Odd drysuit leak

[TSandM]

I have found, over five years and a lot of leak-finding, that the best way to find a dry suit leak is to put on a light cotton garment (like surgical scrubs, which work perfectly) and get into a swimming pool or hot tub VERY briefly, just until you feel the first bit of wet -- but no more than 2 or 3 minutes at most

Then get out and VERY carefully remove the suit, and look at the undergarment for where the wet spot is. From there, you can effectively use the suit inflation/soapy water spray method to pinpoint the leak.

Often, the leak in a suit isn't at all where you think it is, because the water has run down from the leak to the most dependent part of your body when you are diving, and pools there. I've had my belly and crotch soaked from flabby neck seals, when you could hardly detect any water on the undergarment from the neck to the waist. Same with a right wrist that would come out soaked, that turned out to be a pinhole in the upper arm.

I highly recommend doing something to localize the leak before starting the search. Otherwise, you can waste an enormous amount of time on parts of the suit that aren't the culprit at all.

Fixing your own leaks is, on most suits, not at all difficult, and far cheaper than shop repairs -- in addition, you don't have the shipping costs or have your suit out of your hands for a couple of weeks.

 

[grf88]

This was posted by a Michael Fisch of Germany on another board. I have heard reports that it is a very effective way of locating hidden leaks.


Quote:
Turn suit inside out. Use slats with c-clamps to seal off a wrist seal and the neckseal.
Lay suit down on the floor of the garage (if you can put some indoor-outdoor carpet under the suit to protect it thats a good idea. The arm that clamped off is now affixed in a frame to hold it up higer than the rest of the suit.
Put the garden hose in the arm that is held up high and turn the water on. Shut off the water just before the suit starts to overflow.
Now take a permanent marker and draw a circle around every drop of water that developes on the suit. Take a half hour break and draw circles around the waterdrops that have appeared in the last half hour.
Drain some water out of the suit, clamp off the top arm, and turn the suit over. Put the other arm up and refill the suit. Back to drawing circles.

This is a pain in a**, but it will find every spot on a drysuit that is letting in any moisture.
After drying the suit smear a drop of aquasure inside every circle you drew. The suit shoul now be absolutely dry, until it devoelops the next microscopic hole.

One of my DUI clones now has over 90 (yes, ninety!) patched leaks, but is currenty absolutely dry.
The air, helium and light tricks only work on bigger holes/leaks and will not help you find leaking imperfections in the material.

Michael


Glenn
(Aquasure is the European name for Aquaseal)

 

[mtbrider]

I have found, over five years and a lot of leak-finding, that the best way to find a dry suit leak is to put on a light cotton garment (like surgical scrubs, which work perfectly) and get into a swimming pool or hot tub VERY briefly, just until you feel the first bit of wet -- but no more than 2 or 3 minutes at most

This is exactly how I do it as well. I have found that some leaks only allow water in - testing by inflating with air or filling with water do not find these leaks.

 

[TSandM]

I've done the "fill the suit with water" thing, and it's a royal PITA. A drysuit full of water is an extremely cumbersome thing to deal with, and at some point, you have to empty it, too

 

[tstormdiver]

I recently found a hole on my newer drysuit right behind the left arm pit. Guessing I may have punctured it with the bolts on my double cylinders. I found it by blocking the seals & inflating it. It took me about 1/2 an hour to find it & even though I was using soapy water, I actually found it by just feeling the air moving through. I just happened to pass my had over it. It was large enough to pass the end of a ball point pen through.

 

[fisheater]

Another tip from my road bike riding days (and having to repair LOTS of flats), your upper lip is extremely sensitive to air flow and works wonders in finding even small leaks.