Dry suit flooding

[String]

If its a 2nd hand suit it could be a seam so no bubbles from soapy water will show etc.

It could also be a dodgy neck or wrist seal.

Like i said, try standing in the shallow end of the pool for a few minutes, get out, see if bottom half is wet. If it is, theres a leak down there. If not, its higher up.

Try submerging yourself for maybe a minute or 2, get out, remove suit, you should see a damp patch around the affected area before its spread too much.

Failing that, try turning it inside out and filling it with water, that WILL squeeze out through seams and small holes.

 

[Col.Maniac]

HI,
Im going to the pool on tues and try it again il let you know how it goes.
Tony

 

[SOUTH DEVON]

ERP once bubbled...

I just had my low profile Apex valve replaced because it leaked when fully open, but I would just get a wet arm, in 50 or 60 minutes of diving.

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Did they charge you for replacing the valve? (Presuming it was a new suit)
Which valve did you have it replaced with and are you happy with it ?
I have a new dry suit which came with the apex low profile, "Hallmark" confirmed to me that the low profile does leak when fully open, and to avoid this you have to keep it a few clicks away from fully open, but it seems a bit silly to me putting a valve on a dry suit that leaks when fully open, surely this should be regarded as a fault !
At the end of last weekend's diving , I did have a wet left arm, although I tried to avoid keeping the valve fully open, it was difficult to tell where the valve was without having to fully open it first before clicking it a few back!
Do most dry suit users keep their valve (AUTO SHOULDER DUMP)in the same place or open and close it throughout the dive!
I tried keeping it three clicks away from fully open throughout the dive, but too much air was coming out when I tried to equalise the suit, I heard the other day to try keeping it three clicks away from fully closed throughout the dive, but would this be enough on assent?
Any comments please anyone !

 

[Bob3]

Anytime the exhaust valve gets bumped & there's no air available to escape, it can let water in, one of the more irritating things about wrist dumps in particular.

Did ya ever find out what the problem was?

Do most dry suit users keep their valve (AUTO SHOULDER DUMP)in the same place or open and close it throughout the dive?

I keep mine in the same place, half my suits don't even have adjustable dumps. I hear that a lot of other folks will crank 'em depending on their orientation in the water.

 

[SOUTH DEVON]

Bob3 once bubbled...
Anytime the exhaust valve gets bumped & there's no air available to escape, it can let water in, one of the more irritating things about wrist dumps in particular.

Did ya ever find out what the problem was?


I keep mine in the same place, half my suits don't even have adjustable dumps. I hear that a lot of other folks will crank 'em depending on their orientation in the water.

Thanks Bob !
Does that mean that if I replace the apex low-profile valve with the older type apex high-profile valve it may still leak , as from what I understood the high-profile one doesn't leak when Ieft fully open ?

 

[Bob3]

... if I replace the apex low-profile valve with the older type apex high-profile valve it may still leak ...

In short, yes, it is possible, and the extra height of the "regular" valve won't be helping matters.
There IS a problem with the low profile valves though, they're not supposed to leak.
Over here in the US the mfgrs that use the Apeks have been replacing the valves for free, so your first course of action would be to haul your suit back to either the dealer or the manufacturer for a valve replacement. If they give you a song & dance about "back it off a few notches", remind them that the valves being replaced in the US, & let them know that you'd like yours replaced as well.
I'm not a fan of cuff/wrist dumps but overall you'd probably be better off with a new low profile.

 

[SOUTH DEVON]

Thanks Bob
I've sent Apex an e-mail asking for a free replacement, and I shall contact the drysuit supplier tomorrow to see what they say!
Unfortunately the UK seems to be about six months behind the States so they are probably not on top of this problem as yet !

 

[FatCat]

valve is a bit prone to blocking. I had mine blocking up on me due to a blade of grass stuck in the valve. I kid you not.

Happily it's a perfect valve to dismount, take apart, clean and replace.

As for leaks, never had a problem yet.

But me, I don't like autodump mode.

I keep it closed during the dive, vent air manually and open the valve fully during stop time.

Sure it gets a bit colder the last few minutes of the dive, but hey, that's what the undersuit is for, isn't it? Oh by the way, up here in winter, we've got 4° C or less in the water.

Keeping the valve closed during the dive means less air consumption and better buoyancy control. For me anyway.