Running water through the BC.... Why?

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love2godeep

love2godeep

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I fear that this is a stupid question, but maybe there are others also who have wondered....

In the OW cert class, we were told to always run fresh water through the BC bladders after use. This has always puzzled me, but I didn't worry about it too much until I got my own equipment.

Now I am very curious about the reason for doing this. It seems to me like it would be hard to get it dry, and that mold might get in there.

I have a almost brand new ScubaPro LadyHawk which I have used once. I did rinse it after my dive, but the water was a bit brackish.

Should I haul it out and run fresh water through it? What else should I know about taking care of my BC?

Thanks for your help!
Deep
 
If you're diving in salt water, a bit will often tend to get inside the bladder. The salt is very abrasive to the bladder and can also cause it to stick to itself when it dries. Rinsing it thoroughly with fresh water and storing it with some air in it prevents wear and tear - extending the life of your expensive equipment.
 
To dry it out, fill the bladder with some air, and hang it upside down, so that the inflator hose is the lowest point. For the next couple of days or so, press the deflator button to drain the collected water out. It'll be fine.
 
also when you finish draining all the water out that you can after rinsing, you can put a cap full of listerine mouth wash in it and shake it around. the next time you use your BC it will smell better. :)

steve
 
I ALWAYS rinse my BC, inside and out. I dunk it a few times in my rinse bucket. Then I fill the bladder up with fresh water, swish it around a bit, run it out the inflator hose, repeat. I was taught to do this until the water comes out and doesn't taste salty and will keep funk from growing inside.
I think take the BC, hang it upside down, letting the water drain thro the hose. Before putting it away, I blow it up again, and put swig of mouthwash in the bladder. I read here on SB that the mouthwash will help kill the germs between uses. Awwh minty fresh!
 
Hey, love the Listerine idea! Question: does anyone ever rinse out their BC with a diluted bleach solution (like 10:1)? That would sure knock out any mold or whatever... Is mold 'n stuff a real concern? Just curious. :)
 
I've had a SP Stab Jacket for almost 20 years - lots of salt water diving and never a hint of mold. However, I always rinse with fresh, inflate, hang upside down for awhile, then deflate. Then store with a bit of air.

The mouthwash idea sounds ok, but I would never put bleach in, not even a mild solution, unless I was trying to get rid of something.
 
Ya...I figured as much (i.e. stick to a fresh water rinse and some air inside). I was just wondering if there was something I hadn't heard of re: the BC's capacity to 'grow' anything.
Cheers & Happy Diving.
:luxhello:
 
If you like to disinfect your BC, you can use products as used in rebreathers, such as Buddyclean or Dräger EW80. These will not harm your BC, whereas bleach may be harmful.

steven
 
If you dive in salt and don't rinse, then the resulting salt crystals are abrasive enough to wear a hole in the bc/wing from the inside.
 
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