Yes, another version of the Dalton Drysuit Drier

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LG Diver

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Location
Los Gatos, CA, USA
# of dives
50 - 99
OK, most of you have seen these before countless times, but I thought I'd post a few pics of my recently built drysuit drier, as inspired by the original Dalton drier:

http://atlanticunderwater.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=66

The framework of the drier is basically identical to the original, but my unique contribution is the choice of fans. I've seen several people post questions asking about what blower to use, since the original fan referenced in the article is no longer available. I decided to use something that's readily available at any Lowe's, Home Depot, or any other home store- bathroom exhaust fans. I picked up a couple of the cheapest 50cfm fans I could find ($12 ea). I wired them with 8' extension cords, put a 3" to 1/5" adapter on them and they plumbed right in very nicely.

Here's the unit in action (OK, not really, since it's not plugged in):

IMG_0003_Large_.jpg


View of complete unit:

IMG_0014_Large_.jpg


Closeup of base:

IMG_0011_Large_.jpg


I glued the pieces together into "modules" that allow easy assembly and disassembly, and allow the unit to store flat when not in use:

IMG_0016_Large_.jpg


Here's a closeup of the fan. The outlet of the fan was smaller than the 3" to 1.5" coupling, but several turns of duct tape on the fan outlet allow the coupling to fit snugly on there. What sort of DYI project would this be without some duct tape?

IMG_0023_Large_.jpg


Enjoy!

-John
 
What about using one of those fans that blows out heated air, you know the ones with an electric coil in front of the fan blade? I have one to use during the winter (for non-diving purposes) and it was only $10 or $20 at my local CVS. Would blowing hot air into the drysuit be okay?
 
sorry, wetsuit diver here, why would you need to dry the inside of a drysuit? shouldn't it already be "dry"?
 
i only just heard the word Dalton this week!

i was thinking the same thing l21gc (as a new drysuit diver myself) but then i thought it would be nice to air out the suit as i noticed that it was a bit musty the last time i used it so i had to wash it inside and out and i can say that my suit has never been wet on the inside... but i do sweat sometimes so i figured thats what caused the musty smell
 
see, you learn new things every day...didn't even think of that. Hopefully I will be diving dry soon and will have to face the same "problem," lol.
 
well i could be wrong... its just what i thought the fan would be good for
 
All blower/fan isn't applicable.


the brushed motor generates the ozone.


"Ozone created by motors do rubber ( to include seals) no good"
 
I recently built a similar drier based on the same design. For the fan, I used a bilge blower I picked up from a local boating store. It's water resistant and puts out 135CFM. To convert from AC to DC, I modified an old computer power supply. It works quite well, significantly decreases the time to dry my 4mm crushed neoprene drysuit. Just thought I'd add my 0.02.
 
Drysuits actually get fairly wet inside if you wear them in hot weather. Undergarments wick the sweat away from your body, and it ends up as condensation on the inside of the suit.

And then there's the whole "drysuit as misnomer" issue :)

It's a good question, though. Would these bathroom fans generate ozone? I go through latex seals like they're water already . . .
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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