Please Help With Bcd Issue

[imfalcon]

I used to dive very regularly in the past. I do not do it much anymore. Indeed I have not used my BCD in over two years. I have dived during that time but with rented BCD's. Today I noticed cracks in my BCD plastic plate - the one that holds the tank. The cracks are small and in the inside of the vest. It also has greasy stains, along the lines of those cracks. I assume I should throw that BCD away? Can anyone explain what happened? Is there any fluid inside the plastic part of the BCD.
Thanks
Isabel

 

[rdbean]

Hi Isabel,

Depending on the quality of your BC you may not have to throw it away. You can bring it into your local dive center and have them look at it and perform an annual service. They'll check the bladder etc, and may be able to replace your tank holder.

That, or they should tell you whether or not it's worth fixing. What kind of BC is it?

Rich

 

[Web Monkey]

I used to dive very regularly in the past. I do not do it much anymore. Indeed I have not used my BCD in over two years. I have dived during that time but with rented BCD's. Today I noticed cracks in my BCD plastic plate - the one that holds the tank. The cracks are small and in the inside of the vest. It also has greasy stains, along the lines of those cracks. I assume I should throw that BCD away? Can anyone explain what happened? Is there any fluid inside the plastic part of the BCD.
Thanks
Isabel

Nobody can really tell you if it's OK, without seeing it in person. "OK" or "Not OK" depends on the condition of the bladder, the inflator and all the dump valves, the weight pockets (if any) as well as the tank mounting plate and strap.

Your best bet would be to stop by your local SCUBA shop, show it to them, and just ask them if they think it's safe to use and/or repairable. If it's been a couple of years since you used it, it's due for an inspection anyway.

Terry

 

[imfalcon]

Thanks. The plate is totally busted, while I was trying to see if I could dismount the plate, a few pieces broke apart. What I cannot understand is the greasy liquid that came out of the cracks.
I doubt it is worth repairing. It was not an expensive vest. The brand is Contempo; made in Mexico in the same factory where one of the big brands was made (probably stolen technology) and it lived for about 80 dives. Likely it will be a better use of my money to just buy a new one instead of repairing this one.
Thanks

 

[bolantej]

if you plan to get back into diving full swing, and can afford it, just treat yourself to some new gear, and sell that thing cheap so someone else can fix it if they choose.

 

[Scuba.com]

"The brand is Contempo; made in Mexico in the same factory where one of the big brands was made "


Contempro was a line of gear owned by the same corporate entity as Sherwood, Genesis and Akona. It was originally supposed to be a soft gear line only, ie. neoprene products, bags and trinkets. For various reasons the entire line was absorbed into other parts of the company and killed off. The hardpack your bcd has should be the same hardpack as the BP200 in the Genesis line.

I'd take it into a dive shop or send it to our repair department HERE and have somebody take a look at it before I gave up on it completely.