Dive gods: How well do you clean your gear?

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Salt crystals in the inflator valve causing a runaway inflation? That's the only OC serious danger from not rinsing well that I could come up with. Other things not working due to salty buildup are probably in the annoyance category if annoyance includes calling a dive due to equipment failure.

Salt crystals in my first stage and second stage regulator would be more of a concern than a runaway inflator valve which you can disconnect....

 

[stuartv]

Salt crystals in my first stage and second stage regulator would be more of a concern than a runaway inflator valve which you can disconnect....

A guy that I had met personally, from my local club, died 3 weeks ago from getting bent in Cozumel. The last word I heard was that they thought he corked from a runaway inflator.

 

[Skulmoski]

What about soft weights? Do you rinse after a salt water dive?

Thanks

GJS

 

[Patoux01]

I might throw them in the tub with the rest, once the water is in the tub it's done, no saving to be done after that. I'm not going to hose down a weight. I find it amazing how much water divers are able to use for useless stuff.

My full uber-complete rinsing would take less than 50l of water...
I have to correct that after a fresh water dive I do have to use water. Around ~50cl total. Throw some vinegar in a bottle, add water, rinse p-valve and then rinse the outside of the suit where the vinegar came on it. That outer rinsing is most likely not even needed.


Fully aware I sound like a broken record...

 

[Centrals]

Around ~50cl total.

I still prefer to use cc or ml.

 

[Diving Dubai]

If I'm away on vacation, then my gear just gets a very quick rinse or dunk at the end of the trip, or (for regs) if I'm not diving for a couple of days. Nothing special.

when I get home or after local diving (where our sea is very saline) it gets a better clean.

I have 2 x 50 gallon rubber maid bins which get filled with warm fresh water from the hose. In one goes wetsuits, rash vests, gloves boots fins, the other has BCD, regs smb slates knives torches etc. Both get left overnight to soak, then hung to dry in a shaded area after being hosed down.

A few times a year I remove the rear dump from my wings, and dsmb's etc and allow to fill with water and site there over night - they get flushes and dried in the same way.

Tanks and weights get hit with the hose pipe while they're in my truck bed.

Most of the year we dive weekly so everything goes back into bags. For the couple of months we don't dive them everything goes into plastic storage and wet suits get hung.

For the winter my Dry suit goes in the shower with me. When it warms up gets a clean inside with a damp sponge .

 

[Boaty McBoatface]

A guy that I had met personally, from my local club, died 3 weeks ago from getting bent in Cozumel. The last word I heard was that they thought he corked from a runaway inflator.

Ugh...sorry.

Do we know anything about his habits for gear maintenance -- hosing off salt or annual servicing? Any known issue with with the make/model of his inflator?

 

[Diving Dubai]

A run away inflator shouldn't be an issue frankly. I had one once a tiny bit of chrome caused the valve to stick open. All you do is disconnect the LPI while dumping, and either thumb the dive or continue while oral inflation.

The skill is taught during the OW pool sessions

 

[Patoux01]

Full blown open is pretty different story than a leaky or "sticky" inflator.

 

[The Chairman]

Full blown open is pretty different story than a leaky or "sticky" inflator.

That would be due to uber neglect!