Rinsing the gear

[TMHeimer]

I never rinse my gear. Because all my dives are in fresh water north Florida springs cave diving. The water in the caves is the same water that comes out of my water faucet at home.

Your drinking water isn't, like, "processed & fluoridated"? Where exactly does your water come from, a well? We had wells at our last two homes, one of which needed a water softener. I have read that even strictly fresh water divers should occasionally rinse gear due to various particles in the water. I have no experience with that, just curious.

 

[Sbiriguda]

I have read that even strictly fresh water divers should occasionally rinse gear due to various particles in the water. I have no experience with that, just curious.

Well, in the lakes there are algae and suspension in the water. There is no salt but washing the gear sounds a good idea for me and usually I do that at home when I come back from the lake

 

[DogDiver]

Your drinking water isn't, like, "processed & fluoridated"? Where exactly does your water come from, a well? We had wells at our last two homes, one of which needed a water softener. I have read that even strictly fresh water divers should occasionally rinse gear due to various particles in the water. I have no experience with that, just curious.

My well goes right into the aquifer.

 

[TMHeimer]

My well goes right into the aquifer.

Thanks. I guess what I'm asking refers to Sbiriguda's post above. Is there anything in the water you dive in that is different than what's in the water you drink that would make it advisable to rinse your gear?

 

[Belzelbub]

Thanks. I guess what I'm asking refers to Sbiriguda's post above. Is there anything in the water you dive in that is different than what's in the water you drink that would make it advisable to rinse your gear?

Quite a bit that is different between Florida spring water and most tap water. Spring water is much cleaner and has less impurities. That’s probably why it’s bottled and sold.

Now, this changes a bit the farther away you get from the actual spring, but if your temp is within a degree or two of 72F, it’s probably cleaner than the water coming from the tap.

 

[NAM001]

odoban is great for killing bacteria. use it in a washing machine ,,, light wash you washables like the wet suit youcan also use the watered down odoban in your BCd and do a rince later with fresh water.

 

[deeper thoughts]

Soak everything overnight in freshwater(touch of dawn) , air dry good to go
Camera included

 

[shopguy]

Any comments on 1st stages that have those auto close devices?

I have only been diving about 8 years myself, but divers I know, all DMs and 2 instructors, taught me to just rinse all the gear as best I can (hose and a large trash can to dunk if I have available), and rinse everything that made contact with water during the dive. This means dust caps must be off, otherwise you aren’t rinsing part of the threads on your 1st stage that sticks out of the valve, or really all of it since the seal (o ring) is at the very tip (talking about DIN here).

Both my regs are newer and have auto close devices, so maybe I’m just getting lucky because of that protection for stupid guys like me. However, these other guys I know have been diving for 30+ years and rinsing gear this way forever, and never had any issues bad enough to make them change their ways. Just lucky? They dive all over the world, cold and warm water.

When I got certified recently my instructor, great guy, said I should be really worried, take my regs in before my next dive, and never rinse them again without them being under pressure. At home with tanks and compressor I own, I may start doing that, but not sure of logistics when on vacation and trying to sneak my gear in my hotel room to clean in the shower (through the lobby and up the elevator).

 

[Diving Dubai]

Any comments on 1st stages that have those auto close devices?

Yes. Don't rinse with the dust cap on.

Teh dust cap acts like a cylinder and opens the ACD allowing the possibility of water in. Let the springs do their thing. I can throw my ADC regs into the rinse bin (at home) with no worries. For my wife's none ACD regs I need to be more careful, keeping the 1st stage out of the water.

 

[divinh]

Being able to rinse your own equipment separately is kinda hard on many boat dives I've been on. Usually, there are just two big buckets, one for regs/masks and another for wetsuits/fins. If you're lucky, there's a small bucket for cameras.

On the one liveaboard I went on, gear wasn't cleaned daily. It wasn't cleaned until the end of the trip by the crew. I cleaned it again myself at the hotel before packing it all up for the flight home.