Rinsing after fresh water

[grouchyturtle]

All you fresh water divers do you rinse your gear after every dive. If so to what extent?

I'd think you really don't have to soak in warm water. Isn't that done mainly to dissolve salt?

Just trying to figure out if I'm being anal!

Do you rinse the inside of your BC after every dive or just drain any water out of it?

Also does anyone use any of those cleaners they make for BCs? Do they actually work? It seems they make some sort of cleaner for every piece of gear. Wondering if any of them are any good or if they are all just overpriced scams?

 

[Fort Collins Bob]

Hello !!

Being in Colorado I dive Fresh water alot.

After diving every day I rinse my equipment down when I get
home with the hose and let it dry out of direct sun light.

It's gets the dirt/mud out of everything.

I do empty out my BC of any water that might have gotten in,
and put alittle hose water in and empty it back out.

I do not use any 'cleaner'...

If I know I am not going to be using the equipment in the near future, I will go alittle more in depth with the cleaning.

I dive every weekend, and ALWAYS make a habit in cleaning.

Your equipment will hopefully work better and last longer.

Just my .02's

bob

 

[diverlady]

I rinse my gear after each dive "weekend" with cold water and lightly scrub and dirty marks I find on them with a soft toothbrush and wetsuit soap. I wash my stuff with gear shampoo about once every month (remember I'm only doing a couple of weekends/month at most) or two and definitely before putting away for the winter. I have used the BC shampoo and didn't notice any ill effects. I assume if it's designed for that particular piece of equipment, then at least it shouldn't damage it in any way. (Maybe I shouldn't assume so much) I would hate to use some product like Ivory Liquid only to find in a couple of years that's it's can damage divegear.

That's just me.

Diverlady

 

[blacknet]

Hello,

Some will tell you there's no need to rince after diving springs but they fail to mention spreading non-invasive flora/fauna, i.e. Lemnaceae, a.k.a. "duckweed", hydra's and the like.

You also have to deal with bacteria and pollution in freshwater.

Ed

 

[Debbraey]

We dive all types of bodies of water fresh and salt....Our equipment is rinsed the same reguardless of type of dive...I bought one of the big rubbermaid storage tubs ... I use the hose from the front that is warm to hot water for the first 5 or so minutes...We fill the tub then properly clean everything some times dumping and refilling the tub as there are 2 of us doing gear..Then we rinse them with the hose..All along watering our grass those of you who live here in FL no what I am talking about....leave everything to air/dry a little outside (annoying my neighbors) then move them on their hangers into the garage to a line we ran to continue to dry before storing them in a closet inside....
Hope this helps I am no expert but it makes me feel much more comfortable to properly clean it the same way every time...the same as rigging it prior to a dive..If you do it the same way every time less of a chance of you ever doing anything wrong or missing any steps...I dive with the same equipment in fresh or salt so i feel repitition works and hopefully extends the live and care of my equipment

 

[diver_paula]

I dive the Great Lakes and fresh water quarries at least 3 weekends a month during warm water. I used to rinse my gear off after every dive when I dove with a wet suit. Wet suits get gunky!

Since going dry 8 years ago I hardly rinse my gear. (non-invasive flora aside.) & my gear had held up beautifully. I replaced my BC after 13 years 'cause I wanted to go with wings. My first drysuit is in good condition after 7 years and only had the wrist seals replaced once.

I do lay everything out in the garage to dry. & the drysuit and undies are hung in the garage to dry. I wash the drysuit undies fairly frequently. Using the garage probably helps the most as it protects the gear from the sun.

My gear gets a few extremely thorough cleanings each year. When the Great Lakes season turns colder than I like as well as after each salt water trip.

Paula

 

[Diver Lori]

I sozzle my gear after every dip. Shampoo it every 3 or 4 dips. My buddy and I split a gallon bottle of wetsuit shampoo that our LDS gets for us from Global. It de-stinks too. Gnarly stinks get a soak from "Sink the Stink" too.

I wait till late in the day and do it outdoors when the sun isn't direct using a clean trashcan purchased specifically for cleaning dive and kayak gear....drain on the clothesline and as soon as night falls I bring it into the garage to dry the rest of the way. As soon as it's dry....wetsuits get hung in a closet and the drysuit gets folded up properly and bagged and crated for the next use. Some of my gear is stored in the garage where harmful fumes dwell......I bag my gear and then use rubbermaid crates stacked neatly and labeled.

 

[crazed_dolphin]

I rinse after every dive but not as much with salt water dives.

 

[grouchyturtle]

Am I understanding you correctly?

Are you actually saying you DON'T rinse as much after salt water dives!