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Hello Colorado ! I live here too, and I suggest hanging the BCD partially inflated is best. Cover it with an opaque cloth cover as well, if you can, and keep out of direct light. Before storing it away for any length of time, rinse thoroughly inside and out, and let the inside bladder dry well before closing and then partially inflating.
DivemasterDennis
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Hello Colorado ! I live here too, and I suggest hanging the BCD partially inflated is best. Cover it with an opaque cloth cover as well, if you can, and keep out of direct light. Before storing it away for any length of time, rinse thoroughly inside and out, and let the inside bladder dry well before closing and then partially inflating.
DivemasterDennis
Could you describe this please? I am not sure how or what you would open to allow air flow thru the bladder. I don't have a BC yet but when I get mine I want to store it properly.
I dive doubles all year but my single tank set up does see a lot of down time. Before storage it's washed inside and out. The OPV (dump) is removed to let air flow in and out. It also keeps the spring fresh. Then it's hung on one of those specal large hangers in my dive closet. Before the next trip it's all assembled and tested before being packed.
"Forget all the labels and pile of cards one might have. Get in the water and it becomes clear who put the time in and who did not. Let's dive." (JC) James Clark
Good to rinse the inside and let it dry thoroughly. I store stuff in rubber bins or duffel bags without much trouble, but I also rarely go more than a couple of weeks without using it so i don't know about "long term" storage.
To avoid losing parts you could also inflate your BC orally as far as you possibly can and let it hang in your bedroom's closet.
Hold your BC over a sink or bathtub every half an hour or more and let it drain through a dump port to see if there's any more residual water. Make sure the dump port is the absolute lowest point, and move the BC around to get every single drop out.
If the air isn't very humid or tropical then left over water droplets should evaporate on their own, provided you keep pumping fresh air into your bladder.
I only have to do this about 2-3 times before my BC is completely dry inside.
I also like to inflate my BC fully then press the deflator button to blow out any residual water left there. Water tends to collect really well inside the inflator and the BC hose.
When you're satisfied with your BC being dry, inflate it fully, hang it up, and then press the deflate button and allow the bladder to deflate to ambient pressure.
Leave it as is hanging up in a room temp and humidity controlled room, such as a bedroom.
I also dive a backplate and wing, but when I am not going to be using a wing for awhile, I remove the inflator hose at the elbow, and the dump valve thats at the bottom of the wing. I hang the wing upside down in my garage for a week or so and allow the lack of humidity here in Colorado to evaporate any remaining water from the wing. I would imagine that most BCDs could be dried in a similar fashion.
Thanks for all the everyone!! I made sure it was washed, dried and a little air in the blatter before I put it away. I wish I didnt have to store it in the closet but I am not an ice diver.....yet.
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Storage of your BCD at the end of the season
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Originally Posted by DivemasterDennis
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