Silicone spray a no-no?

[bluebanded goby]

I'm partway through an equipment repair course taught by a local dive shop owner who's been active for many decades and who has torn down a ton of equipment over the years.

He recommends periodically shooting aerosol silicone spray into BC oral inflators and dump valves in order to keep them working smoothly. On the other hand, I noticed in my copy of the book "Scuba Equipment Care & Maintenance" sold in a lot of dive shops that the author recommends only freshwater rinses, _not_ using sprays of any sort, because he says they can encourage grit to accumulate. I asked the local shop owner teaching the class about this, and he said that silicone grease might encourage grit to accumulate, but he stuck by his prescription that silicone spray was a good idea.

So -- what say you all?

 

[salty]

I dont use aerosol sprays of any type for dive equipment due to the propelant is usaly entrained in the silicone and will damage rubber.

If you put on too much it will certinly cause problems also.

I usaly pull my inflater apart every two years and wipe it down and put just a light coating of silicone on the o-rings and thats it other than keeping it rinsed good at the end of the day.

I rinse out my dump valves with water at the end of the day also and thats it, thats worked for ten years for me and I only dive in the salt water so take it for what its worth

 

[Bob3]

Like Salty sez, no grease & stay away from aerosols, there are a couple of safe ones, but you just can't tell if there're any damaging aromatics in most of the things.
Needless to say, don't think about using any car care products unless you're using an innertube for a BC.
The food grade milky looking silicone in the pump bottles is what ya wanna use. McNett makes some stuff that also has some UV blocker in it, good for general inflator hose treatment if you're lucky enough to be in one of those "excessively sunny" places.
Spray, let it soak, & wipe dry.

 

[Big-t-2538]

Let's see..I'm not a gear service man...but I know this...I have a friend who makes a living working on cars....he doesn't always follow the manual (especially if it's foreign)....and sometimes he has little tricks that make things very easy. I would suggest asking the gentleman who is teaching the course why he uses the spray and why it doesn't have adverse effects, or why the benefits outweigh the risks.....then make your own judgement.

 

[Norm]

In my opinion: Many aerosol sprays have "carriers" (propellants) that will damage some materials, especially plastic, as Bob3 and Salty alluded to already. I make it a practice to never spray silicon into a space that I cannot see. It tends to get gummy and collect dirt, sand and salt.
I have used Armor All for years on exposed rubber to protect it against U/V light and to keep the rubber soft, shiny and pliable with great success. You should keep it off of friction fasteners such as where your mask strap and finstrap buckles are. I spray it on my fins, hoses, and BC bellows hose occasionally. JMO
Norm