Article: Maintaining Your BC

[Lee Taylor]

If you like, go the extra mile, with "Salt-Away", inside and out.

 

[ams511]

Great article. But I didn't see drying it mentioned. I have forgotten if you put some air in it while drying or not? And some have told me to leave a bit of air in it when packed away to keep the inside's from sticking over time. Is that right?

Blow up your BC and hang it upside down to dry so your inflator is at the lowest point. Gravity will drain the water to the inflator where you can drain it easily. Always store with a little air in the BC. It is good if you can fill and drain it few times with tank air because the tank air is dry and will evaporate any remaining moisture in the BC. If you don't have tank air then it is no biggie

 

[Rogersea]

That was a nice basic guide.

 

[Tjack]

What about lubricating the dump valves and inflator assembly with spray silicone?

 

[ThomasScherrer]

I try to empty as much saltwater from the bcd as possible at the dive site before I drive home,At home I fill and empty it with fresh water a few times,to get all water out, I suck it real hard using the mouth, and spit out the water,if this water taste bad or salty, I know the washing must be repeated,blow it up, hang it up in the shade on a large hanger.I also inspect and test all dumb valves and check the over pressure valve works,I dont add any kinds of lubrication, simply since I dont like the taste of any such items.when I dive I always check for leaks, so I know my old BCD is still good to use.

 

[LowDrag]

Thanks for the instruction. When I get my BC I will use this as a guide for cleaning. Side note to all who did not see the part about drying. The author did say at the bottom of part 5 "let it hang-dry someplace out of direct sunlight."

 

[buff]

WOW lotsa details, but did you miss a step?

I always blow the BC up and dump all the saltwater out first. Why add freshwater to the saltwater on the internal rinse?

Ohhhh....that's a good catch!!! I agree.

now, go put on your bikini and show us exactly how you'd do that...

 

[Bubbledup]

WOW lotsa details, but did you miss a step?

I always blow the BC up and dump all the saltwater out first. Why add freshwater to the saltwater on the internal rinse?

This article deals with what you should do before departing on a dive trip. It goes without saying that you should have emptied the BC of saltwater after your previous dive trip. Some peo;le do this after every dive. I do it a couple of times a week, and I've never had any problem.

 

[Charlie99]

Blow up your BC and hang it upside down to dry so your inflator is at the lowest point. Gravity will drain the water to the inflator where you can drain it easily. Always store with a little air in the BC.

My only BCD failure in 13 years was the stainless steel wire for the shoulder dump corroding and breaking. The problem hasn't happened again since I stopped hanging the BCD upside down.

When leaving a BCD stored for several months in a Maui condo I remove the dump valve to let the inside of the bladder air out and dry completely.

 

[Charlie99]

I try to empty as much saltwater from the bcd as possible at the dive site before I drive home,.

I try very, very hard to find a freshwater rinse soon after diving -- before anything dries out.

Saltwater rinses off easily. Encrusted salt crystals or even just a light film of dried saltwater is much harder to remove.

Charlie