Silicone Seal Life Expectancy?

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James R

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I've had my D7 Cordura with ISS for under a year. Two weekends in a row, despite being careful with them, both of the original wrist seals that came with the suit tore when I took the suit off. Fortunately I had spare seals with me!

So my question, is simple: do the silicone seals have a shorter life expectancy than a latex seal? Seems odd that both would tear within a week of each other! I am a bit worried about the neck seal now as it is also the original that came with my suit!

To make it worse, both of the above happened in front of classes I was teaching.

A plus is that I have found that a plastic door trim tool works great for popping the wrist seals out, so it's now living in my spares bag!

Thanks,
 
I ordered a new suit last year, and the type of seals was a major point of contention. Even after speaking with the folks at DUI (I was considering one of their suits at the time), even they conceded that silicon seals are not nearly as durable as latex. Their big advantage is resistance to UV (not an issue) and the "out of the box" comfort...

When I investigated further, friends that use them all agreed that the SiTek seals seem to hold up best.

I have been diving latex seals for about 35 years, and have never torn one... neither wrist nor neck, for what it's worth. I like the idea of being able to change out a neck seal on site, but in practice, it's never been an issue for me.

So yes, I believe that silicone seals have a significantly shorter life than latex, and that not all silicone seals are equal...
 
I have used silicone seals with out any problems. I have found that because they go on so easily most divers do not trim them to the correct size. This in turn is over stretching the silicon which will reduce the life expectancy. I am unfamiliar with the waterproof seals but if it is the sitech system you can replace the silicon seals with latex seals if it is a concern.
 
I popped both my Silicon wrist seals fairly quickly, and I was gentle with them. The silicon wrist seals are also an issue with the Antares glove system, as they are slippery and allow the rings to spin. My personal feeling is latex for the wrists and silicon for the neck seal.
 
My D1 drysuit is 2 ½ years old now and the only problems I have had with the seals have been of my own making. I tore one neck seal when I pulled my hood off and managed to trap the neck seal in it as I did so, and I have had to change one wrist seal because it started to leak.

The leak was my fault, I had swooped it out to fit a dry glove system and managed to trap it when I refitted it so it had a slight leak. Changed it for a new seal and no problem.

Overall I still prefer the silicone seals over latex or neoprene. Phil.
 
I've had my D7 Cordura with ISS for under a year. Two weekends in a row, despite being careful with them, both of the original wrist seals that came with the suit tore when I took the suit off. Fortunately I had spare seals with me!

So my question, is simple: do the silicone seals have a shorter life expectancy than a latex seal? Seems odd that both would tear within a week of each other! I am a bit worried about the neck seal now as it is also the original that came with my suit!

To make it worse, both of the above happened in front of classes I was teaching.

A plus is that I have found that a plastic door trim tool works great for popping the wrist seals out, so it's now living in my spares bag!

Thanks,
I have had a problem with latex seals leaking. I bought a pair of Waterproof silicone seals a few years back to go on my drysuit ring system. Within 6 dives I tore one of the seals while gently removing it from my wrist with my fingertips. I liked them so much I bought a second set of them but put them on a different way. I bought the cheaper [$25] latex seals and attached them, loose fitting, inside with the cuff system. The more expensive [$60] silicone seals I placed on the outside of the cuff ring overlapping the latex by 1/2 + inch thereby getting a good tight seal on the wrist. I hold them on with a large rubber band or O-ring and electrician tape around the cuff indent for easy removal and cleaning. I wear wet gloves . Now I can yank on the latex all I want without tearing the silicone over it. I really like the comfort and seal the silicone give. Maybe by now they have developed a stronger material. Otherwise they should consider a 1" ring of latex glued in and offset back 3/4" from the outer edge of the silicone. This might solve the problem of the occasional sharp fingernail tearing the silicone during removal with frozen fingers [not from the water --- it's the frigid air that numbs them as soon as the gloves come off] .
 

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