Washing BCD's bladder from the inside

[Texasguy]

I heard that water does find its way inside a BCD and it needs to be hosed out.

How much water does leak into BCD's bladder? Anything can be done to minimize the leakage? Do you have to clean insides of the bladder after every dive?

 

[Kharon]

During OW cert I was taught to add a couple cups of fresh tap water to the BC, swish it around fully, turn it upside down and drain it, then add air to about half to three quarters full, turn it upside down in a way that the hose is the lowest point and drain again. THis last step gets almost all the water out because the air pressure blows it out. Oh yes then store hung with a bit of air inside. I've been doing it that way ever since and my BC is like new.

 

[FuzzyNutz]

Water gets in nearly every time you vent air out. When you exit after a dive, pull your rear dump to let the water out. When you rinse, just hold the inflator hose up, hold the button down, and put water through it... slosh it around a little bit, then do a rear dump again. I'll usually take it apart at the end of a trip or after a few days of diving to do a full cleaning. I try to at least do a little rinse after every dive so salt doesn't stick in the dump.

 

[GrandpaScuba]

During OW cert I was taught to add a couple cups of fresh tap water to the BC, swish it around fully, turn it upside down and drain it, then add air to about half to three quarters full, turn it upside down in a way that the hose is the lowest point and drain again. THis last step gets almost all the water out because the air pressure blows it out. Oh yes then store hung with a bit of air inside. I've been doing it that way ever since and my BC is like new.

What he said.

 

[chrpai]

I wonder if fresh water is ever not enough? I had one local diver say he uses 50% cheap mouth wash.

 

[FuzzyNutz]

I wonder if fresh water is ever not enough? I had one local diver say he uses 50% cheap mouth wash.

I've heard this a few times as well. Maybe it's not a bad idea, but I'm more looking to get rid of salt than killing bacteria... I doubt it's necessary after every dive, but perhaps a good quarterly thing.

 

[chrpai]

I use a water hose to get the water in through the deflator with a good sloosh, drain and repeat. I store it partially inflated and come back to check for additional draining over a couple of days.

 

[skankpile]

If your dumps are tight and you are not dumping very often you should not get in much water. If its an older BC you'll need to inflate it fully and make sure your unit stays firmly inflated, if not you can get the inflator and dump seals replaced, or maybe there is a leak somewhere and you can spray soapy water on it and look for bubbles. If everything passes then its your technique...you'll need to be mindful of dumping too often or when there is little air in the BC.

Cleaning:
On Zeagles you can unscrew the inflator and screw in a water hose and convert it into a sprinkler to clean out the bladder, but then you have to get all the water out... at least its clean water. On other units you can simply pour water down the hose while depressing the dump if you are paranoid of salt crystals. I do it every now and then, but not often.. depends on how bad the unit smells and where I've been diving.

Another good practice is to get a tool to remove your inflator mechanism and clean it out so it will work smoothly. If your inflator works smoothly it likely will not stick or leak...

Next time you are out watch how many people actually check their wing before a dive.. not many I've found. If you are recreational its not too serious of an issue, but if technical you are a rocketing sand dart. It happened to a group of us last weekend; A buddy jumped in and disappeared we swam over to find him, but he came up a little tired from swimming.. hehe.

 

[BabyDuck]

'yes' to the occasional shot of walmart brand listerine. minty fresh!

 

[skankpile]

I wonder if fresh water is ever not enough? I had one local diver say he uses 50% cheap mouth wash.

Dupont Virkon & RelyOn baby.. I put that $hit on everything. Booties, suits, wings, lungs, loop, laundry, carpet, upholstery, counter tops, tile, bathroom, toilets. If I could safely inject it I would.