Question about poor zipper quality

[Frogman82]

I had the same issue with BDM. The zipper started fraying after 50th dive. It was partially caused by a poorly placed seam on the outer zipper flap and partially by the type of wax I used - the softer parafine like wax that was gumming up an fraying the zipper eges just like yours. I stopped using that wax and switched to a liquid one. Although the outside was completely worn the zipper lasted for 300 dives and never leaked. I replaced it before the season started to avoid surprises.

Maybe I'll start using the liquid wax and see if the fraying slows down a bit. The zipper is not leaking at this point, but I have to continously burn off frayed threads, and it seems to be wearing out much faster than I anticipated. Will try to get the most out of the zipper before I replace it, but at least now I have a tizip in backup

The interesting thing is that the old zipper was also worn on the same spot, maybe this has to do with the design of the suit/zipper? It's a classic style zipper that DUI uses, but the suit is from 1998 so maybe they have changed the design on newer suits.

 

[Bopper]

Hey wait, you can just take it to DUI and ask them about it. I would love to hear their opinion/explanation.

LOL. I was thinking about this last night and thats exactly what I'm going to do. I was scheduled to pick up a replacement dump valve on one of their Delta BCDs, so I might as well bring the drysuit along with me. I'll report back w. their comments.

 

[divad]

LOL. I was thinking about this last night and thats exactly what I'm going to do. I was scheduled to pick up a replacement dump valve on one of their Delta BCDs, so I might as well bring the drysuit along with me. I'll report back w. their comments.

Did you do this? What did they say about the zipper? Thanks.

 

[Bopper]

Did you do this? What did they say about the zipper? Thanks.

Yes I did. I've been wanting to create an entire new thread w. pictures of my leaking zipper vs. a perfectly good zipper. But that looks like it might not happen [-]for a while[/-] ever, so I’ll just write up a quick summary of my visit so I can get this "to do" item checked off. I'll attach the pictures I prepared for it but won't discuss them. I think ppl will be able to figure out what's going on. I have an FLX 50/50 (1999) w. a dry-rotted bad zipper and a TLS 350 (2003) with a perfectly good zipper, and I've provided pictures of each to illustrate the problem being discussed.

First off, let me say that the ppl at DUI were about as nice and welcoming as any business I’ve ever visited. They get an A+ for enthusiastic customer service.

Now about the zipper: I spoke to ‘Janet’ – she is a Service Dept Supervisor. She immediately knew the problem; it was obvious she had seen it many many times. The rubber “coating” where the zipper teeth mesh had dry-rotted away. This less-than-5mm “lip” section of the zipper was absolutely critical for proper waterproofing. She quickly told me I needed a brand new zipper. So that led into a conversation about whether or not this type of failure is something particular to DUI drysuits. She told me that they only use YKK zippers. So I asked if they were YKK zippers that were specially made for DUI. She told me that absolutely not, these are the same zippers that any other drysuit manufacturer would use. She explained further that YKK actually makes all metal drysuit zippers. Even ones that are manufactured under different brand names such as BDM are made by YKK. Apparently somewhere along the line YKK bought up all of these smaller zipper manufacturers, including BDM. (Tzip is – from what I can tell – the only other drysuit manufacturer that does not fall under the YKK umbrella. They are the ones that produce those plastic drysuit zippers.).

So if it’s true that DUI uses the de-facto industry standard zippers and there is no difference in the zippers that they use vs what other drysuit manufacturers use, then it seems to me that their zippers can't really be prone to having this problem any more than any other brand of drysuit.


I also asked Janet if there was a solution to this problem without having to have the whole zipper replaced. She said no, there's not a good long term solution. She thought a coat of "whatever" would last only a dive or two. She said that those little teeth that can be seen along the dry-rotted area need to be able to mesh together and hold, and the application of whatever concoction you can come up with would impede them from doing so; and possibly even damage them. And that whatever you applied would rub off soon thereafter anyways.


In my mind, there has to be some - or some combination - of products that can be applied to that dry-rotted area. I have half a mind to go down to Home Depot and start buying all sort of adhesives and what not and experiment. But I won't. At this point the plan is to replace the thing myself. Ugh.

 

[Bopper]

Picture A: Stock photo of subject area - inside lip of zipper where teeth mesh together

And if you want higher resolution pictures:

Picture A
Picture B
Picture C
Picture D
Picture E

 

[divad]

Thanks. I'll call YKK.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

If replacing the zipper I would use a TiZip, so far they have great reviews(me being one satisfied customer). Even YKK has gotten on the band wagon and using this style of zipper, I noticed the new Fourth Element drysuit has a "YKK plastic zipper", it appears to be a rebranded TiZip or a very close copy.

 

[kinzip]

you can try this one: Closed end airtight & waterproof zipper

 

[Belce]

check this video out for the plastic tizip

New plastic Tizip in a Santi Dry Suit - YouTube