What to do about a leaky suit?

[loosenit2]

@admikar if leak is at the point where the p-valve is installed in leg as the result of a bad gasket it will definitely go down his leg, and it would be more pronounced in one leg than the other, depending on the thermal insulation used.

I'm not sure if that is it but it something to check. We are all offering things to check to help him isolate the issue.

 

[divad]

Grin and bear it....or is it bare....

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I find the easiest way to find leaks in a drysuit is to thoroughly dry the suit, lay it out on a concrete floor or patio, zip it up fully, plug the wrists and neck with balls or balloons, place a hose in the neck before sealing it up and then fill the suit with water. Any leak will become very obvious as there will be a trickle of water at the leak site.

 

[divad]

I find the easiest way to find leaks in a drysuit is to thoroughly dry the suit, lay it out on a concrete floor or patio, zip it up fully, plug the wrists and neck with balls or balloons, place a hose in the neck before sealing it up and then fill the suit with water. Any leak will become very obvious as there will be a trickle of water at the leak site.

then.............weep and weep....

 

[decidedlyodd]

To be clear, I got pretty soaked everywhere from the waist down but worse on the right side. The water started coming in on that side where the p-valve and zipper closure are since I could feel that sneaking cold feeling early in the dive. Once it poured in over the course of the dive, it spread around. Since I was in trim for most of the dive, the lowest point was likely around my belly, so guessing there was accumulation/pooling above the crotch.

 

[sabbe]

I second what happy-diver said. That leak test can easily be done at home without making a mess. I substituted balloons in the openings instead of clamps but it tracked down a very tricky leg leak.

 

[boulderjohn]

OP said water would go down his legs, so I don't think it's P-valve.
Pressure test might give false result, if hole is of certain shape/origin. That video from happy-diver's post might show no leaks, but water would still get in. You want to do pressure test from outside-in. Some holes can act as a flap and hold pressure from inside the suit, but when you get in the water, they would open and let water in..
Best advice is gray undersuit and quick dunk to try and find area where it leaks.

This is true--it happened to me.

I sent the suit in because of a leak in the shoulder, and it came back with a note saying that they found no leak in the shoulder. When I got in the water, the shoulder leak was undeniable. A friend I was diving with said the same thing had happened to him, and he finally found the leak on his own. He said the leak was such that pressurizing the suit form the inside actually sealed the leak, but when you were in the water, it leaked.

I sent it back, and they did indeed find the leak. Because of what I had gone through, they did an extra special job checking the whole suit and found several other very miniscule leaks they had missed before.

 

[Bald Wookie]

This is true--it happened to me.

I sent the suit in because of a leak in the shoulder, and it came back with a note saying that they found no leak in the shoulder. When I got in the water, the shoulder leak was undeniable. A friend I was diving with said the same thing had happened to him, and he finally found the leak on his own. He said the leak was such that pressurizing the suit form the inside actually sealed the leak, but when you were in the water, it leaked.

I sent it back, and they did indeed find the leak. Because of what I had gone through, they did an extra special job checking the whole suit and found several other very miniscule leaks they had missed before.

I've always inverted suits when leak testing them.

The easiest and best way I've found when doing multiple suits is a bit of PVC pipe with a ball valve on one wrist, PVC pipe with a cap on the other, and something in the neck the allows a vacuum cleaner on reverse to blow air into the suit for a constant supply (Like a road cone). This way you also do not have to remove valves which can be a pain depending on the suit.

Then, simply turn vacuum on, regulate pressure using the ball valve, and using a sponge apply a mix of dawn (dish soap) and water to the suit and look for bubbles. This also does a nice job of cleaning the inside of a suit and heaven knows how many I've tested with certain stenches.

Mark leaks with a white crayon/pencil.

Its also nice to do the repairs from the inside of the suit and you will do them where the leaks are coming through. Also, it keeps the outsides of the suits looking nice with minimal sealant all over them.

On neoprene suits, trim the inner lining away from the leak area (but not through the neoprene) so the leak doesn't move through the lining like a capillary action.

 

[Joris Vd]

I'd been diving locally in cold water (Pacific Northwest) for about a decade when I gradually stopped in 2018. It was a combination of being spoiled with dive travel to warmer destinations, a backlog of gear maintenance, and worst of all a leaky drysuit. It had been leaky for a year or two. I'd sent it in twice for repair. New zipper, some patching, but it still leaked, albeit less than before. The dealer said they couldn't find the leak but they would keep working on it. I gave up because I wanted to dive and was tired of the back and forth.

I finally got back in the water earlier this month. Everything I absolutely love about diving came back. It was so good to be back. However, I got absolutely drenched. Like feel all the water pour down your legs when standing up at the end of the dive, turn the suit upside down and pour several quarts of water out soaked. Worse than it has ever been before.

The suit is a custom Santi eMotion. I often get compliments from others on how great the suit looks, but I've never really loved it (except maybe the pockets). When I first bought it, it was too tight to don and doff. The distributor gave me a stock loaner suit while it was sent back to the factory for alterations. The stock suit fit great! I regret not offering to buy the loaner suit from the distributor. Even after the alterations, my suit is a pain to get in and out of but it's ok.

I'm at an impasse. I want to get back into diving, but as soon as my tanks are back from hydro this is going to be the next biggest obstacle.

Should I keep trying to get it repaired? Should I cut my losses and go buy something else? I don't think I will ever do custom again after all the hassles with this suit.

The earlier generation Santi E-motions had alot of leak issues. Leaks are hard to find because often it was a slow leak through the fabric issue, which does not always show on a leak test, I'd suggest getting one final leak test done at another dive store than where u usually go, just for good riddance and then decide.

I've had issues with a leak that the divestore couldn't detect. Turned out I had tiny cracks in my wristseals (from the drygloves rings being on there for too long) and for some weird reason they would only let in water under certain angle. So during the leak test they sealed perfectly, but when taking my spg for example, the wrist motion would cause the cracks to misalign and let in water.

 

[vladodessit]

One of the divers in our group had e.Motion. It was never dry. Pin holes on every dive. She got really good at finding them with the "flashlight in the dark room" tests and had repair few after every dive. Santi got the suit and said that it is wear and tear due to abuse (the person in question is OCD over her gear). If you want to dive Santi in Northwest Pacific - get e.Lite (not even e.Lite+). Emotion is too sensitive.