Pinholes in my bladder!

[flobaby]

My ex, the master scuba repairman, uses Waterbed repair glue. Works great.

 

[jonnythan]

If a diver goes into an uncontrolled descent in open water and drowns at 160 feet because of a leaky bladder, they should never have been allowed to pas Open Water class because they obviously weren't taught anything at all.

Besides, there were suggestions in this thread about where to go for quality BC repair as well as how to do it yourself.

 

[Rookie_J]

i was in no way trying to offend anyone. i was surprised that this was a repair people would attempt. i'm trying to learn as much as possible, as i stated i'm new to this.

 

[jonnythan]

I've fixed a couple of holes in BC's. It's not that big a deal, really. Just need to be thorough.

 

[lamont]

When I saw the title, I cringed.

the discussion of superglue and shoe goo made for quite a mental image....

 

[caymaniac]

Hello!

On my last dive I found three small pinholes in my bladder that leak air. I was told to super glue or hot glue over the holes. WHat is a good suggestion to stop them from leaking?

This is why your wetsuit is so full of pee?

 

[divad]

I've fixed a couple of holes in BC's. It's not that big a deal, really. Just need to be thorough.

Can you elaborate on "being thorough?" I also have some holes to fill. I can dig new ones later, but for now I have the same question as the original poster. I was going to use Aquaseal. Are there secret techniques. Please walk us through it. Thanks.

 

[jonnythan]

Nothing secret, no. It helps if you can get to the inside of the hole, but it's not entirely necessary.

I use Seam Grip, but Aquaseal with Cotol works great too.

Cleaning the area to be patched is very important.

For pinholes where I can't reach the back of the hole, I use a pin to make sure some of the Aquaseal gets into the hole. I put one think layer about 1/2" diameter, let it dry overnight, and then a second layer about 1" in diameter. If I can reach the back, I'll repeat the process on the other side.

For small cuts where I can reach the back, I use nylon repair tape as a backing on the inside and seal up the outside as above, then seal up the inside.

I'd do the same thing from the outside only for a cut or rip where I can't reach the inside, but I'm not sure I'd trust it too much.

 

[jonnythan]

Oh, as for being thorough, it's doing a good job cleaning, letting it dry, putting on one coat, letting it dry, putting on another coat, then doing the same on the inside if possible. You can get away with a lot less, but I wouldn't try

 

[TekDiveGirl]

a diver was diving a coral reef over a 1000 foot drop, he had had problems with his BC prior to the dive but thought he had fixed it, his BC malfunctioned, uncontrolled decent, they found him out of air and not breathing at 160 feet, he died..

or am i being overcautious?

If the diver doesn't feel comfortable fixing he BC then by all means - take it to the shop.

BUT -

With a BC malfunction - the diver should still should have been able to surface. If he went into an uncontrolled decent - because of it - he should not have ever been diving in the first place. Basic open water survival skills.

Kimber