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

[Hawkwood]

I live in an apartment. Gear is cleaned/rinsed in a shower, a bathtub, or the kitchen sink. Been doing that since we moved from the house.

We do have a storage locker, 10'x5', enough to hang dry suits, BCDs, etc, while drying. Then it's all put away in tote boxes until the next class, dive weekend, or trip.

 

[BoltSnap]

First step, get rid of your roommate!!

I lived in a small one bedroom apartment in a high-rise apartment/hotel building for a couple of years when I lived in the UAE. I rinsed my equipment in the bathtub in the "full bathroom" and let the equipment drip dry there overnight. I moved everything to the "half bathroom" for more long term storage/dry. The half bathroom was my dive equipment locker.

I added "Dettol" to the bathtub when I rinsed my wetsuit/boots. My regulator and camera were rinsed in a separate buckets.

 

[lowviz]

First step, get rid of your roommate!! ...//...

Bwa HaHa!!!

And here I am trying to be kinder and gentler:

...//... have a chat with your roomie about it...

 

[Johanan]

For me the biggest hassle was rinsing, drying and storing the jacket BCD. I felt much relieved after switching to a Hogarthian style Backplate and Wing. The DSS rigs disassemble so easily and fit in a briefcase.

 

[Buliwyf]

I just take it in the shower with me. Then rinse out the wing with a little shampoo or dish soap.

I hang it to drip dry anywhere. The air conditioning will dry the carpet or floor if it gets wet. No big deal, it's just water.

I don't store anything Scuba in the garage. Too much ozone and chemicals in the air in there. I pile my gear in a closet.

 

[filmguy123]

haha, yeah, kicking out my roommate equates to a $10k yearly added expense... I think I'd rather buy gear!!

 

[kelemvor]

I use a photography backdrop stand instead of a shower curtain rod. Do you have a back patio in your apartment? I put my gear on the patio (if my hotel has one) when I travel. When I've got a room that doesn't have a patio, I put it in the bottom of the tub until it stops dripping (but it's still wet). Then I move it to the stand wherever it will fit. Here's a stand similar to the one I've got. Those that have been to the scubaboard MegaDIVE have seen mine.

Amazon.com : Background Stand Backdrop Support System Kit 8ft by 10ft wide By Fancier Studio TB30 : Photo Studio Backgrounds : Camera & Photo


Damp Rid chemical dehumidifiers or electric dehumidifiers really speed drying quite a bit. Especially if you close the bathroom with gear + dehumidifier inside. We used a closet in hotel cozumel like this and had dry gear each morning.

 

[sadn3sss]

A few questions ...

So what's wrong with leaving the gear in the garage to dry? Are you afraid that it is too dark there? If I have a window in the garage would that be okay?

How do you get the layer between the shell and the bladder to dry? Do you disassemble it when drying? Or you just don't need to?

How do you get the inside of the bladder to dry? It seems hard to completely drain it, and with the inflator and dump valve closed, doesn't seem like an moisture will get out.

 

[lowviz]

...//... Damp Rid chemical dehumidifiers or electric dehumidifiers really speed drying quite a bit. ...

Yes, and absolutely nothing beats a lot of moving air to get your stuff into equilibrium with the local humidity. Use a cheap fan (out in the open) first, then the good stuff if you need it.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

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?

Perhaps something like this would be the perfect solution, rinse off yourself and the gear before you pack up for the return trip.
RinseKit Portable Shower | MAKO Spearguns