Dry Suit Seal Issue

[divestrawberrypa]

I have been a dry suit diver for 6 years. I am currently diving a TLS DUI drysuit. I have had the seals replaced twice. I am having problems with my neck seal getting sticky. The first time it happen, I thought I must have stored it in an improper location. I have been very careful with my second set of seals. My husband stores his in the same fashion and he has not had an issue. My neck seal, once again started to get sticky and stretch. I am sure it will tear in the near future. I have been putting powder on it before most dives. I try to dive weekly during March - November. Any thoughts/ideas would be apprieciated as my dive buddies are stumped! THANKS!!

[rhwestfall]

perfume? body oils? hair care products? Sunscreen?

Lots of things are the enemy of latex seals.....

care after?

DO you wash/rinse them after the dive day, and powder them for storage once dry?

[Jim Lapenta]

Some people use powder but while it does help the suit go on easier I wonder if it also does not soak up extra moisture, sweat, oils, etc and retain them on the seals. I have never had a seal deteriorate using the care procedure I use. It doesn't have to be done every day but at a minimum after every weekend outing. I use a highly diluted solution of mild dishwashing soap to clean the seals, toothbrush the zipper, and wipe down the boots. I then use McNett's Seal Saver on a soft cotton cloth to put a shine on all the seals. Inside and out. Then wax the zipper with pharmaceutical grade beeswax. My OS suit lasted 6 years and around 150 dives doing this. Seals never needed replaced. I'm doing the same procedure with my new HOG suit. In fact it's one of the things I'll be doing tonite after having spent the weekend diving up at Strawberry.

[TSandM]

I don't have an answer for you, but I feel your pain.

You do need to look at anything you are using on your skin -- moisturizer, hair spray or conditioner, etc. -- because a lot of fragrance chemicals degrade latex.

But I don't use any of that stuff, and I go through a latex neck seal about every six months, no matter HOW I care for it. (The second one, I carefully cleaned with detergent and rinsed and dried EVERY dive, and it didn't make a darned bit of difference.) Thus I have gone to the SiTech Necktite system, so I can replace a seal whenever I want. Seals aren't that expensive; it's the labor to replace them that hurts, and not having the suit for a couple of weeks. Now I can do my own in my basement in ten minutes!

[MaxBottomtime]

I got tired of replacing mine every 6-12 months, so I had neoprene seals put on. When my latex seals would get sticky I would wipe them thoroughly with ArmorAll. It keeps them soft and flexible for about 2-3 weeks, then repeat until you're ready to replace the seals.

[divestrawberrypa]

Thanks everybody! I will try all of the above! Hollie

[grf88]

Another recommendation for Seal Saver. It even salvaged some seals that had started to get a little sticky.

[PfcAJ]

I've had good results with UV Tech, talc-ing the seals after every use, and storing in my bedroom closet, suit folded up in the storage bag.

Seals are something that just has to be replaced regularly. I swap mine out every 1.5 years or so, or when they start looking questionable.

[NWGratefulDiver]

I use Seal Saver on my seals as well ... and typically get 100-150 dives on a set of latex seals. The wrist seals on my current (Santi) suit have lasted easily twice that long, but they are getting close to needing replacement at this point.

For the OP ... since your husband's suit doesn't appear to have this issue, and assuming you're using comparable seals and caring/storing them in the same fashion, I would suspect something you are using on your own skin ... perhaps a lotion, perfume or cosmetic. Latex reacts with a number of different substances.

Does it also impact your wrist seals ... or just your neck seal?

Another question ... do you, perhaps, use an Apollo Bioseal? I know a few folks who have used them and commented that it reduces the life of their neck seal.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[TSandM]

Bob, Peter and I store our suits in the same place and care for them the same way, and his don't degrade like mine. I think some people just have something in their skin oil that hurts latex.

Neoprene seals are chancy for women -- our head circumference is proportionally much larger than our neck, compared with men, and it can be difficult to get a neoprene seal that you can get over your head without giving yourself disc problems, but will still seal well enough to keep you dry. I tried that, too