Rinsing Equipment

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JasonH20

Guest
Messages
262
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0
Location
Redmond, WA USA
# of dives
50 - 99
Any reason I should use a tub of water to rinse of my equipment rather than just hose it down? Seems it should work just as well, but thought I'd ask as I'm starting to accumulate more and more of MY stuff now. :) If you use a tub, is it just water, or can you add a bit of soap?

BTW, lesson learned today; Don't hose off your equipment all over your driveway when it's freezing outside! I'm now have a little mini ice rink behind my cars. :) LOL
 
A hose is OK for a quick job. If you’re going to dive again soon that might be all you need to do. Ideally, use the hose at low pressure with the scuba unit still pressurized so you can drop plenty of water into the second stages while cycling the purge button.
Soaking in (preferably warm) water will do a better job of things like dissolving salt or caked mud. I use plain water, but you raise an interesting question about soap. Let’s see what others say. Perhaps Simple Green?
It should go without saying to make sure the so-called dust cap is in place during the soak to keep water out of your first stage high pressure chamber. (So then why did I say it? :smile: )
 
I am no expert, but this is what I do: I take my equipment into the shower for a nice hot water rinse, sometimes i use antibacterial soap and then hang it to dry. My roomate hates it, but it works.
I figure my next house will have a built in scuba room with a walk in shower for the gear and me after the saltwater dives.
 
Can you say Soak it!!! Yes a quick rinse will help, but not get everything. When you get the time, soak everything. A tip on the reg soaking. I have a pony bottle that I use when soaking my reg, that way I KNOW, no water will get inside (of course pressurize it). I have never used soap myself, but I don't know if it would be good or bad in the long run.
 
I start by soaking all my gear in the hottub, then I run the jets for a few minutes and next everything goes into the pool for a cold water rinse, finally everything goes into the garage onto the drying racks for a day or so. If you don't have a hottub and a pool (call me lol ) I would suggest using a couple of large plastic tubs. ESPECIALLLY if your gear has been in saltwater. Soaking for a while will do a MUCH better job then simply rinsing with a hose or in the shower. We toss all our suits into the washing machine and then hang them in the garage to dry. I disassemble all our lights, reels, and anything else that need it and then clean everything, lube everything and reassemble. Never store anything with the batteries in them unless they are Nimh in which case it's best to "recharge" them on a regular basis.
I wouldn't use a soap or simple green as this can "strip" any lubricants or "O" ring grease and shouldn't be needed.-M
 
Another nice thing to have is a dehumidifier. Your drysuit, hood and gear will all be nice and dry by the next morning. We have one in our guest bath. Guess where I rinse and hang all my dive gear. Even my CF200 is dry in the morning.

Do not hang your drysuit near a hot water heater. It will do a number on your latex gaskets.
 
knotical:
It should go without saying to make sure the so-called dust cap is in place during the soak to keep water out of your first stage high pressure chamber. (So then why did I say it? :smile: )
Actually no! You do not want to dip/soak the whole 1st stage since that little DUST cap is just that! It is not water tight at all. You are better off leaving the reg on the tank (pressurized) to clean the first stage, then you can soak the 2nd/octo/gauges in the warm water.

But if you do get water inside your 1st stage, remove the SPG, cap the hole and pressurize the system, purging it a few times from both the reg and octo making sure to remove any water in the system. Then remove the plug and re-insert the SPG.

If you really want to clean you BC and suits, just use the cleaner that you can get from the LDS - called Stink-be-gone - it works great on my stuff. You can even get special anti-bacterial cleaner for the inside of the BC bladder.
 
I use a 44 gallon plastic trash can and plain water. There are too many nooks and crannies for salt to find for my taste. Warm water is better if I do not have a full day for a soak.

The "sink the stink" stuff is pretty good if the gear is actually stinking.

If I am worried about cross-contamination when diving aquariums, I will use about 10% vinegar for an hour or so and then switch to plain water. Sea critters rarely survive major pH changes.

My lawn gets some of it's best watering when I am rinsing gear or draining my plastic trash can.

When rinsing gear outdoors in freezing weather, be sure to disconnect the hose from the building when you are done. I am pretty far south and still managed to destroy a hose bib that way.
JasonH20:
Any reason I should use a tub of water to rinse of my equipment rather than just hose it down? Seems it should work just as well, but thought I'd ask as I'm starting to accumulate more and more of MY stuff now. :) If you use a tub, is it just water, or can you add a bit of soap?

BTW, lesson learned today; Don't hose off your equipment all over your driveway when it's freezing outside! I'm now have a little mini ice rink behind my cars. :) LOL
 
I usually fill up the plastic tub I use to carry my gear with warm water. If you leave the garden hose out in the sun with some water in it, the water will be nice and warm. I fill up the BC bladder with fresh water from the hose, and then I soak my suit and BCD in the tub and place some small weights on it to keep it submerged. I hose off the regulator 1st stage while it is still attached to the tank. Then I fill up a smaller container to soak the rest of the regulator. I leave in on the deck in the shade for a few minutes to fetch and drink. When I come back I drain the BC bladder, hang the suit and BC up to dry in the garage, purge the regs, and dump the container on my lawn. Everything is cleaned and put away in 15 minutes; then I'm out on the porch with the nice cool drink. :)
 
I use the bath tub and a 5 gallon bucket. Suit and BC in the tub of warm water, reg and lights in the 5 gallon bucket. Then everything gets hung up to dry.
 

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