Which pee valve?

[Lorenzoid]

Halcyon balanced here. Works as designed, never had drama with it, not even one problem. Install was easy. I use a quick disconnect with it too.

I just wish I knew why some have no trouble with it, while others of us pee on our thighs through a leaky duckbill. As I mentioned upthread, I no longer use alcohol in my sanitizing solution--just vinegar or steramine--and I even blow air through the thing to dry the duckbill. But it still leaks sometimes. My theory is that it leaks when the catheter kinks a bit and then suddenly unkinks and puts a surge of pressure on the duckbill. But I have no idea. The duckbills definitely can shrivel if not cared for.

 

[rsingler]

Key things are no kinks I route my plumbing down and out, no loops in the norprene hose. .

So I'm about to cut a hole in my suit and install my H, but am concerned about tubing routing. I was going to have a short U in the tubing to allow for shifting position/direction of my equipment with exertion. I figured a U or curving L would accommodate some shifting without kinking. Then I read the above.

So...how far from your condom are people placing the valve? U, L or straight run of tubing?

 

[Lorenzoid]

So I'm about to cut a hole in my suit and install my H, but am concerned about tubing routing. I was going to have a short U in the tubing to allow for shifting position/direction of my equipment with exertion. I figured a U or curving L would accommodate some shifting without kinking. Then I read the above.

So...how far from your condom are people placing the valve? U, L or straight run of tubing?

The valve is against my left thigh--I don't know the distance, but closer to my knee than my groin. I have been routing in a U because old threads here and in other forums seemed to suggest that was the most popular routing, but that routing has always felt uncomfortable and seems sensitive to suit squeeze. When floating in horizontal trim, suit squeeze in the groin area seems inevitable because that's the lowest part of the body. I have been reluctant to try routing down because it requires a new buttonhole in the undergarment and shortening the norprene tubing. You may have to experiment to see what works for you. Maybe some of the comfort issues vary with individual anatomy.

 

[broncobowsher]

My routing...
The nipple on the valve points up.
Hose runs up the leg and about the waistband.
At this point it does an inverted U.
A quick connect at this high point.

When men take a pee naturally it is perpendicular to the body. That just doesn't work in a drysuit. It has to fold over. A lit of undergarments have a hole in the thigh for the plumbing, that doesn't work for me. Go take a pee and try different aiming options. Down and to the side don't work as well as up does for me. So up it is. At least for me. Your results may vary.

I was about to write off balanced until I saw that SiTech had a bad batch of Trigons. Just sent in my request. If that was the cause of my leak, good. If not, I will be converting to unbalanced.

 

[rsingler]

You may have to experiment to see what works for you. Maybe some of the comfort issues vary with individual anatomy.

Thanks for the tips @Lorenzoid . No reluctance to experimenting, or even cutting and sewing a hole in my PJ's. It's the angle of the takeoff from my valve site that I'm worried about. With the H, I think that's glued into position. So if I go straight, the takeoff's at 12 o'clock. If I did a gentle ell, it might be at 9. If I do a U, should I orient the valve takeoff down?
That's my source of anxiety. I bought lots of extra tubing so I could then experiment with lengths and routing.

 

[rsingler]

My routing...

Great detail, thanks!

 

[rsingler]

Is there a standard source for quick disconnects? I've looked, but no luck.
Was actually going to get hardware store watermaker QD of the right diameter.

Am I missing one that's five times the price, but "meant for scuba"?

 

[rjack321]

I was thinking of starting a thread to ask how to plug the duckbill orifice, but since you mentioned it ... A SS bolt, eh? If I knew the thread size, I might try to make a custom plug out of a Delrin rod. The Halcyon has a donut-shaped retaining plug that secures the duckbill, and so replacing that with a solid plug would do the trick nicely.

The light monkey the duck bill was behind a SS fitting with an allen key hex hole in the middle. I forget the name of those. But I took that into a fastener supply store and had them match the threads. It was 9/16" diameter and UNF fine if I am remember right. I cut the bolt to be shorter and filed a small notch in either side of where the head was so I could in theory unscrew it someday. Then I glued it into the delrin body with aquaseal. Females need a balanced pee valve of the compression of the gas in the tube/she-P can lead to their girly parts trying to fill up the she-p. For guys it isn't nearly as awkward when a catheter compresses down so I don't see a benefit to the balancing in men. Unless its necessary, the duckbill ends up being a really really weak link in a very expensive drysuit.

 

[Jack Hammer]

I was thinking of starting a thread to ask how to plug the duckbill orifice, but since you mentioned it ... A SS bolt, eh? If I knew the thread size, I might try to make a custom plug out of a Delrin rod. The Halcyon has a donut-shaped retaining plug that secures the duckbill, and so replacing that with a solid plug would do the trick nicely.

Reg port plug

 

[rjack321]

Thanks for the tips @Lorenzoid . No reluctance to experimenting, or even cutting and sewing a hole in my PJ's. It's the angle of the takeoff from my valve site that I'm worried about. With the H, I think that's glued into position. So if I go straight, the takeoff's at 12 o'clock. If I did a gentle ell, it might be at 9. If I do a U, should I orient the valve takeoff down?
That's my source of anxiety. I bought lots of extra tubing so I could then experiment with lengths and routing.

Probably the most common routing is straight up from the valve, through a double zipper on your undergarment, over the top of your long underwear, then down to you. Both men and women usually route straight "up" which also avoids poking holes in your undergarments and keeps hoses out of the way of crotch straps and scooter forces.