No garage, no hose. I live in apartment. Caring for equipment?

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filmguy123

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New to diving, and wondering about how its going to look for me trying to care for my equipment post dive when I come home from a local dive to my garage-less, carpeted apartment. Any tips on this?

Local dive sites are all about 2-3 hours away... do you generally find a LDS near your site and wash equipment there before putting back in the car? Or wait and do the post dive maintenance once back home? If at home, any tips for how to deal with cleaning and storage when I don't have the convenience of a garage to work from?
 
Suggestions:

Buy an expandable shower-curtain rod, center it over the tub, and use it for hanging your stuff to drip after you shower off your gear. Rinse the air bladder in your BC (if you own one) and use all the dumps. Dumps tend to stick when needed if you never use them.

Open the curtain and let everything dry. Rightside your wetsuit and let it dry again. Leave everything out (over a chair etc.) in the apartment for a day or so to really dry.

Get a pound or two of rechargable indicating desiccant (Drierite - Indicating DRIERITE) and put it into something like a mesh bag (flip and tumble Reusable Produce Bags)

Put gear and desiccant bag(s) into a Rubbermaid container and store.
 
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I was told once that the salt residue from washing gear in a bathtub is harmful to the pipes. Is this true?

Since then I've always washed in a plastic tub and dumped the water outside.

Nays
 
Just run enough water to flush it through and truly don't give it a second thought.

Don't stress with the plastic tub. A diluted salt solution is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING when compared to Drano etc...
 
Thanks lowviz!

Good ideas on the shower curtain rod. What is the indicating desiccant in bag and stored in rubbermaid for exactly? I don't understand the need for this or where it fits in (excuse the ignorance).

Any reason I couldn't leave stuff drying in the bathroom, or will the humidity not be great for that? I ask because I do not think my roommate would be a fan of drying scuba gear and wetsuits strewn about the apartment.
 
...//... What is the indicating desiccant in bag and stored in rubbermaid for exactly?
It is very hard to dry gear down to a level where mold/mildew won't grow. The desiccant sucks out the last traces of humidity and will guarantee that the only thing that you smell when you open the bin is fresh neoprene. And, God, do I love the smell of clean neoprene in the wee hours of the morning. :)

...//...Any reason I couldn't leave stuff drying in the bathroom, or will the humidity not be great for that? I ask because I do not think my roommate would be a fan of drying scuba gear and wetsuits strewn about the apartment.
Yeah, humidity. It won't be more than a day or two, have a chat with your roomie about it...
 
I was told once that the salt residue from washing gear in a bathtub is harmful to the pipes. Is this true?

Since then I've always washed in a plastic tub and dumped the water outside.

Nays

I'll just put it to you this way, have you given it a second thought to use an indoor shower after visiting the ocean?

Just about all of your plumbing lines are made from PVC, don't forsee a little bit of salt residue breaking down your lines
 
...//... What is the indicating desiccant in bag and stored in rubbermaid for exactly? I don't understand the need for this ...
Just to be perfectly clear, you don't have to do this unless you are storing gear in a closed container. You can store gear out in the open but I find bins to be more convenient when cramped for space.
 

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