Drying Zeagle BCD bladder

stevetim · Sep 23, 2005

I have searched and it has not been fruitful. So...

I wonder if anyone has a surefire way to completely dry the inside of a BCD bladder. I have a Zeagle Stiletto which has two rear dumps that I have considered rigging in the open position, but feel this isn't quite stressfully safe on the mechanism..Scott?

The only other option I think would be safe is a tank hooked up to the inflator hose, filling the BCD with air, then purging it at the rear dumps a few times to get a dry air flow through the bladder.

I do rinse the bladder very well with tap water and some mouthwash. But seeing a Camelback bladder develop nastiness from retained moisture has me a little timid on leaving water inside the BCD. Especially seawater.

Any help on this?

crpntr133 · Sep 23, 2005

I hang mine upside down with the inflator hose being the lowest point, with a bit of air in the bladder. Every couple of days I go out and purge. I have also been known to take the entire inflator valve loose from the bladder and let it sit.

Never thought of hooking a tank up and blowing it "dry".

SDAnderson · Sep 23, 2005

Why would you want to completely dry the inside of the bladder?

Marek K · Sep 23, 2005

I second crpntr133. Zeagle or not (in my case not), when I'm storing BCDs for a long period of time, I'll rinse them as well as I can, many times... then let them sit with the inflator hose down, to let the remaining water drain so it can be released through the deflator (amazing how much water collects!)... then unscrew all the purge valves and let the BCDs sit for a few days to dry inside.

And of course store with air in them.

--Marek

crpntr133 · Sep 23, 2005

Marek K:
I second crpntr133. Zeagle or not (in my case not), when I'm storing BCDs for a long period of time, I'll rinse them as well as I can, many times... then let them sit with the inflator hose down, to let the remaining water drain so it can be released through the deflator (amazing how much water collects!)... then unscrew all the purge valves and let the BCDs sit for a few days to dry inside.

And of course store with air in them.

--Marek

When reassembling the valve be careful to not cross thread.

stevetim · Sep 24, 2005

reefraff:
Why would you want to completely dry the inside of the bladder?

Ever see a Camelback bladder that you were so sure you cleaned well? It is transparent and believe me, makes you not want to drink from it after about a dozen uses.

Like I said, I clean the hell out of my BCD, but would just like to be "completely dry" when I don't dive for more than a week or so. A BCD bladder is sorta like a culture sample if there is any bacteria left in it at all.

Marek K · Sep 24, 2005

stevetim:
Originally Posted by reefraff
Why would you want to completely dry the inside of the bladder?

Click to expand...

Ever see a Camelback bladder that you were so sure you cleaned well? It is transparent and believe me, makes you not want to drink from it after about a dozen uses. [...] A BCD bladder is sorta like a culture sample if there is any bacteria left in it at all.

Um, I'm not admittin' to nothin', but does anyone ever suck the residual air out of their BC by mouth through the inflator hose, when getting ready to pack it for a trip, to get the volume down as much as possible?

Like I said, I'm not admittin' to nothin'...

Jamdiver · Sep 24, 2005

Hehe, no I usually squeeze the living daylights out of my BC with the deflate button pressed on my BC.
I keep thinking that I'm going to create a vacuum in there

Marek K · Sep 24, 2005

Jamdiver:
no I usually squeeze the living daylights out of my BC with the deflate button pressed on my BC.

Yeah, that's the simplest way, but it's tough to get all the air out. Volume of baggage is almost as important as weight.

Jamdiver:
I keep thinking that I'm going to create a vacuum in there

That's why you suck the... :11: er, could theoretically suck the air out...

SDAnderson · Sep 24, 2005

stevetim:
Ever see a Camelback bladder that you were so sure you cleaned well? It is transparent and believe me, makes you not want to drink from it after about a dozen uses.

Like I said, I clean the hell out of my BCD, but would just like to be "completely dry" when I don't dive for more than a week or so. A BCD bladder is sorta like a culture sample if there is any bacteria left in it at all.

But you aren't drinking from your BC bladder. I hope.

Drying just isn't necessary. Bladders need a good rinsing on the inside, especially after salt-water diving. You can add BC Life to the rinse water or even a shot of Listerine to help mitigate the crud, but I have yet to see any damage done to a BC by algae (and that's mostly what that black goop is, not so much bacteria). Repeatedly removing and replacing the dump valves and hoses leads to stripped threads, distorted springs, damaged seals, missing bits and other damage that can be expensive to repair. Of all the problems I've seen with BC's over the years, I've never seen one come in because it's owner made a practice of rinsing it well and storing it partially inflated. Don't let the creepy-crawlies that live inside your bladder give you the creepy-crawlies - in trying to fix a relatively insignificant issue it's very easy to create new and more serious problems.

Drying Zeagle BCD bladder

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