Air coming out from BCD

[mnim821]

Hi,

Need advice here. While washing my BCD, I orally inflated my BCD and heard a hisssing sound coming out from it. After washing, I fully inflate the BCD and left it to dry. Checked the BCD after 7 hours, and it was partially deflated ('bout 60% inflated). Should this concern me :06: ? If its of concern, what should I do? Thanks in advance.

 

[H2Andy]

hmmm.... well.... sounds like a small leak, maybe in the inflator, maybe in the
fabric. if it's the inflator, get a tech to fix it or replace it.

if it's a hole, i would definetly try to patch it.

just dunk the thing underwater and watch where the bubbles come out.

then, use some aquaseal to cover up the hole (fast and easy) or, get some
glue and a patch and glue over the spot.

ideally, you should patch it from the inside out, but... you probably won't be able
to with a BC

 

[Spoon]

sounds like a minute puncture. i doubt though youl be able to see any bubbles if you dunk it coz you checked it 7 hours later and it was still only deflated by 40%. thats my take though

 

[SeanQ]

One thing I suggest you quickly check are the other dump valves on the BCD. Simply unscrew the cap and check if there is anything lodged in the valve. It could save you a lot of grief.

 

[crabball]

Your BCD is definitely leaking and i wont suggest you use it till you either get it serviced or patched.

IF your BCD is still under warranty and you are not the kind that fix thing yourself, send it in for a check. I send mine in and they fixed it for no charges when there a leak in my BCD.

If it is out of warranty and/ or you are the DIY type, you can submerge the BCD in a pool of water inflated to see where the leak is coming from and fix/ patch after determining where the leak is. ( quoting others before me)

Think if you need specific repair procedure, you should be able to get it here if you ask.

Hopes all goes well.

 

[jiveturkey]

As said before, it may be the inflator or the exhaust. This just happened to me recently so I gave it an extra hard wash and soaked it for a long time. It seems to be ok now. If a good cleaning doesn't work you might want ot take it in to a shop.

 

[ScubaTwo]

I sent my bcd, an "Eva" back to the manufacturer 2 times becasue I thought it was leaking. Come to find out it was the padding in the shoulders releasing bubbles. Just a thought.

 

[nwbrewer]

I second the recommendation to check your dump valves. I bought a used BCD rfecently, thought I got screwed cause it wouldn't hold air. Found out it was both the shoulder dump, and the dump at the bottom of the wing leaking a little. Took them apart, cleaned them, lubed them and put it all back together. A week later it was still fully inflated.

 

[ScottZeagle]

If you want to locate the leak, fill your bathtub or laundry sink with water, inflate the BC, and hold it under. That will at least tell you where the leak is coming from, which will surely expedite the trouble shooting!!!

Is the BC fairly new, or have you used it many times?

If it is not new, did you unscrew an OP valve or shoulder dump recently? If so, you may not have them screwed down all the way. Sometimes the fabric around the valves can pop up on the threads and keep it from screwing down far enough to seal, even though it will feel tight. Also, make sure you didn't cross thread them.

Hope this helps, or at least gets you started!!

Scott

 

[mnim821]

Thanks for the pointers.

Scott, fyi, the BCD is fairly new. Done less than 20 dives. Its a Beuchat Master Lift Pro. The leak is located at the bladder section of the BCD and inside the integrated weight pocket. The one at the bladder is rather easy to seal but the one inside the integrated weight pocket is a bit tricky to seal. I think I should just send it back to the dive shop where I had purchased the BCD and see whether they could help me with it.