Gear dry rack, storage, and cleaning.

Since I just spent like twenty minutes typing something for this post and had it disappear when I hit post (page wouldn't load) I am gonna spare you the whole story and get to point.

I hate all the work I go through to haul my gear around after a dive so that the gear can be cleaned and dried so I want to get your opinions and ideas and pics on building a drying rack or storage area to facilitate easy gear care. What do you do post dive to care for your dive equipment?

For those of you who dive outa a sedan or small car like I do. you do anything to prevent moisture issues.

On a side note is it possible to remove the valves on my air bladder on the knighthawk bc so I can rinse and dry the inside. If its possible how and will it void a manufacture warranty. Thanks so much

I dive fresh water by the way

NorthWoodsDiver:

On a side note is it possible to remove the valves on my air bladder on the KnightHawk BC so I can rinse and dry the inside. If its possible how and will it void a manufacture warranty. Thanks so much

I dive fresh water by the way

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This might not apply in your case but when I had a KnightHawk BC I had an Atomic SS1 attached to the KnightHawk. I simply unscrewed the SS1 and flooded inside of the BC bladder with fresh water through the corrugated BC inflater hose.

That is a very nice features of the Atomic SS1 (among others).

I dive salt and what i do and also what am I a going to do in the very near future is this:
I have a 30 qt palstic container.When I am done diving wherever,usually there is a fresh water rinse.Give everything a quick rinse and deposit into the plastic container for the trip home.(The plastic container keeps water in the container and eveything together.)When I get home I give everything a good rinsing with a hose,then put my wetsuit someowhere to dry,usually a table with my regs next to it,until it is just about dry.Then hang it on its hanger in my closet,with the regs next to it.everything else is nearby to keep it together until I need it.
What I am goung to do in the near future is to get a clothes rack,(like the type they have in dry cleaners)and hang everything from that and also out of 1 inch pvc build a boot dry rack.basically take 4 tees,use 2 as feet to keep it from falling over,and the other 2 for uprights for the boots to sit upside down on.you can add more for things like hoods or gloves etc.You can modify for your use like making all in one gear dry rack hanger.
As far as your car,and moisture issues,you can do a few things.
1 would be to get a container or containers for your gear to sit in on the trip home.They have low profile containers in places like Walmart.You can get 1 or 2 that will fit your trunk and keep the water and what everelse in.
2.Get a water proof bag to put everything in and wash at home.
As far as removing valves on your bc,I honestly dont know.I generally fill mine with water(I dive salt)then put some air in it and pull the dump valve.re fill andre inflate and turn upside down.re fill with air a few times and dump to make sure the water is out.
Heres a link that I found with a pic.
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=180016
Its actually below the page

in the car we have plastic dive tub so salt/wet gear goes into this.

when we get home, we have a bathtub with tap next to the car so we wash gear in fresh water and the straight into the lockup when everything is organized (i usually hang my suit inside out to dry for the next day). the floor is concrete & cleaned regularily and the lockup is airy. oh, and our neighbour uses our washing tub to water the gardens by bucket as we have water restrictions/drought at the moment.

we have racks along the ceiling for suits and bcd, hooks on the walls for regs and gal shelving for everything else. a area for tanks, scooters ect.

now gotta figure out a way to make a workshop area for hubbys rebreather






the tub is dirty as i was washing flower pots in there that day.

almitywife:

in the car we have plastic dive tub so salt/wet gear goes into this.

when we get home, we have a bathtub with tap next to the car so we wash gear in fresh water and the straight into the lockup when everything is organized (i usually hang my suit inside out to dry for the next day). the floor is concrete & cleaned regularily and the lockup is airy. oh, and our neighbour uses our washing tub to water the gardens by bucket as we have water restrictions/drought at the moment.

we have racks along the ceiling for suits and bcd, hooks on the walls for regs and gal shelving for everything else. a area for tanks, scooters ect.

now gotta figure out a way to make a workshop area for hubbys rebreather

the tub is dirty as i was washing flower pots in there that day.

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How do you keep the tub from freezing over in the winter?

Hockeynut:

How do you keep the tub from freezing over in the winter?

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:mooner:

cheeky man

http://scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=180016

I made a rack that I use to rinse and store gear. When I get home from a trip, I pull the wet salty gear out of the car, hang it on the rack, and go to town with the hose. Some items like regs, cameras, lights, get put into a tub of water but a hose rinse seems to suffice for most things.

Then I just roll the rack into the garage where stuff drips dry.

Since the picture in that thread was taken I added a wire rack to the bottom of the unit, which holds flippers, gloves, etc. (Coated wire shelves are about $5 at Home Depot/Lowes.) I also added a hook to hold masks/snorkels. It's kind of hacked together and ugly, but it works great and saves me a lot of time.

I dive from a sedan frequently, so I feel your pain.

Best solution I have found thus far is the rubber tub option. Wet gear goes in there. I also have a moving blanket that goes over the back seat so everything that has a few drops here and there still don't cause issues.

Tanks are usually dry by the time they go in, and thus not a problem. But everything else (BC, misc accessories) goes fine into the plastic tub. (Drysuit goes into it's own bag, sitting on the movers blanket it'll make it home without ruining the car... diving wet, the wetsuit goes into the tub also.)

The most important thing once you get home is access to a big driveway and a hose, or in my case, a spare bathroom with a glass door on the tub/shower.

Once home, the tub gets carried into the spare bathroom, and the gear goes into the shower one by one for a good rinse. Once clean, the wetsuit and BC hangs from heavy-duty hangers along the top rail for the sliding shower/tub door, the loose pieces dry out on the bottom of the tub. Regs soak in the sink overnight, then hang out to dry the following day.

By the time I get home from work the following evening, everything is dry enough to come down and be put away.

For the record, I did finally get sick of diving from a sedan, so I went out this past weekend and bought an Element.