where does the water come from?

[Rookie_J]

during a dive, i'll sometimes roll onto my side to get a look at a wall, some fish or my buddy. as i roll i hear 'slosh slosh', when i'm done with the dive and i hang my BC to dry, i empty my BC bladder and water comes out (maybe 1/2 cup +).

how does it get in there? is this normal?

just curious

 

[String]

Its normal. Air goes out, water comes in. Especially true if not at the right angle to dump or try to dump when theres no air in the BC.

Some BCs are a lot more prone than others.

 

[Rick Inman]

Yeah, what String said.

I find that I'll get a bit more water in there if I'm properly weighted, and at the end of the dive I'm really trying to dump every bubble of air out to stay neutral. It seems like the less air in the BC, the more it's prone to take in a little water, and I consider this a good thing (not the water, but being properly weighted).

With my Oxycheq wing, using the rear dump I don't take in as much water as with the hose.

 

[pants!]

By opening the dump valve on your BC, you're opening it to the water. If there's no air coming out of that hole, there will be water going in.

 

[DennisW]

Water will go in even if bubbles are coming out. When I rinse my BC, I intentionally put fresh water in the BC, rinse it very well and empy the water from it. I dry my BC while it is full of air.

 

[Tom725]

during a dive, i'll sometimes roll onto my side to get a look at a wall, some fish or my buddy. as i roll i hear 'slosh slosh', when i'm done with the dive and i hang my BC to dry, i empty my BC bladder and water comes out (maybe 1/2 cup +).

how does it get in there? is this normal?

just curious

Getting water in your bc IS NOT a normal.

If you are getting water in your bc it is likely you are dumping air without making the dump the highest point in your bc. When you are dumping air from your low preasure inflater make sure you rase it above your head in the verticle position or use a back valve if you have one and you will not get water.

In mos bc's you can also pull down on the low preasure inflator while you are vertical and the bc will dump air.

 

[Uncle Pug]

I've never had a BC or wing that didn't end up with some water in it... so I would have to say it is normal for me.

 

[pt40fathoms]

The more you open the vent to release air, them more water will enter. It may be just a few drops, or it may be a few teaspoons, that really depends on the valve design and how it is used. I have had dives where not a drop of water comes out. If I remove a dump valve and look inside, I see moisture. This moisture did not come from the air in my tanks (which as you all know is very dry), it came from me venting air and allowing a tiny amount of water inside.

The most amount of water will enter if you use the large dump valves rather than the one on your inflator. The reason for this is simply the surface area you open with a dump valve is many times larger than what is opened at the end of your inflator hose. Secondly, if you open the valve, and have little to no air going out, it stands to reason that the water will have very little resistance in trying to get in. So in short, water in your BCD is normal, but can be reduced by not holding the valve open when the BCD is empty of air, and by using the large dump valves sparingly.

 

[mossym]

yeah always have water..i would think if you don't it means you constantly have air in your bc, cause if you open the valve with no air in there, water is going in..

 

[Trisha]

Water in the BC is okay -- leaving water in the BC is bad.
When rinsing/soaking, I add water via the inflate hose and blow into it. The BC soaks for a few minutes, I slosh it a bit to rinse the bladder, then do my "queen of the mountain" routine by holding the BC upside-down and draining water out again.
These days I put the Velcro cumberbund together, slip my BC hanger through that, and let it air-dry under the trees. Every so often I'll drain a little more water. When it either feels dry or the sun is going down, I bring the gear in.
The BC goes in the scuba closet right-side-up when I'm convinced that the bladder is empty. I add a bit more air and it's ready for next time.
Some use Sink-The-Stink or other solutions to kill any bacteria in the bladder, but regular fresh water works for me so far. Just be careful of salt water and chlorine.