Whites suit wont dump air

[WASP7000]

So I have an older whites drysuit I bought (I think it's a 2002 model) and I'm having some serious problems dumping air which leads to runaway ascents. The exhaust valve for the suit when I'm wearing it is situated about on the underside of my bicep.

All the valves on other suits I've seen are straight up on the top of the arm. So basically my valve is mostly upside down when I'm horizontal. I had the valve inspected and it's funtioning properly but I can have a balloon in my arm and it's not dumping air.

Is it just my inexperience (I've got about 5 dives on a drysuit) or does that valve need to be relocated if that's even possible.

Any pointers?

 

[*dave*]

I would try bending my arm sharply at the elbow and focus on elevating the dump as much as possible. As long as your undergarments aren't blocking the flow, you should be able to dump just fine. You may need to pull out of trim to migrate gas to the shoulder and into the arm, but we won't tell anyone.

Rather odd place for a dump.

 

[tc]

And just to cover all the bases- are you aware the resistance to the exhaust valve can be adjusted? Turn the outer ring all the way counterclockwise and see if that changes anything.

 

[WASP7000]

Yep, I've got the ring all the way open and I have completely uprighted myself to send all gas to that arm, effectively turning it into a balloon and instead of dumping, I'm headed for the surface like the submarine in 'hunt for red october' blowing the ballasts. If I tap the valve a bunch, little tiny bubbles will come out, but nothing more. Well a few times I managed to hold the exhaust valve in (manual dump?) and squeeze the air bubble at the same time and that helped a little, but wasn't effective.

My undergarment cloging it up was my only other thought. I'm wearing fleece. And like (I assume) all dump valves, it's got the little pegs that are supposed to keep the undergarment from hindering the valve, but is there something else I could do with the undergarment to ensure that wasn't the problem?

 

[tc]

For a test you could try wearing something like an under armor shirt (or anything else that could not block the valve) and see it that corrects it. If it does then clogging from the undergarment would be the issue- if not I think I'd get a second opinion on how well that valve is functioning.

 

[TSandM]

I can't really visualize where you are saying the dump valve is. Unless it can be made the highest point in the suit, it will not dump air. (Air won't go down to go up.) The normal place for a dump is on the outside of your upper arm -- as you sit at your computer, reach across with your right hand, and wrap your fingers around the outside of your arm -- that's the place. If the dump is too much on the front of the arm (facing the computer screen) you will really have to roll up to the left to get it to dump. If it's too much on the back of the arm, it will not allow you to hold gas in the suit.

Dump valves CAN gum up with sludge. Soaking the valve overnight in distilled water, and then doing a second soak in water with a few drops of liquid Ivory soap in it, will sometimes help free the diaphragm up and allow the valve to vent better. (The USIA rep on this board gave me that tip.) If it is a SiTech valve, you CAN take it apart and clean the parts -- I have a "how to" photo essay on the Dive Matrix forum about doing this.

 

[WASP7000]

The vavle seemed to be working pretty good when we took it off. You could just barely puff air into it and watch the diaphram unseat and let air pass.

But like you say, if I'm sitting at the computer, the valve would probably be facing the computer screen if not a little down. I have no idea why they would ever position it like that. So what now? buy a new suit?

 

[nwbrewer]

Dump valves can be moved. You can plug the old hole or patch the old hole. Depending on your level of handiness/comfort with such things you can do it yourself, or some dive shops will do it. Check with Tacoma Scuba.

 

[TSandM]

Yes, if that's the location, I'd recommend getting the valve moved. It's not a big deal, assuming you don't have a back zip suit where the zipper placement precludes putting the dump valve in the right place. (I had one of those.)

 

[Gombessa]

So I have an older whites drysuit I bought (I think it's a 2002 model) and I'm having some serious problems dumping air which leads to runaway ascents. The exhaust valve for the suit when I'm wearing it is situated about on the underside of my bicep.

This is EXACTLY the problem I've had with my suit since I've owned it (and one of my regular buddies as well). I think it has to do with being skinny - the suit hangs differently off the shoulders and the dump valve faces forward and down, trapping gas. After fighting with the suit (and wearing out the fabric in the left arm) for a year and a half (including stretching and trying to manually position the valve when donning the suit), I had the dump valve moved on suggestion by my instructor, and since then dumping gas has been effortless.

IMO, having the valve be too far back is 100% preferable to having it too far forward. Back means you're constantly at ambient pressure, and if you really need to puff up your suit, you can close the exhaust a couple of clicks. Too far forward isn't just inconvenient, it's potentially dangerous