SiTech dry glove problem

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TSandM

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As a result of putting the quick-change wrist seal system on my suit, I had to give up my beloved Viking bayonet rings, and go to the SiTech system (not the Roll-lock, the one that slides into the outer ring). I had a horrible problem getting them on and off, which has gotten better (but not good) since someone gave me the advice to lick the darned things before donning. But I've got another problem that's baffling me: When I put the glove side into the suit side ring, the o-ring is coming up out of the groove and getting pinched. Sometimes it's bad enough that I can see it happen and fix it, but other times, it's not visible, and I end up with a wet hand.

Has anyone else experienced this, and do you have a fix for it? (Any advice on getting the blasted things on and off without requiring help from your buddy would be gratefully accepted, too.)
 
yes, I've had that issue (Dont use those gloves anymore)
Solution is to be really (really) careful putting them on, and dip your hands in the water before jumping in to make sure they sealed correctly

Licking or a little bit of lube (erk!) should help too
 
It is one of those things that happens when you don't push the glove side on perfectly parallel to the suit side. It's happened to me more times than I can count.

What I did is:

1. Make a slight bevel on the outer edge of the suit-side receptor, which helps the "O" ring to compress (or funnel down) more easily as you push it on. I took a straight-edged knife and worked the receptor down to a beveled edge and then took some 600 grade water sand paper all of the scratches out to make the bevel smooth.

2. Use silicone grease on the receptor and the "O" ring. I know, everyone will tell you not to, but I've been using it for a couple of years and it makes everything work better. Never had an issue under water with the grease. Mind you, I just use a very light film, and even take a clean cloth and wipe everything down, occasionally, so as to only have a fine film of grease on the system. Then, when I go to put the gloves on, I take a little bit of water, sometimes just some spit, and wipe it over the ring. That makes everything slide on easily.

Make sure you clean everything before you use it on another dive, as the grease tends to hold dirt. It's really not a big thing to do, as you probably are doing that now anyway.

FWIW, I even use the silicone on my DUI Zip Seals and get better performance.
 
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I believe the Glove lock system does work, well according to DRIS videos that is. I guess the suit side Glove lock ring "goes over" the suit side permanent ring. I believe the Viking Bayonet system works the same way, maybe TsandM will chime in about this as I believe this is what she is using on her new Fusion. I'm using the quick glove system on my Fusion as I had the same permanent rings installed on my NexGen so my old gloves worked with my new suit. There is a slight learning curve on the quick glove system you may want to make note of. The o-rings will tend to roll out of the groove if the glove is not pushed in square. The Si Tech instructions warn you not to use any lube except for the hard wax they give you with the kit, well the hard wax may work well for zippers it does nothing for the o-rings. After doing some searching and experimenting this is what I have found works "well for me at least". Lube the o-rings on the glove rings with the smallest amount of silicone grease, I mean just enough to make them shiny and no more. The next step is to wipe the grease off the o-rings with a paper towel (this will leave just a very thin layer left on the o-rings and this is all that you need. Now when donning the gloves try to push them in as square as possible then when they are fully docked in the suit side ring you will want to twist the removal ring so that it pushes the glove ring about 3/4 of the way out. This will allow you to see the entire o-ring around the glove ring but it should still be sealed into the suit side ring and if it is still flat in the groove push it back into the suit side ring, if it rolled out of the groove you will need to start over. I have been using this method for three years now and have been totally dry with these gloves. The rolled o-ring thing was well known back when I first purchased my other suit but I have not heard about it in a long while as people have moved to other systems. If you search back a few years here and at the deco stop you can find the old threads that apply to this. I think we will be seeing more of this conversation as more people purchase the Fusion with the new SLT systems, also known as SiTech QuickGlove.


This Is a post I made some time ago, back then all the replies to this were that this is not a problem. Hope this helps, I'm still using the same gloves and do like them.
 
Thank you all for the answers. I HAVE been guilty of trying to push the ring in one side at a time, because the only way I can figure out to push it straight in is to have someone else do it.

I may solve this problem the old fashion way, and use this suit only for warm water, and go back to the other suit for cold, with the Viking rings, as soon as I get the old suit back.
 
Putting them on square is the secret but easier said than done. I kept a 10 inch length of 4" PVC pipe on the boat. Stand it on a firm surface and then push your hand down into it. Makes it easier to put them on straight. I also lube the rings with slicone spray from a pump bottle rather than silicone grease.
 
Ah, the pipe is a splendid idea. I wish there were something similar for removal.

I have silicone spray, and in fact, the best day I've had with these things was when I used it. Maybe it should live in the truck.
 

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