Zipper leak

[Brewski]

My buddys flex 50/50 apears to have a slight leak at the top of the zipper where the slide stops at the end of its travel.

there doesn't seem to be any visible damage in that area. but he says his left arm is getting wet, and we do see a steady stream of bubbles in that area when testing with soapy water.

Is there anything short of a zipper replacement we can try to improve the seal?

 

[Hollywoodivers]

is there frayed cloth around or in the zipper area ? if so clean that up. We do the tests ourselves and we have rarely been able to stop a zipper leak. DUI have a decent turnaround time if you ship it out to them. Make sure there is no gunk or build up of wax in the corner. Sorry to hear that.

 

[spectrum]

While we're on the subject of gunk. Some brands intentionally put a small wad of what looks like a red grease-like compound in the end stop to help seal the slider when it docks.

Pete

 

[Brewski]

is there frayed cloth around or in the zipper area ? if so clean that up. We do the tests ourselves and we have rarely been able to stop a zipper leak. DUI have a decent turnaround time if you ship it out to them. Make sure there is no gunk or build up of wax in the corner. Sorry to hear that.

We did clean up the threads in that area. As for wax I couldn't see any buildup.
We'll probably have to send it to DUI. but he's concerned about the cost for a zipper replacement. Its pretty spendy.

 

[DUI]

Hi!

Of course, my first recomendation is to send the suit in to DUI for evaluation. If there is any way your friend can swing this, that really is the best option.

If there is no way he/she can send the suit to us, we do have a couple pointers.

There are a couple of things you may be able to do to help slow the leaking. Making sure there is no fraying around the zipper area is definitely key (as mentioned above).

The first thing is to determine if the suit is a quick zip version (closes on the top) or the classic version (closes on the bottom).

Quick zip things to check...

Take a look at the inside of the rubber area at the zipper connection point...if you can still see rubber, you may be able to trim the fraying to prevent it from getting caught in the zipper and than coat the area with wax.

If, in looking at that same area, you only see frayed material, the zipper will have to be replaced.

Classic zip things to check...

The classic zip closes at the bottom...look at the portion of the zipper on the top to determine if there are any holes in the rubber portion. Also, look to see if there appears to be an area that is damaged on this same upper portion of the zipper. If so, you may be able to coat the top portion of the zipper with aquaseal to create a seal. HOWEVER...this will significantly decrease the ability to open the zipper completely, thus making the suit more difficult to don. I would only do this if it is less than the top inch of the suit.

Hopefully this helps. If you need any clarification feel free to contact me directly at DUI.

Thank you,

Jessica
DUI

 

[DUI]

I forgot one thing...if his left arm is getting wet...you may also want to dould check the exhaust valve.