Silicon wrist seals not... sealing?

[ajduplessis]

dry gloves will fix it.

So would staying on land, however it is not fixing the problem.....

 

[Nicool]

Firstly do a leak test on the dump valve. Inflate left arm and spray soapy water on valve, if it leaks you will see bubbles. Secondly, the dump valve should be slightly close from fully open (about 1/4 turn or more) depending on valve and the volume of air in the suit. If the leak on the valve persist, remove, clean and reinstall.

You can do the same with the cuff to check for leaks, remove, inspect, clean and reinstall. I use some silicone grease when refitting the seal. Even the smallest pin hole in silicone will leak whenever the stretch or move you arm/wrist. Also check the neck seal on the left side for leaks.

When replacing silicone seals DON"T cut them, also to my knowledge the small size seals are for extremely thin wrist such as petite females. Can you see if the seals have been altered (cut), if they are I would replace them, the contact area between skin and silicone should be maximum. Cutting seals only reduce the contact area.

Wrist tendons is the other cause of leaks as mentioned.

Thanks Ajduplessis!
For the dump valve test you recommend to do it almost fully open but not fully right? Otherwise it wouldn't let the suit inflate anyways.
Yesterday i did such a test but closing the valve fully and saw no leak. However i believe (and i believe other drysuit divers should) in dump valves not letting water in, even when fully open (i see lots of divers compromising on a faulty valve by closing it a few clicks, but they should rather repair)! Anyways, i think the ultimate test would be to do same as this guy does, but reversing the valve (i wish i had same plastic support):

The stupid thing for me is that i didn't test the wrist seal itself as per your suggestion, maybe i missed a possible leak there.

I can confirm the seals haven't been trimmed (i checked with previous owner), so i think i'll try the mares small seals which i ordered and see how it goes.

One question though: how long is the contact area skin/silicone for you. I had maybe 2cm and thought/hoped it would be ok. I could probably have more but then i am concerned i will get cold very quickly. I wish i could push my undergarnment as close as possible to the hands and then leave just 2cm of sealing surface, but maybe it's just not possible to be dry this way.

Good idea on leak coming from neck, although i didn't have dampness around my chest, only along the arm.

Cheers
Nicolas

 

[Marie13]

Your undergarment shouldn't come into contact with the seals at all. The seal needs to be on all skin, not undergarment. So no undergarment under seals at all!

If you're that worried about being cold, get dry gloves asap!

 

[ajduplessis]

My contact area (skin/silicone) is roughly 3-4cm. Also agree with keeping thermals well clear of the seals.
Fully open dump valves generally is to sensitive and will dump when raising arms or camera, thus recommdation and not fix to possible leak.

 

[Nicool]

Your undergarment shouldn't come into contact with the seals at all. The seal needs to be on all skin, not undergarment. So no undergarment under seals at all!

If you're that worried about being cold, get dry gloves asap!

hi Marie,
It's true i was hoping to minimize the surface where my body is covered only by a thin silicon layer.
Maybe the impact of my overall comfort won't be much, but so far i've only been drysuit diving with neoprene wrist seals, so my wrists have always been covered by 3 or 5mm of neoprene at least.
And to answer your earlier questions: as undergarnments i use the Arctic Expedition from Fourth Element.
Yes dry gloves are a solution, but the reason which drives me underwater is photography, and the finger sensitivity with dry gloves makes manipulating a large housing more difficult.
So i'd like to keep dry gloves only for the coldest & longest dives i'll do (say 12 degrees C water for 3 hours).
For warmer dives or shorter dives, i'd like to stick to my 4mm wet gloves, but my whole concern is whether cold/pain in the wrist will drive me out of the water.

My contact area (skin/silicone) is roughly 3-4cm. Also agree with keeping thermals well clear of the seals.
Fully open dump valves generally is to sensitive and will dump when raising arms or camera, thus recommdation and not fix to possible leak.

OK good to know. And don't you feel particularly cold on these 3-4cm?
I mean, over years adjusting my undergarnments, hood, changing wrist seals etc, i have always been checking what was the first area of my body where i felt cold, then find a way to keep it warmer on next dives, and move on to the next 'cold' area. For instance in 2011 my first drysuit (compressed neoprene) came with a latex neck seal: with an improper wood collar fit, i would get very cold in the neck after 30-40 mins in the dive, whereas the rest of my body was still warm and toasty, so i changed hood, which wasn't enough, then i changed to neoprene neck seal, and since them never been cold on the neck.

Agreed with your second point which i had misunderstood originally - actually i've been diving drysuit for 6 years (150-200 dives, but never latex/silicon on wrist seals) so yes, i do close a bit my dump valve once at the bottom to avoid unwanted buoyancy changes & adjust the needed volume of air for comfort in the suit.
However i keep my dump valve fully open when i descend, which also helps me to avoid being overweighted.

What amazes me is the many divers who just accept that water will enter their suit via the dump valve if they leave it fully open (i know it's not your case, but i've seen this soooo many times ), whereas a better life is possible

 

[Marie13]

The orange gloves give good dexterity. I use them with a small point and shoot camera.

 

[Nicool]

The orange gloves give good dexterity. I use them with a small point and shoot camera.

Thanks Marie, i saw the DUI dexterity dry gloves, i guess you're referring to these. Website says it's for photographers, whereas blue HD gloves are for divers who grab on rocks. Damn i do both

If i do get cold on the wrists, i am now thinking i could get custom-made some neoprene wrist straps, which i would wear after fitting the silicone seals, on top of them, for warmth. There are several wet/drysuit repairers around me so should be easy.

Cheers
Nicolas

 

[Marie13]

Not DUI. Those cost the earth due to the Zip Seals. You get a ring system that would work with your suit. You can use any gloves. The orange ones cost US $6 at my dive shop. Cheap!

 

[ajduplessis]

@Nicool: I use semi dry wet gloves. Glove sleeve goes over the seal on the wrist.

 

[Nicool]

@Nicool: I use semi dry wet gloves. Glove sleeve goes over the seal on the wrist.

Which brand/model if i may ask? I am using the aqualung 4mm but with my rocks crawling habits they don't last more than 18months.