How do you clean your gear?

[cummings66]

The rule of thumb I use in fresh water, never dove salt but the concept is the same since we get sand and stuff in that water is this. If the gear will dry out/off before I get home I'll rinse it there. I bring a couple gallons of fresh water with me and use that for the rinse, or I'll rinse it at the motel/campsite if I can. It "NEVER" dries off without being rinsed in clean water.

Here's why, sand is pretty nasty stuff and it once made a reg freeflow on me because I used to assume fresh water wasn't bad. It is, consider that the vis is maybe 5 to 10 feet on average and that's due to the silt and stuff floating in suspension, it'll dry on the gear and jam things up if not removed. So I think it's similar while not as bad as salt it does cause problems and I've managed to avoid them since I started rinsing without letting the gear dryout.

 

[mike_s]

After diving in the ocean, why not stop at one of the springs to "rinse your gear" and get one more dive in?

The water in many springs and quarries are very clean. No need to rinse afterwards as long as you take precaution not to set your gear down in the dirt when taking it off.

 

[wardric]

after any dive (saltwater or not), all my gear is soaked in fresh cold water. I use a rubber maid box (which I also use to carry my gear in the car). My BC is also rinsed inside by filling it slowly with a hose by the inflator. Drysuit is rinsed with a garden hose with special attention to the valves and the zipper. Computer and camera housing are also given special attention.

 

[Wayward Son]

I use a large platic trash can to soak. In the summer, I fill it with clean water, add a splash of bleach to stop slime from growing & put a top on the can. After sitting in the sun for a week or more it's like bathwater. After soaking i use a hose to spray everything down, this serves to flush dissolved salts away so they don't reform when the fresh water dries.

In the winter the water will never warm up, so it's cold water rinsing then.

 

[Tienuts]

After diving in the ocean, why not stop at one of the springs to "rinse your gear" and get one more dive in?

The water in many springs and quarries are very clean. No need to rinse afterwards as long as you take precaution not to set your gear down in the dirt when taking it off.

I would love to! Do you know of a spring between Pompano and Oakland Park?

I just made it up to Ginnie Springs last month and it was great.

 

[dbulmer]

Howard,
Good point you brought up - the temperature I'm talking about would be less than 25C - I just add a little warm water to the cold, attach reg to cylinder and leave cylinder in bath.

 

[KBeck]

Padipro and I use a sat-dissolver bought from West Marine for use on spraying boats down. He's the most meticulous person I've ever met (read: former military) and his gear is in pristine condition.
I don't have the name of it with me, but it comes in a gallon container, costs @$30 (I know...), and we use maybe half a cup to a big garbage bucket.

 

[ScubaDivaDivemaster]

I rinse everything using a big rubbermade bin. I use sink the stink for cloth items (suits, bc, hood, gloves, etc.). Everything else I rinse with a hose or in the tub. My knife, which has been neglected, is showing some rust, but because I forgot to take it out of the sheath to rinse and dry it. Oops!

C U underwater,
scubadivadivemaster

 

[divad]

mmmmm......Should rinsing the outside of my inner bladder more often?

 

[spectrum]

I like the sounds of your rinse barrel. I have some strudy plastic barrels that I fill and just dump down the lawn when I'm done. I then toss a hose in to refill them.

Here is what I do:
http://home.gwi.net/~spectrum/scuba_love.html

What eactly are the steel 100s that are rusting. My 6 PSTs just get dull.

Pete