Rinse and dry out every piece of gear after dive, extremely simple right?

[Z Gear]

I wanted to review they way I handle some of the way I rinse out and store my gear after each dive and make sure that I am not inadvertently doing something that can actually not be good for my gear. After each dive I usually immerse all the equipment in a large clean trash container 3/4 full of water. I just start setting most of the gear (except tank)in there and then proceed to hang or set things out to dry. I usually leave them out side over night and store in garage the next after noon, and hope the raccoon's don't have a craving for scuba gear.

Is rinsing or immersing fresh water (not using a hose) for 30 seconds enough or do most of you let it soak in fresh water a bit longer.

Does it really matter?
Are some putting some thing on rubber items or metal items after drying to help restore or preserve these items?

I feel I am doing it right, it seems pretty basic.But I could be missing something. Sometimes I am surprised to find new and better ways of doing things so I thought I would ask.

Also are the some things we should try "NOT" to do with gear after a dive that some might ( I hope its not me) inadvertently do.

Thanks in advance
Frank G

 

[ScubaInChicago]

Ah the beauty of diving fresh water, I don't do anything but hang my drysuit to dry. I may pull the dump valve open to make sure there's no water in the wing. Unfortunately for RB diving, it becomes much more involved, almost as involved as rinsing after saltwater diving.

 

[waterduck]

I leave my reg attached to my tank and rince it all off while under pressure.I have a large rubber garbage can that I fill with fresh water and place the tank and regulator in there to soak for awhile while I hose off my other gear. I'll hose some water into my bc bladder and swish it around then dump it out.I'll add air to my bc and hang it to dry along with my wetsuit that I just hosed off real good too.I had one LDS owner who told me to just put the dust cap on my Scuba Pro MK25/S600 and soak it all under water.I worry about that procedure as the dust cap is just that,a dust cap.I don't see how that would keep water out of your first stage.As I am writing this,my wetsuit is still hanging outside and was all night long.I have raccoons too but also a very raccoon hateing dog.Good luck with that.
Oh,after the reg is dry after hanging up,I put that in a rubber tote and store that way so spiders and stink bugs don't find their way into the mouth piece to take up residence.Yuk! Stale air,might not be stale air.

 

[KDAD]

I do what Frank does also. I do this for fresh and salt water. Sometimes the fresh water may have a little too much 'life' to it and the gear has a little bit of a mucky smell to it, especially after the car ride home. Also, the wetsuit and booties inevitably pick up sand and grit while removing. The fresh rinse is just a bit quicker. Unless the quit needs a longer soak if it was peed in.

My gear is stored and transported in a bin, so the bin is filled with water , everything gets rinsed and left out overnight to dry. The suit two nights. Inside out the first night, out the second. Everything goes back in the bin and is ready for the next dive and I am less likely to forget anything.

 

[Zeagle Eagle]

My Zeagle BC has a special attachment so I can put a garden hose on it and rinse it out. I usually let that run for 1/2 an hour or so then into the rinse bucket. I will usually put a cap full of scuba shampoo in the rinse bucket for my BC, wet suit and booties. It gets rid of any leftover salt. Neutralizes the Chlorine if I was in a pool. I follow it up with a little MiraZyme Sink the Stink for my booties and wet suit. Make sure not to rinse it. Just dip it for a few minutes and then hang it up. It keeps the smell down. I hang everything outside in the shade until absolutely dry. I hang my BC upside down to let the last bit of water drain out. It's a Zeagle so I can unscrew the inflator valve. I hang the wet suit inside out to cut down on the exposure to the sun.

Oh yeah, I also unroll my DAN SMB and give it a good soak, then air dry even if I didn't use it. If it got wet, it get's cleaned. It's over 10 years old now and going strong.

Every piece of my gear gets soaked; but, I think the most important is properly drying and then storing. I use mask boxes for storing my mask and I put my regs and computers in a reg bag after they are perfectly dry and I have run some compressed air from the scuba tank through them. I hang my re-tractors upside down to let them drain along with my GoPro Aquapod, fully extended. I run air through my Divers Alert (both the Air side and the H2O side).

Do you want to hear something really anal. I soak my regs in distilled water for the last step. I know I need help...lol A gallon costs about .79 cents and well worth it. Once a year or maybe twice I add a little vinegar.

Usually a few days later I check my gear to make sure it's dry hanging properly and not getting creased. I then lube it with the appropriate stuff. Food grade silicone spray for my hoses, fins and computer case. I frog lube my knife.

All of my gear except for fins and snorkel goes into an air conditioned "dive closet" inside the house.

A bit anal you ask? Yeah, probably; but, all my gear looks almost brand new after 10 years and more. I rarely have any problems with stuck valves, fading from the sun, split seams, sticky zippers, and rusty gear.

I have never had a problem with any of my regs. As a matter of fact I still have a US Divers micra regulator that must be over 20 years old that works as well as the day I bought it.

 

[redacted]

A 30 second rinse or dunk may make it all look good but it will not remove salt water from unprotected threaded connections and other places where it is driven into by pressure and trapped. None of my Scubapro regulators have dust caps. They all came with inlet protectors that do a good job of sealing water out.

 

[Zeagle Eagle]

A 30 second rinse or dunk may make it all look good but it will not remove salt water from unprotected threaded connections and other places where it is driven into by pressure and trapped. None of my Scubapro regulators have dust caps. They all came with inlet protectors that do a good job of sealing water out.

I try to keep my ScubaPro MK 25/600 "on the bottle" while I soak it. Occasionally, I have dumped it in the rinse tank without being attached. I have never had a problem as the "inlet protectors" keep the water out. I almost always have the cap come off on the end of the MK25. Have you had that problem? What is it's purpose?

 

[redacted]

I try to keep my ScubaPro MK 25/600 "on the bottle" while I soak it. Occasionally, I have dumped it in the rinse tank without being attached. I have never had a problem as the "inlet protectors" keep the water out. I almost always have the cap come off on the end of the MK25. Have you had that problem? What is it's purpose?

I do not trust the Scubapro inlet protector on din connections but they work fine with yoke, Those rubber covers provide protection from scraped or dings. Not really necessary.

 

[waterduck]

I do not trust the Scubapro inlet protector on din connections but they work fine with yoke, Those rubber covers provide protection from scraped or dings. Not really necessary.

What is the difference between a dust cap and a inlet protector? My MK25/S600 is only a month old. Am I calling it by the wrong name? There is no rubber "0" ring on it so how does that do a good job in keeping water out of the first stage ?

 

[redacted]

What is the difference between a dust cap and a inlet protector? My MK25/S600 is only a month old. Am I calling it by the wrong name? There is no rubber "0" ring on it so how does that do a good job in keeping water out of the first stage ?

Many folks call that device a dust cap, but Scubapro calls theirs an inlet protector and it does a pretty good job on the yoke models. The whole contacting surface is rubber, so as long as it is in good condition, it will seal. The plastic models which take a o-ring are good but you have to watch for the o-ring to go missing or for the plastic to crack. My real preference is the older model Scubapro protectors which were solid rubber and either surface could be used in case one was damaged.

You can't go wrong soaking your regs under pressure but sometimes that may be difficult or impossible. I rarely bother with using pressure on mine as I have full confidence in the inlet protector. And, it has been a long time since my wife/buddy forgot to install it. The nice thing about using a tank is it is pretty hard to forget to attach it.

On your S600, don't forget to close the user adjustment if you decide to just use the inlet protector. In the normal breathing position, the seat will not be sealed against the orifice without tank pressure and water may seep into the hose.