Why soak?

[rdharbis1]

I have seen posts and heard other divers talking about going home and soaking their equipment in the tub or some other apparatus after a dive. Some have even built some elaborate devices for the soaking. In my mind, I can see why soaking after a salt water dive would serve a purpose, but freshwater? Why would you soak your equipment after rinsing anyway? (Maybe you can't always rinse) And do you soak all of it? Is there an effect from the chlorine in tap water? I paid a TON for my equipment and I want it too last longer than me, so, do I need to start soaking my stuff after all my dives.

Thanks all!

Randy

 

[redacted]

When I dive in water that I can drink, the reg just gets dried and put away.

Edit: only addressed the regs. I usually have to hose some dirt and grass off the BC. However I always give the wet suit a good soak - I don't think I have ever not had to.

 

[veggiedog]

I have seen posts and heard other divers talking about going home and soaking their equipment in the tub or some other apparatus after a dive. Some have even built some elaborate devices for the soaking. In my mind, I can see why soaking after a salt water dive would serve a purpose, but freshwater? Why would you soak your equipment after rinsing anyway? (Maybe you can't always rinse) And do you soak all of it? Is there an effect from the chlorine in tap water? I paid a TON for my equipment and I want it too last longer than me, so, do I need to start soaking my stuff after all my dives.

Thanks all!

Randy

I have had some of my gear for 25 years, and it is in very good condition. I soak my gear in mild dish detergent solution for 10 minutes or so (one tablespoon to 8 gallons) , then I rinse it quickly with a hose, then I soak it in clear water for 5 minutes or so to rinse the nooks and crannies that a hose rinse will miss, then I give a quick rinse with a hose to wash off the very mildly soapy water from the rinse tub. I then hang up everything to dry, and dry off my regulators with compressed air. I leave my regulators out for a couple of days before putting on the dust caps to allow them to dry fully in the unlikely event of water intrusion. I soak my regulators with air supplied (i.e. hooked up to an old tank valve on the end of a high pressure hose specially converted by me for that purpose).

I only dive fresh water. I soak all of my equipment to remove organic residue: mild soap to emulsify the residue, clear rinse to remove the detergent and emulsified dirt. I dry with compressed air to minimize corrosion and keep the chrome from spotting. I believe the chlorine content in tap water to be a non-issue due to the very small amounts present (it is, after all, drinkable). In fact, I like the idea of a little chlorine since my bladders never get completely dry inside (I dive too often) and I hope the tap water helps fight potential bacteria problems (my bladders never smell).

 

[archman]

Some freshwater is more "fresh" than others. We have a local quarry in Texas that's very alkaline, and stains equipment pretty bad. We also have rivers with high dissolved salts, that pose slight corrosion issues.

Swimming pools tend to have a ton of chlorine, and that's hard on gear too. Prudent folks rinse their gear in tap water after its been in most pools.

 

[MikeC]

Some people are more anal then others. As long as there isn't a pH issue to worry about I just rinse off any mud/dirt that I picked up and then proceed to the dry stage.

Pools require a little more hose time.

 

[sharky60]

one reason for soaking is putting some "no stink" stuff in the water so that the neoprene won't take on a musky oder.

other than that a good rinsing of reg. rigs, bc's inside and out, fins, masks & snorkel and then if your storing it for a while, I use silicone spray on all rubber to help keep if from drying out.

this is all usually for "long term" storage if your diving every week a good thorough rinse is all you really need.

 

[Dive_Girl PNW]

I'll rinse my gear after local fresh water dives. Although the water is fresh, there are organisms in the water that can make gear, especially the neoprene portions, stink. Blech!!

 

[colsonn]

I fill two tubs full of water and soak my gear in one, then throw them in the next bucket which is a little cleaner and then hit the bc with the hose to make sure I get all the tight areas. I rinse the regs while on the tanks and hand dry them. Neoprene gets rinsed thoroughly and hung to dry. I think I will add some detergent next time for good measure. Always a good idea to clean everything better after chlorine and salt water. Also before storing for an extended period of time.

 

[do it easy]

you didn't hear this from me, but i don't even rinse my gear. when i get home, i just hang/lay it out to dry. keep in mind that i dive in fresh water most of the time. salt water diving is the standard story.

of course if you're diving somewhere with funky pH, chlorine, or junk in the water, then a rinse or mild detergent would help, but i think that most people overdo it. save some water for the fish!

i also rinse my reg out before i leave the water to knock out any sand or fish that happen to get in there. and i'll rinse the muck/mud off my boots at the dive site. i'll wash my underwear about once a month, more often in the summer. that's about it.

i used to get out the garden hose and rinse after every dive. now i wash the gear once a year. some of my gear is 3 years old and just fine.