Problem with Diva after 3 dives

[RaginCajun]

Hey folks,

I was wondering if you have experienced any troubles with your Diva BC (or any other for that matter) after just a few dives?

My wife bought a year end model (or last year's model) close out at our LDS. Dove with it in the pool, then at a local freshwater lake and back at the pool. After about 3 dives the BC began leaking at the seams.

What's the deal? Is this common, did we get a dud? Did we make a mistake by taking last year's leftovers?

I notice that Aqualung said that prolonged exposure to chlorine water would void the warranty, but I cant see how two pool dives for a total of 60 minutes could have caused the stitching to fail. We were careful to liberally clean and rinse it out after each dive and even used a good BC cleaner as per MFG directions.

Has anyone out there experienced a similar problem? What about warranty service with Aqualung/Seaquest? I'm not real keen on having them repair a piece of life saving equipment, but I'm very curious about what they'll do especially since the model is discontinued and although only 6 mos (since purchase) is over 1 model year old.

Just wanted to get your opinion.

 

[RJP]

Problem with Diva after 3 dives...

When I read the subject line I figured it was gonna be some guy complaining that his wife makes him carry all her gear so she doesn't break a nail!



PS - what exactly do you mean by "leaking at the seams"?

Is air coming out through the seams of the bladder itself, or is it merely trapped air between the bladder and the exterior lining?

If it's the bladder that's leaking is it just from one spot or from multiple spots?

Have you tried inflating the bladder completely and leaving it over night to see what happens?

Would seem unlikely that the seam of the bladder would fail at multiple points all at the same time. If there is something wrong with it I would take it back to the LDS where you bought and see what they can do to help you.

 

[ChrisA]

The BC has a lifetime warenty for just this kind of problem. It is so unlikely though. The seems are heat-welded all along the edges. BCs can trap air in all that bulky fabric so the bubbles could just be that.

Leaks are hard to find. At home, blow it up with air till it is hard then use a paint brush and soapy water and look for bubbles. If you see any it should be a warenty issue.

BCs are designed to "leak" out of the over pressure releif. This is normal and keeps them from blowing up from over use of the power inflator. But if air comes out of the fabric or seams and the BC is less then a year old just take it back.

 

[DiveMaven]

Fill the BC with air and let it sit for a couple of days. Is it deflating? If so, take it back to where you bought it and have them send it to Aqualung under warranty for repair or replacement.

 

[spectrum]

Is it really leaking?

My wife had the 2004 Diva LX and when you pit it in the water to rinse it or to dive what seems like an alarming streams of bubbles comes from the seams at the highpoint. If fact it is the air escaping from the cushioning material. The bladder is fine, it's just stowaway buoyancy escaping.

As mentioned, inflate it and let it stand overnight. If it's still essentially full in the morning it's probably a false alarm.

Pete

 

[RaginCajun]

Thanks to all!

Unfortunately, I'm telling this story second hand and my wife was the one who made the observations. According to her it was leaking at the seams in more than one spot.

It's in the hands of our LDS right now and I'm curious to see what Aqualung will do about it.

I'll report the outcome once we hear back from our LDS.

Good diving yall.