Question for the she-p users...

[ligersandtions]

When I first decided I wanted to take the plunge, my hubby decided to DIY a p-valve for me. Big mistake as the check valves have a 1 psi cracking pressure....i.e. more than the glue can hold! I had many catastrophic failures and completely gave up on using the thing for a few months (until a long, uncomfortable kick dive).

My first p-valve also had slightly too short norprene tubing that led to a slight kink and eventually pulled the tube out of the she-p itself....resulting in a few more failures.

I got a new drysuit and picked up a light monkey valve....one that I was sure was meant for this type of application! I made sure the norprene tubing was long enough to make a nice loop with no kink. So I'm fairly certain that the issues I'm having are no longer p-valve related, but related to the she-p itself.


Maybe I'll try it this weekend on a single dive and see if I have any luck. Sadly, though, there are very few dives locally that don't require a relatively long walk and/or stairs in warm weather....any site that does not require that is one that I'm not going to do only once. Hard to find a good "control"

 

[Sas]

I have no leakage with my she-p now, bone dry for a long long time... I use either Hollister or Urobond IV. Hollister when I apply at the site and Urobond if I put it on at home (I find the Urobond bottle leaks and have been too lazy to get an alternative so far).

In both cases I apply the glue when it is almost dried (this takes five minutes with Hollister, at least). I only use one layer, no tape, and I use the two g-sting method. Never used a nappy or a pad... Oh and I am not sure if this makes a difference but I have always shaved either the night before or the day of the dive. I do vacuum check always before a dive and I often reapply between dives (as in, take it completely off and reapply, no touch ups) as it will come loose over time.

When I apply I spread my legs also kind of bend at the knees, and apply at the front then work my way backwards making sure there is no gap where it touches the perineum (often I need to stretch things), basically there are no folds or anything like that. I can do it like a pro now with my undergarments still on if there is no privacy

I have had the hose kink underwater but it didn't blow. Basically I tried to pee and couldn't cos of the pressure. Was kind of painful actually and it was nice to unkink it after the dive!

I use a Si-Tech valve and a quick disconnect and have the white silicone she-p.

 

[BabyDuck]

huh, my leaks are usually up front. occasionally on the back or sides, but i have more catastrophic front blow outs.

when it's hot or it's the third dive of the day, i tend to draw my knees down in a crouch & put a little hand pressure on the she-p to help it stay in place. the urobond can stretch off & re-stick, so i try & make sure it's in a 're-stick' phase.

something that drives me a bit batty is when the balance chamber puts in air & makes me feel like i have a leak because i'm sloshing. grr. almost makes me want to go unbalanced - i'd rather have the safe feeling of a bit of vacuum than 'oops, did that air come from around the she-p or not?'

 

[piikki]

something that drives me a bit batty is when the balance chamber puts in air & makes me feel like i have a leak because i'm sloshing. grr. almost makes me want to go unbalanced - i'd rather have the safe feeling of a bit of vacuum than 'oops, did that air come from around the she-p or not?'

Ooh, I know I hate that insecure bubble feeling. It’s like they should not wander up to the reservoir, just help blow the pee out because it feels like the air up there is just going to aid loosening things up.

I got a new drysuit and picked up a light monkey valve....one that I was sure was meant for this type of application! I made sure the norprene tubing was long enough to make a nice loop with no kink. So I'm fairly certain that the issues I'm having are no longer p-valve related, but related to the she-p itself.

I hate to tell you this but I have Salvo valve too. It originally came with absolutely crappy check valves (def not 1 PSI cracking though, gee!) They leaked left and right. My buddy had same problem with wet leg. Barry was all like “Well, it’s just the She-P” and I was pretty pissed. Then I talked to one big tech shop and the guys there said that Salvo constantly has to send them free replacement valves for their unhappy customers, MALES. Their advice was to either keep swapping the valves regularly or upgrade.

I upgraded and went with the valves that Halcyon used in their valves before they moved to their current type of p-valve. They are the red, bulkier check valves (cracking pressure 0.11 PSI btw) from smartproducts:

Modular Check Valve | Filter Valves | Foot Valves | Smart Products

They are way superior. Never had a leg leak since. They are pricier but they will work with the norprene hose and can be taken apart for cleaning.

I often reapply between dives (as in, take it completely off and reapply, no touch ups) as it will come loose over time.

When I apply I spread my legs also kind of bend at the knees, and apply at the front then work my way backwards making sure there is no gap where it touches the perineum (often I need to stretch things), basically there are no folds or anything like that. I can do it like a pro now with my undergarments still on if there is no privacy

Re-apply between dives – that would just be so much hassle for me. The one benefit of the She-P is that one does not need to pull the drysuit off between dives but I guess if I could do it by just groping in my pants it could work! I too start from the front not from the back like advised. I have tried both ways and it just works better.

 

[kathydee]

I have no leakage with my she-p now, bone dry for a long long time...

Sounds promising! I wonder if different body anatomies work better with the she pee, surly we have slightly different dimension.

I also bought the Halcyon p-valve, because it had the reputation as having the lowest flow resistance -- and it's resistance to flow that makes it leak when you have it all hooked up, when it doesn't leak on land.

I upgraded and went with the valves that Halcyon used in their valves before they moved to their current type of p-valve. They are the red, bulkier check valves (cracking pressure 0.11 PSI btw) from smartproducts

Ok, I'll probably go with Halcyon - is there a reason the old valves work better than the current valves? Is that something worth replacing?

 

[piikki]

Ok, I'll probably go with Halcyon - is there a reason the old valves work better than the current valves? Is that something worth replacing?

Just to clarify... If you go with the new/current Halcyon (Streamline I think is the name) p-valve, you do not need to change anything. That valve operates totally different than the Light Monkey/Salvo p-valve. It has the 'check valves' and balancing (actually it's a whole different concept) in the puck part, not on the norprene hose.

To my understanding the new H pee valve has worked pretty flawlessly for most people. There has been only couple duds and then the name of the game has been to have Halcyon replace something in the puck/tighten up things or something.

The older H pee valve was similar to Salvo (or any generic) p-valve on the market where check valves were on the hose part - but they used the better check valves. Those can be swapped to any p-valve where check valves are just between two pieces of hose.

I would like to try the Halcyon valve just to see if it really is that much easier to pee through. Too bad they don't have pee valves on demo days

 

[DiverLaura]

ok, just to clarify something. when i say to 'not stretch the skin', i'm talking about not spreading your legs far apart and stretching the labial lips wide apart. When you spread the 'middle area' too wide when applying you are at risk for pinching.

You INDEED have to flatten the perineal skin. I will try to make this more clear in the next video.

With the UROBOND, my application is get it correct position with regards to anus in back, i flatten the skin gently back there and apply the rear contact area. then I peel and restick the front and sides for optimum placement without pinching.

To answer the guy who said 'get rid of failure points', we went to the QD because tugging and trying to hook up your she-p without the extension is harder because we don't have a, uhm... flexible extension already built in. rummaging around in your drawers trying to get hooked up was actually causing women to tug the front loose. I have not had any reports of a QD leaking (male or female). Balancing chambers are actually good for 'us' because it means our girl parts dont' get sucked into the reservoir if we don't prime the system. we just have more 'area' to pinch from squeeze.

Finally, a note, as most kits are now coming with the white cap to wear when you are not hooked up, please remember that you cannot use any of the sealing caps on the she-p side while diving. Either hook up to your pee valve or don't use the cap. the gas trapped inside if you put the cap on while diving will compress on descent and cause discomfort.

FWIW, i have not had a leakage problem since the one time i tried the Adapt paste. I do still wear a medium poise pad just in case.

IF you are getting ready to pee and you think you may have a bit of a leak, grab your crotch area and press the device in place and especially if you are using UROBOND (which will actually restick in a wet environment) you will direct the majority of the urine out the pee valve. I know there are some women who don't use ANY adhesive and basically just hold it in place with thongs and press on it when they need to pee. maybe some residual goes into the pad, but its a lot better than the whole bladder full in a diaper.

with regards to backpressure from your pee valve. If you are getting any "ballooning" other than the first pee when you are priming on the surface and pushing the air out, then you have too much backpressure from your pee valve. After it's primed, even with a couple bubbles from balancing chamber, you should just be able to PEEEEEEEEEEEE..... it will just flow right out, almost so easily that it's alarming a times.

Blow through your pee valve. you should feel minimal if any resistance... if you feel more, then somewhere along the way there is restriction, be it in the check valve, narrow hose, or narrow fittings.

 

[ligersandtions]

I don't have any ballooning issues....and I have gotten to the point where I could just gooooooo and have it flow out nicely. But even then, I've come out with some wetness on my pants....it's been more so in the front than in the back, so I think I'm getting a secure seal in the back due to the extra layer of Urobond and the double thong method.

I haven't had any issues with the QD. However, I have had issues with the norprene tubing sliding out of the she-p silicone "tube". It's happened three times now (once while I was going....you know it's bad when your stomach gets warm....once when I hadn't used it at all, and once after I had gone, so the residual urine got dumped into my suit). I've now gotten to the point where I check it between every dive....I do get some strange looks, but it's better than seriously peeing myself!

It sounds like there is hope....sounds like some people are able to be bone dry. Hopefully I'll figure out what my issue is someday. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound as though any of the tricks that work for others are resulting in success for me. I may try to hold my hand down there while I'm going next time just to see if I have any better success (I know this worked for me topside last weekend, as I got to the point where I felt it was safer to disconnect and use the head between dives).

If anyone thinks of anything else, please do post in here or shoot me a PM. I'm apparently retarded when it comes to she-p's

 

[DiverLaura]

which color she-p do you have? (i assume your extension is norprene as well?)

i never unhook my she-p from my extension, if you are having issues, i would recommend taping the she-p to extension connection.

for leaking at the front of the she-p, the pink tape works wonders... a strip across the front and short pieces along front/side.

 

[Sas]

I haven't had any issues with the QD. However, I have had issues with the norprene tubing sliding out of the she-p silicone "tube".

Hey, I use duct tape to tape them together. Though I just remembered I have mine set up differently to the norm. Basically mine goes shep > one half of q/d > other half > black norprene tube > [lots of duct tape] > p-valve hose

I have had mine pop out on the surface a few times but no problems since I duct taped the black tube to the p-valve hose.

Anyway, glad things are improving at least