Silicone on seals

[Kennyscot]

Silicone on drysuit seals? Yes/no Why? why not? Food grade I suspect and not aerosol. Can we do it. Also is there a product to protect the seals like armorall to guard against UV and other deterioration. Latex and neopreme. Any thoughts??

 

[rmediver2002]

They do make some silicone based lubricants and powders, but in my experience it can make it more difficult to get the glue to adhere when you go to replace your seals.

I use pure unscented talk on mine, and end up replacing them every two years or so. (used most of the winter for work)

Storage is one of the biggest concerns to get good seal life, keep your suit away from heat, electric motors (ozone), out of sunlight, properly folded and completely dry.

I have the best luck with the Viking pro seals (they are a bit thicker and tapered not bellows style)

 

[Quarrior]

Try a 50/50 mix of baby shampoo and water in a spray bottle.

 

[Peter_C]

Some say use silicon, but others on this board say no way. I have always used an aerosol food grade silicon which can be found at most any hardware stores along with places like Walmart etc. My drysuit for wakeboarding used to get heavy use (switched to a wetsuit for mobility) and in 4 years I only went through the leg seals and then the neck seal. When my gal started using it we changed the arm seals to a smaller size. Never had a problem with the glue. The MEK used to prep the seals cleans pretty much anything off and there should not be any silicon where the glue is to begin with as the silicon can not penetrate that deep.

What OS Systems has to say about it...
http://www.ossystems.com/repair/congr.htm#seal

 

[Scottri]

I just use unscented talc on my seals. I'd stay away from silicone. It may void your warranty for some manufacturers and it makes it a pain to put new seals on.