Very slow leak in BCD

[alan_lee]

Hi everyone! My very kind uncle had just passed me his old Scubapro BCD (the predecessor of the Knighthawk). I tested the bladder for leaks by inflating it completely and left it inflated overnight. Woke up this morning (after 8 hours later) and found that the volume has gone down by about a third to half of the full capacity. Do you guys reckon if there's anyway the bladder could be fixed? Honestly, I really can't afford getting a brand new BCD, so the hand-me-down was a Godsend. Would be grateful if I could know my options.

Cheerios!

 

[redacted]

Hi everyone! My very kind uncle had just passed me his old Scubapro BCD (the predecessor of the Knighthawk). I tested the bladder for leaks by inflating it completely and left it inflated overnight. Woke up this morning (after 8 hours later) and found that the volume has gone down by about a third to half of the full capacity. Do you guys reckon if there's anyway the bladder could be fixed? Honestly, I really can't afford getting a brand new BCD, so the hand-me-down was a Godsend. Would be grateful if I could know my options.

Cheerios!

A dab of aqua seal on the leak should take care of it. A seam leak may not be as simple but still worth a try.

 

[Web Monkey]

You can't tell until you find it. If it's in the fabric, a little aquaseal should fix it, although chances are good, it's just a leaky valve or hose.

Take it into a pool, sit on it and blow it up until it's full, then have your buddy go underneath and look for the leak.

If he can't find it flip it over and try again.

You may find that the leak is one of the dump vales, and just needs cleaning, or is in the inflator (Air/2) and needs a little service.

Unless it's been really abused, it's a very nice BC and should last you a very long time.

Terry

Hi everyone! My very kind uncle had just passed me his old Scubapro BCD (the predecessor of the Knighthawk). I tested the bladder for leaks by inflating it completely and left it inflated overnight. Woke up this morning (after 8 hours later) and found that the volume has gone down by about a third to half of the full capacity. Do you guys reckon if there's anyway the bladder could be fixed? Honestly, I really can't afford getting a brand new BCD, so the hand-me-down was a Godsend. Would be grateful if I could know my options.

Cheerios!

 

[The Kraken]

Well, I would be concerned about it if I thought I might be left by the dive boat and had to stay on the surface for a couple of days.

But, then again, I could inflate it manually from time to time.

the K

 

[alan_lee]

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. Yeah, I've heard good things about the BCD, and though it's a hand-me-down, it's very much appreciated and that's why I feeling sad that it's got a leak. Since I'm not confident of fixing it the leak myself, do you reckon if the LDS could fix it?

Cheers once again!

 

[Web Monkey]

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. Yeah, I've heard good things about the BCD, and though it's a hand-me-down, it's very much appreciated and that's why I feeling sad that it's got a leak. Since I'm not confident of fixing it the leak myself, do you reckon if the LDS could fix it?
Cheers once again!

The LDS should absolutely be able to fix it if they know what they're doing.

Make sure you go somewhere that does a lot of ScubaPro, since it will be a much better repair if they use actual parts instead of just stuff they have laying around (if it's a valve repair, etc.).

Terry

 

[do it easy]

You could also inflate it in the bathtub and spray it with soapy water- any leaks will form bubbles. It will also clean off your BC too!

 

[Charlie99]

Since I'm not confident of fixing it the leak myself, do you reckon if the LDS could fix it?

Even if you take it to the LDS to get it fixed, first finding the leak makes it much more likely that it gets repaired properly. You don't need to do anything high tech --- just fill up the bathtub/garbage can/big tub with water and submerge the BCD while looking for air bubbles. A dilute mixture of water and hand dishwashing soap in a spray bottle helps too.

Look first at all of the pull dumps. Your problem could be something as simple a bit of salt crystals or other gunk on the mating surface of the pull dump/overpressure valve. If so, then you just need to unscrew it, clean it and re-install.

A very slow leak like you describe wouldn't concern me at all, except that it might be an indicator of some other wear or damage. In addition to doing a bubble check, it is worth your time to very carefully visually inspect looking for excessive wear and tear.

 

[CaptainJeff]

Charlie99 has the simplest and cheapest solution, 99% of the time, salt crystal or a grit of sand is the cause. You should bring in your BCD for service annually, just like your reg. Especially important if you dive allot of nitrox. It's amazing how the O2 eats o-rings. Remember guys, Aqua seal isn't the do all end all for leaks. If you use it on the bio flex material of an Oceanic, it makes the leak even worse. Chemical reaction of some sort weakens the material.

 

[Rick Inman]

Well, I would be concerned about it if I thought I might be left by the dive boat and had to stay on the surface for a couple of days.

But, then again, I could inflate it manually from time to time.

the K

I'm with the Krack on this. Eight hours? So what. I'd bet that if everyone on ScubaBoard did that kind of test you'd find out that lots of people are safely diving BC with tiny leaks and don't even know it.

Now, as to to an old BC, I would absolutely have the inflation system serviced. Then, just dive the thing!