Dry Suit inflator hose Questions

[String]

sylvester once bubbled...

To me it would seem ok to route the inflator hose under my right arm to the inflator?

Thats how i route mine, under BC shoulder strap and under my arm. No problems at all with it. I have my BC inflator and octo on the left, dry suit hose and main reg on the right. Stops hoses getting crossed.

Are the inflator hoses just a standard LP hose like the one on my wing inflator?

Hmm sort of. "Standard" doesnt mean one size fits all, different manufactures have different fittings and often wont bind to others. Exactly the same issue with BCs. We quite often have to play reg juggling on a small boat if a diver tears a suit or has a BC problem so they can do another dive for this reason. There are only certain combinations of all our kit that work with each other.

What is the proper way to store a dry suit? Hanging by one of those large shouldered hangers?

Different people have different ways, if you hang up with a shouldered hanger make sure its on even so as not to stress the seal. Also always store it with the zip CLOSED and spinkle some talc on the seals (if latex). I have seen someone store a suit upside down from the ceiling with the boots in some old cut off fins nailed to the roof.

 

[rickyd]

Different people have different ways, if you hang up with a shouldered hanger make sure its on even so as not to stress the seal. Also always store it with the zip CLOSED and spinkle some talc on the seals (if latex). I have seen someone store a suit upside down from the ceiling with the boots in some old cut off fins nailed to the roof.

Read the instruction manual for your drysuit. My DUI I store with the dry zip OPEN, and the outer protective zippoer and flap closed. Leaving the zipper open is supposed to relieve some of the preasure when folding/bending. I have a CF200 with the front diagnal zipper. Instructions may be different for a back zip.

 

[Genesis]

should ALWAYS be stored open.

The seal is made by the compression of the two pieces of material on which the INNER teeth are fastened. If you store it closed, it will take a set just like an O-ring and may leak.

 

[padiscubapro]

bertschb once bubbled...

Yes


I've never seen anybody route their hose under their right arm but I guess it doesn't matter. Whatever works for you.

I always route my hose from the right (albeit from an inflation bottle).. Before DUI started putting rotating inflators many suits came with the inlet facing the right side of the diver, this leaves only 1 logical place to route the hose..

 

[String]

Genesis once bubbled...
should ALWAYS be stored open.

Not according to the instructions that came with mine or the instructions of several others ive seen.

Hanging it with a wide hanger with the zip open increases the stress on the 2 corners of the zip and can pull out slightly breaking the seal.

As someone else said, read the instruction manual that came with the suit and/or email the manufacturer as they may all be different in that case.

The reason for my comment is ive never seen one here that says zip needs to be open.

 

[dbulmer]

String,

I have an Otter Britannic and it recommends zipper remains open.

"When the suit is stored or transported in its bag the zipper must be open. . When the zipper is open it is very flexible, when closed it becomes stiff and could be damaged or broken if inadvertently bent"

Seems like it all depends on the individual manufacturer.

 

[IzzyTahil]

reefraff once bubbled...
Does the dry suit inflator hose attach to a LP port on the reg?

Yes. One of the best reasons for using a separate inflation bottle and regulator is so that you can drop the IP to a very low level, reducing the inflation rate and minimizing the potential for a free flow in cold water. Connecting directly to your backgas is a Plan "B" solution.

Steven

Reefraf - when the time comes, i'd be getting an inflation system - lowering the IP makes alot of sense to me...is this a common practice?

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Sylvester, that you ever got a reply to this question:

I have seen seperate smaller bottles for dry suits attached to the main tank the diver is carrying like a tank mounted pony bottle. Why does this seem to be a standard practice for a deco bottle but a potential fouling point for a pony bottle?

Attaching any bottle to your backgas presents a potential fouling point. It doesn't matter if its an argon bottle or a 'pony' bottle or bailout bottle. It's still a fouling point.

There are several other conditions, however, that factor into where you place bottles; argon or bailout.

* A pony or bailout bottle should be turned on before you enter the water, to charge the hose and second stage, then turned off so it will not leak (strong current, inadvertant free flow, etc.). When you place the second stage in your mouth, turn it back on and you are assured it is full. This is tough to do if your pony/bailout is banded to your backgas. This isn't necessary if its an argon/drysuit inflation bottle, which is always on.

* A pony or bailout bottle should be located such that in the gravest extreme you could remove it and hand it off to another diver. This is tough to do if its banded to your backgas, and again, isn't necessary in the case of an argon/drysuit inflation bottle.

* (Not ALL but) most wreck divers use the small 6 cu ft argon bottles either on their waist strap or attached to their backplate. This tucks the bottle in close to them. If they band a 14 cu ft argon bottle to their backgas, they often do so for cave diving, not wrecks. This is because caves seldom have electrical wiring, cables, cable trays, insulation, bulkhead seals, and other debris hanging down inside them; but wrecks do. Wrecks also often have fishnets and monofilament line hanging all over their exteriors, and caves do not. So in areas where entanglements are more likely, prudent divers don't band bottles to their backgas.

Wreck and cave divers generally don't carry pony or bailout bottles. They generally carry stage or decompression (deco) bottles, slung like this:
http://www.diverite.com/resource/stage/index.htm

Hope this has addressed your question.

Regards,

Doc

 

[MechDiver]

IzzyTahil once bubbled...

lowering the IP makes alot of sense to me...is this a common practice?

Yes, if using a separate system.

MD

 

[Genesis]

Not according to the instructions that came with mine or the instructions of several others ive seen.

Hanging it with a wide hanger with the zip open increases the stress on the 2 corners of the zip and can pull out slightly breaking the seal.

Don't hang drysuits when in storage.

They should be rolled or folded so as not to stress the fabric or zip and put in their storage bag.

The zip should always be left OPEN.

If you are stressing the corners, you're hanging it wrong during drying. It is not difficult to arrange how it hangs so there is no stress taken on the corners of the zip.