Is Whites Treating Me Right... Or Not???

[mossym]

glad to hear whites treated you good, i got my frist drysuit, a whites, and as it's second had i mailed them and ased them for the manual..still waiting after 3 weeks..hope it comes soon

 

[JustinW]

Hmm, I am thinking of buying a Whites. I do like their small guy attitude, they are small enough that you get personal attention, they don't treat the dealers like peons if they aren't selling 100 suits a year and the product seems good. Glad to see everything worked out here.

 

[sharky60]

Rick,
I with the "you go to be kidding me" side of you, White should back thier product.

 

[Tod]

I was told that as well by an employee of Whites. He said the ozone can break down the latex seals.

My gear is in a completely enclosed and insulated room I built within the garage. I can't believe ozone would be a factor.

I know this is late in responding, but ozone WILL oxidize rubber! A lot of times ozone does not have to "come from" anything local (like an electrical motor in your garage) but it exists within your local air quality. In cases like this, you really cannot do much about it other than keep it indoors (which Rick appears to be doing with his storage room).

Case in point: I grew up on the coast (Santa Cruz, CA) and never seemed to ever worry about the windshield wipers on my vehicles (they'd last for years). I now live in the Sierra Nevada range (Nevada City, at 4000') in eastern California. If you think that because I live in the "mountains" I'd have really good clean air, you'd be wrong. Our air quality up here is actually some of the worst in the State! Why? It drifts in from two major metropolitian regions from the west (San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento) and "bombs" us up here in the foothills. Part of the lovely package of air quality we get up here is HIGH ozone content.

Normally, I would have never noticed it (but older people and those with aesthma really do). However, after living up here for 17 years I've really noticed that all the rubber products on my vehicles seems to "wear out" really fast. I find that I need to replace my windshield wipers every year (they don't make them like they used to?) as they tear apart and dry out!

As I can visually watch this happening, you can bet that I worry about the rubber products in my dive gear!

Since I work for the County, I come to find out there is reason for all this: Ozone. It has no smell or taste, you don't know it's there. This is not intended to be a "political" or an "environmental" statement. Your air quality may not be that bad, since you all apparently don't live and dive near me. But if you're curious, you may want to check with your local Air Quality district and see what the ozone is like in your area. If it's considered high, you may want to be very careful about where you keep your gear stored. You cannot stop it, but you can slow its effects down.

 

[Scubageezer]

The VP, Paul-Andre called me today ...

This is the only thing I can think of: I built a gear storage/cleaning room (insulated) in my garage, and I keep it heated at 52F with an electric space heater. I know that these heaters are very dry and suck the moisture out of the air. Could this have effected the zipper condition?? Could this be effecting the rest of my gear??
The other thing is, he said to wax the inside of the zipper as well, and I have only been waxing the outside. Opinions? I don't want to have issues again.
Bottom line is...

Rick, I'm not familiar with White's, but my DUI manual specifically says DO NOT wax the inside teeth on the zipper. I'd be interested to know if the Whites has the same type of zipper with the small flat teeth on the inside. Good luck!

 

[Rick Inman]

Rick, I'm not familiar with White's, but my DUI manual specifically says DO NOT wax the inside teeth on the zipper. I'd be interested to know if the Whites has the same type of zipper with the small flat teeth on the inside. Good luck!

Well, since this thread has been resurrected, here's an update:

I've got a good hundred dives on this replacement suit since I originally posted this back in March, and no problem with the zipper at all. Yes, the zipper has the same flat teeth on the inside. I do not wax the inside of the zipper, and I am very careful with how it is moved around. If not hung up, I lay it out flay during transportation, and I keep it waxed up good.

On the last two dives, I did get a dinner-plate-sized wet circle on my chest under where the inflator is, and I'm gonna' check that out Saturday.

 

[Cfdsmokeater]

I call BS.

I was considering a Whites Nexus 2, but not now. First, no individual should have to call the VP reguarding this matter, shame on the LDS. Maybe we are better off with internet purchases if we have to settle any and all waranty claims ourselves. Second, shame on Whites. Selling a drysuit that leaks after 4 months and then saying it is not under waranty is like buying a brand new boat that leaks and the manufacturer shurging their shoulders. Fine, they sent a new suit (that leaks now), but what about your old one. Whites said it shouldnt have even left the factory. Wow is that some quality control or what.

Thank you Rick and thank you Whites for narrowing my choices for a high quallity, non-disposable drysuit that doesn't leak.

 

[duckbill]

I know this is late in responding, but ozone WILL oxidize rubber!
Case in point: I grew up on the coast (Santa Cruz, CA) and never seemed to ever worry about the windshield wipers on my vehicles (they'd last for years). I now live in the Sierra Nevada range (Nevada City, at 4000') in eastern California. If you think that because I live in the "mountains" I'd have really good clean air, you'd be wrong. Our air quality up here is actually some of the worst in the State! Why? It drifts in from two major metropolitian regions from the west (San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento) and "bombs" us up here in the foothills. Part of the lovely package of air quality we get up here is HIGH ozone content.

Normally, I would have never noticed it (but older people and those with aesthma really do). However, after living up here for 17 years I've really noticed that all the rubber products on my vehicles seems to "wear out" really fast. I find that I need to replace my windshield wipers every year (they don't make them like they used to?) as they tear apart and dry out!

I live in Yuba City, not far from Nevada City, and I'm sure that UV and HEAT are huge factors in rubber deterioration. I grew up in the bay area where it was cool AND smoggy, and rubber products lasted much longer there, in spite of the smog. That is not to say that smog is not a big factor also, though.
But, yes. It is my understanding that the problem with garage storage is with heat,solvents, and exhausts. Consider that any enclosed space is also liable to TRAP ozone too, especially if you have it being fed by a heater.

As for the drysuit and White's, don't be too quick to sing them accolades. Rather, wonder what the end would have been had you not gotten that inside scoop with the VP's extension!?