Repairing a well-used DUI drysuit?

[Curious_George]

Just re-looked at your original pics. That zipper is gone for sure. All that fuzz/unraveling near the teeth means it’s toast - or will be very quickly. No way to repair, only replace. I get $425 for a zipper replacement, but can show you how to do it for under $100 with parts included and about 8-10 hours of tedious work.

 

[runsongas]

@Curious_George is that price for the topaz brass zippers coming out of china? I've seen those at about 1/3 the price of YKK but seems like a hell of a gamble to save like 100 to 120 bucks.

 

[TheBullfrog]

I too purchased a used DUI for a "good" deal. Not nearly as good as yours though. I shipped it off to DUI and it won't be looked at until March. So yeah, roll the dice and see what happens. Sometimes you get lucky.

Good luck. Hope you diving warm and dry with a reliable and comfy suit soon!

 

[macado]

What is the manufacturer date on that TLS350? At some point the TLS material changed so I'd be curious if your serial number is in that range. Some are like screen doors and you will be constantly chasing leaks.

My wife's TLS 350 was pretty much never dry from the factory and I spent a lot of time chasing leaks however my TLS is older but material seems to be bit more durable. Keep in mind, we're cave diving which is not the easiest on suits.

It's honestly hard to tell without close-ups of that zipper but it looks to be toast. That might be why it's "wet in the chest area".

You're looking at $350-$400 for a new zipper replacement unless you want to DIY it. It is not the most DIY-friendly project for first timers but it can be done if you are patient and have access to an industrial sewing machine. The TLS350 zipper needs to be sewn in.

Zippers on drysuits are essentially a consumable item like wrist and neck seals. I typically get 2-3 zipper replacements out of a drysuit before I will retire a drysuit. Some people will keep installing new zippers. It's all dependent on the condition of the rest of the suit itself. Before you decide if it's worth investing in a new zipper it would be prudent to check for leaks in the material.

Fortunately leaks on TLS are easy to patch and even easier to find. You can take a flash light in a dark room and put it inside the suit. You will see pinholes of light where there are typically leaks in the material. You can also inflate the suit inside out and spray with soapy water but I find the flash light trick will find most obvious / major leaks. Another option is to turn the side inside, plug the wrists/neck and fill the suit up with water. You will see water seeping out of the material where there is leak, mark with a sharpie, let things dry and patch all the leaks.

A good / thorough cleaning of cotol / MEK and then aquaseal on the inside will patch it. Without cotol / MEK, the aquaseal can peel off the suit very easily so it's important to clean the patch area.

Honestly it ultimately depends how much money you want to invest in that suit. TLS suits do have their benefits, they are very lightweight for travel and dry super quickly but I do not find them very durable. I've owned many DUI suits. They are not the most durable suit in the world but honestly some people love them because of their flexibility and lightweight nature.

If the suit fits you well and the material is in good shape I would personally invest in a new zipper for it. Keep diving it until it needs another zipper and/or keep it as a backup.

 

[jellycatsdad]

What is the manufacturer date on that TLS350? At some point the TLS material changed so I'd be curious if your serial number is in that range. Some are like screen doors and you will be constantly chasing leaks.

My wife's TLS 350 was pretty much never dry from the factory and I spent a lot of time chasing leaks however my TLS is older but material seems to be bit more durable. Keep in mind, we're cave diving which is not the easiest on suits.

It's honestly hard to tell without close-ups of that zipper but it looks to be toast. That might be why it's "wet in the chest area".

You're looking at $350-$400 for a new zipper replacement unless you want to DIY it. It is not the most DIY-friendly project for first timers but it can be done if you are patient and have access to an industrial sewing machine. The TLS350 zipper needs to be sewn in.

Zippers on drysuits are essentially a consumable item like wrist and neck seals. I typically get 2-3 zipper replacements out of a drysuit before I will retire a drysuit. Some people will keep installing new zippers. It's all dependent on the condition of the rest of the suit itself. Before you decide if it's worth investing in a new zipper it would be prudent to check for leaks in the material.

Fortunately leaks on TLS are easy to patch and even easier to find. You can take a flash light in a dark room and put it inside the suit. You will see pinholes of light where there are typically leaks in the material. You can also inflate the suit inside out and spray with soapy water but I find the flash light trick will find most obvious / major leaks. Another option is to turn the side inside, plug the wrists/neck and fill the suit up with water. You will see water seeping out of the material where there is leak, mark with a sharpie, let things try and patch all the leaks.

A good / thorough cleaning of cotol / MEK and then aquaseal on the inside will patch it. Without cotol / MEK, the aquaseal can peel off the suit very easily so it's important to clean the patch area.

Honestly it ultimately depends how much money you want to invest in that suit. TLS suits do have their benefits, they are very lightweight for travel and dry super quickly but I do not find them very durable. I've owned many DUI suits. They are not the most durable suit in the world but honestly some people love them because of their flexibility and lightweight nature.

If the suit fits you well and the material is in good shape I would personally invest in a new zipper for it. Keep diving it until it needs another zipper and/or keep it as a backup.

No production date - it’s faded but I can make out the serial number. From the tooling date stamps on the dump valve, I assume it’s a 2011-12 production. I can’t get MEK or toluene in CA, and Cotol(toluene mixed with a little isocyanate to allow Aquaseal to kick faster) is hard to find. I do see a Nevada trip before ski season is over - the “good” brake cleaner is a thing over there.

That’ll be the first thing I’ll do a through leak check but the zipper is toast.

 

[runsongas]

i'll send you a PM

 

[Whitrzac]

Does it have the tls350 badges?

It looks older than a 2011 era suit to me.

g1 or g2 wrist seals?


If you plan on paying someone to fix the suit, wash your hands of it now and buy something in nicer shape. If you're not afraid to get your hands sticky, aquaseal is cheap and easy to use.

 

[jellycatsdad]

If you plan on paying someone to fix the suit, wash your hands of it now and buy something in nicer shape. If you're not afraid to get your hands sticky, aquaseal is cheap and easy to use.

it’s looking like I’ll take this on an DIY project. I’m not shipping this to DUI/DRIS.

 

[happy-diver]

Buy your parts from Seaskin good prices great postage, and thank this dude

Dry Suit Projects

I am a scuba diver. While diving I almost always use the dry suit. And I make all the maintenance and modifications by myself. This is not complicated at all! I'd like to share with you how I do things. Every owner of a dry suite certainly been in the situation, when the dry suit required some...

www.youtube.com

DRIS has stuff and drysuit glue where just the fumes will glue your eyes shut

DO NOT USE A SEAM RIPPER!

DO NOT "JUST USE AQUASEAL"

 

[jellycatsdad]

Buy your parts from Seaskin good prices great postage, and thank this dude

Dry Suit Projects

I am a scuba diver. While diving I almost always use the dry suit. And I make all the maintenance and modifications by myself. This is not complicated at all! I'd like to share with you how I do things. Every owner of a dry suite certainly been in the situation, when the dry suit required some...

www.youtube.com

DRIS has stuff and drysuit glue where just the fumes will glue your eyes shut

DO NOT USE A SEAM RIPPER!

DO NOT "JUST USE AQUASEAL"

I’m doing my research on this. I’ve started a DM with someone here.

Looks like I’ll need to find some Rema TipTop SC4000 or order DRIS’ drysuit adhesive. Grainger or Amazon has Pilobond, the local shoe repair shop has Barge cement if I want to mess around with wrist seals or neoprene socks.