and less comfortable - I however think being dry in this case would come before comfort..

Let me know if there is anything I can answer for you (it's late for me and I'm not completely awake...)

Dane