P-Valve Install in Fusion
- Thread starter skdvr
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OP
skdvr
Contributor
If I have time this afternoon at lunch I will run down to Lowes and see if I can find it there, otherwise I will look when I get home from work.
Sorry about that I cannot believe that I walked out without looking at them...
Phil
Sorry about that I cannot believe that I walked out without looking at them...
Phil
No worries. I was planning on stopping at the hardware store last night and buying a hole punch last night and ran out of time.
Carrie
Carrie
OP
skdvr
Contributor
I couldn't take it and had to run over to Lowes and pick a set up...
1.5" Diameter is what I chose for my install, but it could be just about anything as long as it is big enough for the valve to sit on it...
Obviously the hole is to small but just punch it out to the proper size...
Hope this helps....
Phil
1.5" Diameter is what I chose for my install, but it could be just about anything as long as it is big enough for the valve to sit on it...
Obviously the hole is to small but just punch it out to the proper size...
Hope this helps....
Phil
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! The pic is great! What aisle do you find these on?
OP
skdvr
Contributor
Just go to the aisle that has hardware and at Lowes they have everything in big blue drawers with labels on the outside telling you what is in them. Most of them will have nuts and bolts of different metals and plastics, just look for one that has rubber gaskets. At Home Depot I think that they are just in little plastic bins.
Phil
Phil
Thanks to skdvr who provided me multiple tips in the last couple of days. I installed my valve tonight. I liked skdvr's idea to put a patch kit on first, but I didn't have one. This is something I may go back and do.
I could not find a hollow punch in any of our local stores, so I used a soldering iron. I did not use any type of sealent, just the rubber gaskets. I won't have a chance to test the valve for leaks until this weekend. Here's how I installed mine.
I used rubber washers I found at Lowe's.
I started by opening the velcro at the top of the suit so I could reach the outside of the neoprene. I put on the Fusion and marked the spot on the trilaminate where I wanted the valve.
I left my leg in my suit and folded a piece of cardboard over several times and put it under the trilaminate to protect my leg.
I was worried that I might make the hole too big. While at Lowe's I found a plastic hardware gauge that I taped over the spot I wanted the hole.
I then used the soldering iron to cut the hole using the gauge as my guide. The nipple on the valve was 5/8" and the hole in the plastic gauge was only 1/2", so after the initial hole was cut I ran the soldering iron around the inside of the hole to enlarge it a little at a time until it was the right size.
I cut a larger hole inside the rubber washer so it was large enough to fit over the nipple.
I put the rubber gasket on the nipple, then put it through the hole from the inside of the suit.
I trimmed another rubber gasket and put it over the top, so the trilaminate is sandwiched between 2 gaskets.
Next I put the outer portion of the valve on, reattached the Fusion shell, and pulled my suit all the way up to find the valve under the shell.
I marked the shell on top of the valve with a crayon, cut a small hole in the shell, and pulled it over the valve.
The last step was screwing the external cap on.
I could not find a hollow punch in any of our local stores, so I used a soldering iron. I did not use any type of sealent, just the rubber gaskets. I won't have a chance to test the valve for leaks until this weekend. Here's how I installed mine.
I used rubber washers I found at Lowe's.
I started by opening the velcro at the top of the suit so I could reach the outside of the neoprene. I put on the Fusion and marked the spot on the trilaminate where I wanted the valve.
I left my leg in my suit and folded a piece of cardboard over several times and put it under the trilaminate to protect my leg.
I was worried that I might make the hole too big. While at Lowe's I found a plastic hardware gauge that I taped over the spot I wanted the hole.
I then used the soldering iron to cut the hole using the gauge as my guide. The nipple on the valve was 5/8" and the hole in the plastic gauge was only 1/2", so after the initial hole was cut I ran the soldering iron around the inside of the hole to enlarge it a little at a time until it was the right size.
I cut a larger hole inside the rubber washer so it was large enough to fit over the nipple.
I put the rubber gasket on the nipple, then put it through the hole from the inside of the suit.
I trimmed another rubber gasket and put it over the top, so the trilaminate is sandwiched between 2 gaskets.
Next I put the outer portion of the valve on, reattached the Fusion shell, and pulled my suit all the way up to find the valve under the shell.
I marked the shell on top of the valve with a crayon, cut a small hole in the shell, and pulled it over the valve.
The last step was screwing the external cap on.
princessaprilia
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You soldered the hole with your leg still in it?
That's dedication to your valve
That's dedication to your valve
You soldered the hole with your leg still in it?
That's dedication to your valve
I was extremely nervous about making this hole. The suit is heavy and I was concerned that it could move while I was making the hole. I took a piece of cardboard and folded it over about 6 times, so there was no way I could have burned my leg.
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