First time dry suit user questions

[WhiteSands]

Tried "diving" in my new dry suit (Santi E.motion) the first time in a pool last Saturday. It was a humbling experience, like learning how to dive all over again, and was frankly harder than I thought it would be. Thankfully I think I learned to manage by the end of the session.

Have some questions I hope more seasoned drysuit divers can help me with.

1) My suit has the Sitech Antares ring system fitted, and I'm using silicone wrist seals. Where do I wear my watch? I'm afraid of damaging the silicone seals, and the sleeves are too big to wear my watch on.

2) Do I really have to invert the suit inside out to wash each time I use it? I live in an apartment and washing the suit was a real pain because of lack of space.

3) How do you get the booties to dry out faster? Especially the inside?

4) When transporting the suit, do I zip up the zipper all the way? How about when storing the suit?

5) Have a question on using the P-valve. If I do use it on a dive, how do I ensure that both the tube on the catheter as well as the tube attached to the P-valve is clear of fluid before I unplug it, when doffing the dry suit? The valve is rigged so that the catheter is in the 12 o'clock position.

6) What kind of vinegar is suitable for rinsing out the P-valve, and what is the percentage of vinegar to water? It's a Halcyon valve if that matters.

Thanks!

 

[00wabbit]

as you are learning try to keep as little air as possible in your suit.

I was doing the whole use your suit for buoyancy until I was forced by an instructor to stop that and it is so much better now. I don't add air until I get to about 20-25 ft. Then just a touch to get the squeeze off. Then I may add a little air again at 40ft or so.

Use the wing for all other buoyancy.

 

[dwhthediver]

I wash mine right side out, dry it insideout, but if I use it on Saturday, and know I am diving it Sunday, I don't wash it until Sunday night, I wax the zipper Saturday night and hang it up. I do hang it up with the zipper closed. If your watch doesn't fit on the sleeve, put it on your console. I can't answer any questions about a pee valve, I don't have one. I agree, just enough air to get rid of the squeeze, use the wing for buoyancy.

 

[TSandM]

If your sleeve is too big for your dive watch, you may be able to get strap extenders for it (if it's a tongue buckle kind of watchband) or you may have to get a different kind of gauge.

Invert and wash the suit every time you use it? The only time I invert my suit is if I flood it, and that's primarily to allow it to dry. I never wash the inside of the suit unless I have a p-valve malfunction. I hang my suit up after I dive, rinse it copiously with fresh water, let it dry and then store it with the zipper mostly undone so the condensation can dry inside.

If you get the booties wet on the inside, a good way to dry them is to put them on a Peet's boot dryer. If you don't have that, buy a length of 4" PVC pipe and cut it in two. Stuff one piece in each ankle (having inverted the legs most of the way) and then put a 20" fan on the floor, blowing toward the pipes. This works pretty well and will dry boots overnight.

I have the TiZip zipper, and the instructions said to transport the suit with it closed. Close the zipper, roll the suit up from the feet, and then cross the arms over the bundle. Suit then goes in the bag pretty easily. I store my suit at home on a dry suit hanger with the zipper mostly undone.

You can buy quick disconnect fittings from McMasters and Carr that have check valves, so you don't lose any urine. I don't like them, because both ends are then sealed. I use the QD that doesn't have the check valve. I have had virtually no problem with urine leakage from the suit side of the connection. I have a plug to put in the me side of it. If I need to go anywhere where I'm going to have to sit down with the She-P on, I go to the restroom or wherever to make sure the device is as empty of urine as I can get it.

A 50/50 mixture of vinegar and isopropyl alcohol is a reasonable disinfecting solution. You need the vinegar because one of the bugs that likes to grow in p-valves is tolerant to alcohol, but you need the alcohol because many of the bugs are acid-tolerance, having grown up in urine.

 

[flots am]

Tried "diving" in my new dry suit (Santi E.motion) the first time in a pool last Saturday. It was a humbling experience, like learning how to dive all over again, and was frankly harder than I thought it would be. Thankfully I think I learned to manage by the end of the session.

Have some questions I hope more seasoned drysuit divers can help me with.

1) My suit has the Sitech Antares ring system fitted, and I'm using silicone wrist seals. Where do I wear my watch? I'm afraid of damaging the silicone seals, and the sleeves are too big to wear my watch on.

2) Do I really have to invert the suit inside out to wash each time I use it? I live in an apartment and washing the suit was a real pain because of lack of space.

3) How do you get the booties to dry out faster? Especially the inside?

4) When transporting the suit, do I zip up the zipper all the way? How about when storing the suit?

5) Have a question on using the P-valve. If I do use it on a dive, how do I ensure that both the tube on the catheter as well as the tube attached to the P-valve is clear of fluid before I unplug it, when doffing the dry suit? The valve is rigged so that the catheter is in the 12 o'clock position.

6) What kind of vinegar is suitable for rinsing out the P-valve, and what is the percentage of vinegar to water? It's a Halcyon valve if that matters.

Thanks!

1. Your watch needs a big enough band to go over your arm, between the ring and your elbow if you want to wear it. You could also tether it to some cave line and a bolt snap.
2. If you always wear drysuit underwear and socks, you should hardly ever need to wash out the inside. I only wash it when I've done something dumb a couple of times, like forget that the plumbing isn't connected when I take a leak.
3. You need to blow air down the legs. I have a drysuit dryer made from PVC pipes that do this, however in your apartment, you can also do it with a drysuit "hang by the boots" hanger and a small blower with two pieces of flex hose that you can stuff up the legs, into the boots. You need to dry the suit feet-first, or they'll get damp and stinky quickly.
4. Each zip or unzip is one less cycle available for a dive. I only zip mine when I'm in it. The best way to transport it is flat. If it needs to be rolled and packed, roll it so the zipper flexes in it's normal direction, and as little as possible.
5. I use self-sealing quick-disconnects (half on the hose, the other half on the catheter), so when I disconnect everything stays full until I get home. Then I rinse it all out in the shower by blowing water from the shower hose through the p-valve plumbing.
6. No idea. I just use tap-water (have a fitting that fits the suit and shower hose), then blow it out with compressed air until dry. Also, I tossed the black tubing it came with, and use clear PVC from the hardware store, and change it every few weeks. With the black stuff, you could have a whole petri dish in there and not know it.

 

[shoredivr]

I have a Whites Fusion suit with separate rock boots. In addition to what's mentioned already, I stuff newspaper into the rock boots to draw the moisture out.

 

[00wabbit]

I use this to dry out the inside of my suit. It gets it nice and dry in a day. Scuba.com Mobile - Buy Underwater Kinetics hangair 24061 with reviews

 

[WhiteSands]

as you are learning try to keep as little air as possible in your suit.

I was doing the whole use your suit for buoyancy until I was forced by an instructor to stop that and it is so much better now. I don't add air until I get to about 20-25 ft. Then just a touch to get the squeeze off. Then I may add a little air again at 40ft or so.

Use the wing for all other buoyancy.

Thanks, will keep that in mind.

I am concerned about my fins popping off. I was told during the short drysuit primer that if my feet feels loose in the booties, there's too much air, and that it's normal to feel a slight squeeze.

---------- Post added November 18th, 2013 at 02:13 PM ----------

If your sleeve is too big for your dive watch, you may be able to get strap extenders for it (if it's a tongue buckle kind of watchband) or you may have to get a different kind of gauge.

Invert and wash the suit every time you use it? The only time I invert my suit is if I flood it, and that's primarily to allow it to dry. I never wash the inside of the suit unless I have a p-valve malfunction. I hang my suit up after I dive, rinse it copiously with fresh water, let it dry and then store it with the zipper mostly undone so the condensation can dry inside.

If you get the booties wet on the inside, a good way to dry them is to put them on a Peet's boot dryer. If you don't have that, buy a length of 4" PVC pipe and cut it in two. Stuff one piece in each ankle (having inverted the legs most of the way) and then put a 20" fan on the floor, blowing toward the pipes. This works pretty well and will dry boots overnight.

I have the TiZip zipper, and the instructions said to transport the suit with it closed. Close the zipper, roll the suit up from the feet, and then cross the arms over the bundle. Suit then goes in the bag pretty easily. I store my suit at home on a dry suit hanger with the zipper mostly undone.

You can buy quick disconnect fittings from McMasters and Carr that have check valves, so you don't lose any urine. I don't like them, because both ends are then sealed. I use the QD that doesn't have the check valve. I have had virtually no problem with urine leakage from the suit side of the connection. I have a plug to put in the me side of it. If I need to go anywhere where I'm going to have to sit down with the She-P on, I go to the restroom or wherever to make sure the device is as empty of urine as I can get it.

A 50/50 mixture of vinegar and isopropyl alcohol is a reasonable disinfecting solution. You need the vinegar because one of the bugs that likes to grow in p-valves is tolerant to alcohol, but you need the alcohol because many of the bugs are acid-tolerance, having grown up in urine.

Thanks for the tips! Glad to know I don't have to wash the inside. Have to figure out how to make a booty dryer!

On rolling the suit, I saw the Santi instructions and it says to roll it too. But I wasn't too sure how to roll it without stressing the zippers. I was also suspecting they might mean "fold" instead of "roll"...

On the isopropyl alcohol, will it damage the drysuit material if it comes into contact with it (the legs)? I'm guessing it'll overflow when I squeeze the contents of the bottle into the tube.

Thanks again!

---------- Post added November 18th, 2013 at 02:14 PM ----------

1. Your watch needs a big enough band to go over your arm, between the ring and your elbow if you want to wear it. You could also tether it to some cave line and a bolt snap.
2. If you always wear drysuit underwear and socks, you should hardly ever need to wash out the inside. I only wash it when I've done something dumb a couple of times, like forget that the plumbing isn't connected when I take a leak.
3. You need to blow air down the legs. I have a drysuit dryer made from PVC pipes that do this, however in your apartment, you can also do it with a drysuit "hang by the boots" hanger and a small blower with two pieces of flex hose that you can stuff up the legs, into the boots. You need to dry the suit feet-first, or they'll get damp and stinky quickly.
4. Each zip or unzip is one less cycle available for a dive. I only zip mine when I'm in it. The best way to transport it is flat. If it needs to be rolled and packed, roll it so the zipper flexes in it's normal direction, and as little as possible.
5. I use self-sealing quick-disconnects (half on the hose, the other half on the catheter), so when I disconnect everything stays full until I get home. Then I rinse it all out in the shower by blowing water from the shower hose through the p-valve plumbing.
6. No idea. I just use tap-water (have a fitting that fits the suit and shower hose), then blow it out with compressed air until dry. Also, I tossed the black tubing it came from and use clear PVC from the hardware store, and change it every few weeks. With the black stuff, you could have a whole petri dish in there and not know it.

Thank you, very helpful!

---------- Post added November 18th, 2013 at 02:16 PM ----------

I use this to dry out the inside of my suit. It gets it nice and dry in a day. Scuba.com Mobile - Buy Underwater Kinetics hangair 24061 with reviews

Being kinda broke after buying the suit, I'll see if I can bribe my bro-in-law to rig something up for me..lol

 

[Doomnova]

Another thing when your in the open ocean almost always there will be some air that gets into your feet and if your using the method wabbit mentions (which I also use) your feet becoming notably loose in your boots is a sign that your about to start going up feet first. So Moving the air into the main body and dumping a bit is a good idea. Most people I have talked to as wel as myself when learning to dive dry usually notice its the feet that get the air trapped more than anything else and that is where the ascent starts.

 

[WhiteSands]

Another thing when your in the open ocean almost always there will be some air that gets into your feet and if your using the method wabbit mentions (which I also use) your feet becoming notably loose in your boots is a sign that your about to start going up feet first. So Moving the air into the main body and dumping a bit is a good idea. Most people I have talked to as wel as myself when learning to dive dry usually notice its the feet that get the air trapped more than anything else and that is where the ascent starts.

Thanks for the advice. I have 2 questions:

1) I was told to straighten my legs and dump air when my feet start to get floaty. However in practice I found this hard to do. When they start to get floaty and I straighten my legs, most likely my legs start to float and it becomes the highest point of my body. I normally swim in the typical DIR style where the feet are up.

2) What is the accepted emergency drill or position to adopt if you start floating up uncontrollably feet first? I was taught to flip my body around so I face the surface, fin down, then tuck and dump. It works pretty well but I just want to hear what works well for others.