Need mask help!

[rhodges]

Hey everyone, I just finished my OW this weekend. LDS organized a trip to Blue Grotto/Crystal River, i had a blast. Anyways to the problem. I have a Scubapro Frameless mask which i have cleaned numerous times with colgate toothpaste and sea buff yet it continues to fog up on me steadily. I guess in the grand scheme of things its not a total disaster i am a pro at mask clearing by now But what can i do to stop this? I have literally scrubbed this thing like 10 times! Any help would be greatly appreciated. In the mean time i'll be waiting on the water around here (S.C.) to warm up a bit.

 

[FoxHound]

just scrubbing it doesn't make the fog go away.

so you did the toothpaste.....great, dont need to do it anymore, that just takes a film off the mask.

What you want to do prior to each dive is do one of the following few things: you can spit in your mask and wipe it around covering the entire glass then rinse with water just before entering the water. The other is the same using a bit of a soapy mixture instead of spit. The last is using a store bought anti fog again on the glass wiped around and rinsed just prior to getting in the water.

I use spit, its worked for a few hundred dives.
My wife uses the anti fog and worked for her for several hundred dives

 

[rhodges]

I used the "spit" brand of anti-fog. I sprayed 2 squirts into the mask, wiped it around and gently rinsed a little water around behind it, and then took a giant stride. I used this procedure all weekend and it still fogged religiously

 

[Jim Lapenta]

When is the mask fogging? If it happens as soon as you get in try cooling your face with a handful of the water you will be going into before you put the mask on after defogging it. this helps to reduce the temperature difference. It works on ice dives for me.

Next is to determine if you are exhaling through your nose. A buddy can help with this. They just need to look at you and see if there are bubbles coming from your mask. If so work on that, Otherwise find a defog that works for you.

I was going to ask to be sure you were using the old fashioned paste toothpaste and not a gel but that would be moot since you've already tried the sea buff. Personally I like the toothpaste that you get in the dollar store that's made in China for mask cleaning. Wouldn't put it in my mouth but it does wonders on mask film.

 

[261311]

This was a constant issue for me in my OW classes, I'm thinking it might have been because of the high-humidity in the building (very small pool house in the middle of winter at -10c). My mask defogger does "work" but during my classes I found more comfortable to talk and confer with my instructor with my mask off (I don't like sounding like rudolph), during which I'm sure the anti-fogger washed off while my mask hung around my neck. The mask is obviously kept on your face the entire time for this, right?

To other divers: I'm assuming there is no big deal about doing frequent mask clears so you can clear the fog aside from the annoyance of doing so, right? I wish I was more aquaman, I truly enjoy not wearing a mask. Things on my face bug me.

 

[rhodges]

I'm thinking maybe somehow I am breathing out of my nose on a subconscious level. I do remember small amounts if air leaving my mask. But I don't recall breathing out of my nose

 

[Belce]

One of the things is that sometimes the oily stuff that toothpaste is supposed to get rid of is not entirely successful. When this happens you need fire, take a butane lighter and pass the flame over the glass of your mask, especially any areas that seem to fog first or worse than others.

 

[FoxHound]

I also find that the store bought anti fogs dont work well for me at all. Ive had the best luck with good ol fashion spit.

 

[Knackas]

You need to wash the whole mask in warm soapy water and let it dry. Pay attention to the rubber not just the glass and repeat the process. I had similar problems with my oceanic shadow mask. I did the toothpaste thing to no avail like yourself. It wasn't until someone mentioned to me about washing the rubber around the mask and allowing it to dry that it fixed the problem. I did this three times and it worked a treat. I have had to repeat the process about a year after but all is good. Apparently the oils get on the rubber as well and need to be removed.
Oh, and I just use my own spit rather than purchasing someonelses.

 

[rhodges]

thanks for all the info guys, i tried the lighter trick and it seems that may have made a difference but it might just be head games though. Only one way to find out!