P-Valve Installation in Drysuit: Overview of techniques

[RayfromTX]

@RayfromTX is doing this soon, tagging him...

Some people just call it normal grooming.

While @tmassey was posting this thread last night I was installing my light monkey p-valve in my Waterproof D7 cordura drysuit. I used an old 1" forstner bit used for cutting flat bottom holes with a block of wood inside the suit and tapped it with a hammer a few times. It didn't cut the cordura but it weakened the trilaminate so that it was easy to cut the hole with an exacto blade, following a line I traced around the 1" bit with a silver sharpie. It made a very clean finished hole that was just right for the shaft of the p-valve.

I used the rubber washer that was purchased from seaskin with the p-valve. In british pounds the valve was 83, the washer 1.69, the quick connect 5.26 and the rebuild kit 6.66. I piggy backed it on an order for MTM undergarments which were a real score imo.

I won't even test it for leaks. It's not going to leak.

 

[michael-fisch]

Yup, unbalanced P-Valves are really the only way to stay dry.
The problem is, either you fill the hose with pee at the beginning of the dive, or you get much longer with inside diameter of the hose. Just think 18" long but only a quarter inch diameter - that can ruin your whole evening

Michael

 

[michael-fisch]

Actually the above was in jest.
Where you should look out for is urinary tract infections - they are common if you don't flush the hose with a disinfecting solution after every time you disconnect the hose.
I use a vinegar solution from a squeeze bottle to flush the hose, if I forget I'll have another 7-10 day treatment with amoxicillin coming up in a few days.

Michael

 

[tmassey]

I got in the pool today. More details are in my GUE Fundies thread, but the basic takeaways are that the valve is installed and the suit didn't leak. That's +1 for the neoprene washer and no adhesive/sealant working correctly! So if you're looking for a really simple and effective installation, give it a try!

 

[chris kippax]

I used a 1" Wad punch to install my LM tinkle valve. Worked perfect. For the glue I used Toyota black.
Plenty of leak free dives and hoping for plenty more.