Infrequent drysuit user refresher questions

[jvisser]

Great forum!

I have a couple of questions for hte experts here.

I took the PADI drysuit course three years ago. I have a neoprene drysuit with neoprene wrist and neck seals.

Haven't used the suit since the course. The neck seal has developed wrinkles from storage. Are these fatal, or will the seal still work?

Is the neck seal supposed to be folded over (inside) in use? I recall it was.

How can a weeping wrist seal be sealed better, other than replacing?

Thanks very much.

jv

 

[divebri]

Look at the seals to see if they have any tears in them, or if they are "creased" rather than wrinkled. if they are, definitely replace them.

I would, as a matter of safety, replace them since they're three years old anyway. That includes the wrist seals as well.

There is no way to seal a wrist seal better if it weeps, unless you have something under it, like a little bit of material from your undergarments. Obviously you want to be bare skin on the seal for the best seal.

Also, if have a lot of definition in your wrist (tendons stick out, a deep "valley" in your wrist, etc.) that may cause a little weeping. There are seals available that you can put on your wrist and then have the seal of the drysuit go over them, but I've used one for my neck and don't particularly like them.

bottom line is, I would replace the seals before i went diving. If one of those babies rips while you're under water you are a little rusty at handling it.
And if it rips on the boat, well, you just wasted some money. Either way it's not pleasant.
And, of course, I would recommend you practice some skills in a pool first.

 

[SteveAD]

OP stated neo suit with neo seals. LATEX is prone to tearing neo isn't, but that is its only virtue. "Weepy" wrist seats can be snugged by pushing the seal further up the arm until you reach a wide enough point to stop the weep. Neo neck does need to be rolled inside to get the skin on skin seal.

 

[jvisser]

Thanks guys, I can see how what both of you are saying applies. Of course, I'd rather not replace the seals if it's not necessary. The wrists aren't bad at all, and it may be that I just picked up a little moisture while bleeding some air there during the course exercises. The neck seal, I'll look again, but it seems quite wrinkled from storage, and it was a brand new seal when I hung the suit up three years ago.

How would you recommend storing a neoprene suit with neoprene seals?

 

[Jim Baldwin]

Look at the seals to see if they have any tears in them, or if they are "creased" rather than wrinkled. if they are, definitely replace them.

I would, as a matter of safety, replace them since they're three years old anyway. That includes the wrist seals as well.

There is no way to seal a wrist seal better if it weeps, unless you have something under it, like a little bit of material from your undergarments. Obviously you want to be bare skin on the seal for the best seal.

Also, if have a lot of definition in your wrist (tendons stick out, a deep "valley" in your wrist, etc.) that may cause a little weeping. There are seals available that you can put on your wrist and then have the seal of the drysuit go over them, but I've used one for my neck and don't particularly like them.

bottom line is, I would replace the seals before i went diving. If one of those babies rips while you're under water you are a little rusty at handling it.
And if it rips on the boat, well, you just wasted some money. Either way it's not pleasant.
And, of course, I would recommend you practice some skills in a pool first.

Yes the neck seal needs to turned in on a neoprene seal. As far as a quick fix for leaky wrist seals a wide rubber band on each arm will do the trick. It's cheaper than replacing the seals. My arms are hairy and this does the trick. My suit is over five years old and still works fine. I'm not cheap just frugal. I also use baby powder instead of chalk. I know it's bad for the seals but I do smell really fine after a dive.

 

[contender]

OP stated neo suit with neo seals. LATEX is prone to tearing neo isn't, but that is its only virtue. "Weepy" wrist seats can be snugged by pushing the seal further up the arm until you reach a wide enough point to stop the weep. Neo neck does need to be rolled inside to get the skin on skin seal.

Neo neck seal does need to be rolled inside to form a proper seal.

 

[*Floater*]

Great forum!

I have a couple of questions for hte experts here.

I took the PADI drysuit course three years ago. I have a neoprene drysuit with neoprene wrist and neck seals.

Haven't used the suit since the course. The neck seal has developed wrinkles from storage. Are these fatal, or will the seal still work?

Is the neck seal supposed to be folded over (inside) in use? I recall it was.

How can a weeping wrist seal be sealed better, other than replacing?

In some drysuit the wrist seals also need to be folded over to get the smooth side against the skin and so that the air pressure inside the suit will push the folded neoprene against the skin enhancing the seal.

I've also heard of people tightening neoprene neck seals by cutting a V-slot into them, gluing the two sides back together and adding seam tape. I presume the same process might work with neoprene wrist seals, though I'm not sure it would be any cheaper than replacing the seals unless you know how to do it yourself.