I have only Apeks low profile exhaust valves on my three suits and never experienced the leak. I don't question the leaks, but there probably are more variables in this as Apeks seems to have good quality control with other products.
Review Seaskin Nova drysuit
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laikabear
Contributor
Well, they sent me a second Apeks low profile, I installed that, and was still getting a wet arm. I swapped for a borrowed high profile valve from my instructor and that has been dry for my last 3 dives. Prior to that, I got wet every dive.
So maybe I got 2 defective low profile valves, but that seems unlikely.
Do you dive with the valve partially closed? Or open all the way?
Like 2 clicks closed, usually open all the way during ascent.
I do believe you, and you are not the only one who has experienced leaks. The whole thing is somewhat strange, otherwise Apeks should have solved it.
My first suit (Santi) came with Apeks low profile, so I have bought my other suits with the same valve for interchangeability.
laikabear
Contributor
My friend told me to get the Si Tech dump valve and Apeks inflate valve on my Santi which is what I did and no regrets.
I wish I'd mixed them like that on the Seaskin, too. But Seaskin seemed to offer only either / or and frankly they messed up some of the other things I asked for custom anyway, so not sure if a request for 1 of each would have been honored.
At least now the suit is finally dry! Well, until I give back that borrowed high profile and put the low profile back on. I will try diving it just a few clicks closed and see if I can stay dry with the low profile one.
I wish I'd mixed them like that on the Seaskin, too. But Seaskin seemed to offer only either / or and frankly they messed up some of the other things I asked for custom anyway, so not sure if a request for 1 of each would have been honored.
At least now the suit is finally dry! Well, until I give back that borrowed high profile and put the low profile back on. I will try diving it just a few clicks closed and see if I can stay dry with the low profile one.
You have probably read this already, but it is the best discussion about low profile valve leaks I have found this far.
DUI | Drysuits & Diving Equipment from Diving Unlimited International
I guess the low profile valve is more prone to accidental leaks in some circumstances.
Btw I quite recently I noticed that my (Santi ambassodor) cave instructor had an Apeks high profile on his brand new suit.
laikabear
Contributor
Thanks @taimen ! I actually had not seen that article before.
I have found that of the 3 dump valves I've tried, the Si Tech is medium easy to dump from, and it does sometimes get clogged with sand if you get rolled in the surf, and if sand gets in the valve, it leaks (but it won't leak on the dive if you close it). I have taken mine apart for cleaning before when needed, but sometimes just directing a good stream of hose water through the dump while you open and close it takes care of that. I like the Si Tech dump and will probably always choose those in the future.
The Apeks low profile is SO easy to dump. Wow. It may also be that on the Seaskin I got that DIR placement which is a little better than the usual placement on the Santi. At first the valve leaked badly but it wasn't screwed down to the suit all the way. Once I had someone with better grip strength than me help me with that, it's just been the leaks through the valve that are getting my arm wet. And kudos to the Seaskin undergarment for handling that water pretty well, actually.
I had the suit leak tested and we couldn't reproduce the leak. It does seem to start leaking at the start of the dive. On the surface, I open the valve to start my descent, after closing and inflating the suit to stretch it out. I find with the Seaskin I have to inflate it a lot more, and be very careful to stretch out, especially remembering to bend my knees all the way, otherwise the fabric binds around my knees and I can't bend them all the way. After that, the suit is pretty inflated so I open the valve to dump the gas as we go to descend. That may be when water comes in, but I don't see how I can descend without venting that gas, so...
The high profile Apeks that I've borrowed now for a few dives is not as easy to dump gas from. That is definitely noticeable. The real reason I didn't want the high profile is that I didn't want it to be any harder to get in and out of my harness. The low profile sticks out enough. The high profile I have (it's off a DUI suit so IDK if it's maybe different) actually isn't that high anyway, so now I just want to go with that.
I heard back from Seaskin yesterday and they are sending me a high profile dump! I'm happy to swap it out. My instructor tried to purchase a high profile for me but he said they were hard to find, and maybe are being discontinued? I'm not sure if that means just to buy a stand alone one or what. Anyway I'm glad Seaskin came through on that.
I am still having some issues trapping gas in the boots. I'm trying to come up with some type of velcro strap over the ankle things like the Santi boots have. I tried using rubber fin keepers but the boots' soles are pretty rough and they shredded the fin keepers on the first try.
I have found that of the 3 dump valves I've tried, the Si Tech is medium easy to dump from, and it does sometimes get clogged with sand if you get rolled in the surf, and if sand gets in the valve, it leaks (but it won't leak on the dive if you close it). I have taken mine apart for cleaning before when needed, but sometimes just directing a good stream of hose water through the dump while you open and close it takes care of that. I like the Si Tech dump and will probably always choose those in the future.
The Apeks low profile is SO easy to dump. Wow. It may also be that on the Seaskin I got that DIR placement which is a little better than the usual placement on the Santi. At first the valve leaked badly but it wasn't screwed down to the suit all the way. Once I had someone with better grip strength than me help me with that, it's just been the leaks through the valve that are getting my arm wet. And kudos to the Seaskin undergarment for handling that water pretty well, actually.
I had the suit leak tested and we couldn't reproduce the leak. It does seem to start leaking at the start of the dive. On the surface, I open the valve to start my descent, after closing and inflating the suit to stretch it out. I find with the Seaskin I have to inflate it a lot more, and be very careful to stretch out, especially remembering to bend my knees all the way, otherwise the fabric binds around my knees and I can't bend them all the way. After that, the suit is pretty inflated so I open the valve to dump the gas as we go to descend. That may be when water comes in, but I don't see how I can descend without venting that gas, so...
The high profile Apeks that I've borrowed now for a few dives is not as easy to dump gas from. That is definitely noticeable. The real reason I didn't want the high profile is that I didn't want it to be any harder to get in and out of my harness. The low profile sticks out enough. The high profile I have (it's off a DUI suit so IDK if it's maybe different) actually isn't that high anyway, so now I just want to go with that.
I heard back from Seaskin yesterday and they are sending me a high profile dump! I'm happy to swap it out. My instructor tried to purchase a high profile for me but he said they were hard to find, and maybe are being discontinued? I'm not sure if that means just to buy a stand alone one or what. Anyway I'm glad Seaskin came through on that.
I am still having some issues trapping gas in the boots. I'm trying to come up with some type of velcro strap over the ankle things like the Santi boots have. I tried using rubber fin keepers but the boots' soles are pretty rough and they shredded the fin keepers on the first try.
I found a few drops coming in the valve when it was open fully, if I open all the way then closed 2-3 clicks that problem went away. If you are having leg-bubble issues, may I suggest the gaiters from Seaskin?
Seaskin - Drysuit Leg Gaitors (pair)
Seaskin - Drysuit Leg Gaitors (pair)
OP
I finally dived it on Saturday. I will post a separate thread with a real review of the suit after I take a couple of pictures of it. But, I am now a big fan of neoprene seals. I thought they were more comfortable than silicone or latex. The wrists felt the same as wearing a wetsuit. And I stayed totally dry. The water was 50 degrees and with my Seaskin 150gsm undersuit, I was very comfortable everywhere except my hands. I had on Bare 3mm wet gloves, so my hands were pretty chilly.
drk5036
Contributor
OP
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