Salt-Away for cleaning dive gear

[Dnaber]

I have read the other discussion going on about disinfecting our gear but what wasn't meantioned was the product Salt-Away. Has anyone heard of any issue using this product on our gear? I picked up two gallons at a yard sale and have been using it on the boat trailer. But was thinking it may also work on the dive gear after a saltwater dive.

 

[macado]

I use a product called Salt-X in my rinse bucket which I assume is a similar product to Salt-Away It works very well for removing salt deposits off my gear. I also use it for regulator cleaning and servicing. No issues here.

 

[RJP]

I use a solution of 100% DHMO (dihydrogen monoxide) to rinse my gear after every saltwater dive. Very effective and I have never had an issue with salt effecting any of my gear.

DHMO is widely available in most countries and can be obtained without a permit in all 50 US states, I believe.

Of course DHMO is not without risks, and there are alarmists trying to get it banned:

Facts About Dihydrogen Monoxide

 

[3D diver]

The government is cracking down on DHMO use here in CA...

 

[RJP]

The government is cracking down on DHMO use here in CA...

Dont want to get political, but that's pretty typical of California.

 

[macado]

I will add a little more insight just from my personal experiences. Provided you rinse your gear off with fresh water (warm water even helps) every time and especially as soon as you can after diving then you really don't need to use chemicals.

It can be unnecessary and it's possible that chemicals could do more harm than good.

Basically what RJP said, be diligent and use water.

With that being said, I will confess to not being the most thorough person with regards to rinsing my dive gear. Last thing I sometimes want to do when I get home is rinse dive gear. A large majority of my gear stays on the boat or damp in my car for days. By the time I usually rinse it (if I remember to...) there is a nice layer of salt residue.

Putting a little Salt-Away concentrate in your rinse is not going to harm the gear.
Diving | Salt Away

After a week or two of diving my procedure is usually that exactly. I dunk and rinse everything thoroughly and put a little bit of Salt-X concentrate (heavily diluted) in my rinse station. If I am dunking regulators I keep them on and charged on a tank and dunk the entire thing. I let them soak for an hour or so and then rinse again with fresh water.

You need to be careful using any sort of acid product as they can damage o-rings and damage rubber, strip chrome if immersed too long.

 

[3D diver]

Dont want to get political, but that's pretty typical of California.

It's a supply/demand thing...

 

[spoolin01]

It seems pretty unlikely that Salt Away or Salt-X would damage your regulators, especially if you dilute it enough and limit contact time. I seem to recall the dispenser sold with Salt Away for rinsing marine gear and marine engines, dilutes the Salt Away by a factor of 500 or so. That's basically a large thimblefull per gallon, so not much. The formulation of those magic cleaners seems to have remained a closely held secret, but they're rumored to basically be dilute acid, not unlike white vinegar/acetic acid - which by the way is recommended for use at relatively higher concentrations it seems.

However, it also seems likely that they are formulated with other components like surfactants and possible other agents, as they are claimed to leave behind a protective residue.

That last part gives me pause about using them on something I'm putting in my mouth and lungs.

If you want to boost the salt cleaning power of warm water, why not just use vinegar, or some other dilute acid? At least you know it will rinse away completely.