Whether a seal needs to be trimmed or not can depend on the design of the seal. DUI cone seals are closed at the ends, and designed to be cut to fit. They can't be used without trimming. However, it is important not to cut a seal to where it is comfortable out of the box. New seals should be tight enough to be annoying on land (but not enough to turn your face purple). They will loosen over time, as the elastic rebound of the latex decreases.
Neoprene seals can be effectively stretched, but latex has a much higher rebound, and stretching a latex seal is unlikely to make a great deal of difference.
The suit was bought new in 2011, cut to order. The original latex neck seals were cut to size when we first got the suit. It's only on the dives last weekend my wife noticed the neck was a little loose
I thought the wrist seals were the cones, but the neck seals are so much bigger they are open in the middle. It's been a while, so maybe I'm mis-remembering
Hi Geoff. When you store the drysuit do you store it with the latex seal stretch over anything? If yes this would cause them to be stretched out of shape. Silicone and neoprene are more prone to being stretched with normal use over latex. Latex has the best recovery of the three. I'm thinking the comment about the silicone being glued in is actually latex. Three years on latex seals is awesome. I'm guessing the seal has lots of tiny cracks and is ready to be replaced.
Hope that helps.
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Thanks Kathy. The seals are going on 4 years, so I figure it's normal deterioration over time. No, the latex is not being stretched over anything. The suit is stored in the very stylist black nylon DUI drysuit bag. Yes, you are correct, my comment was about glued in latex, not silicone, my bad. Neither of us noticed any tiny cracks, but that doesn't mean there aren't any
Can you think of any reason not to get the Gen 2 neck seal instead of having a new neck seal glued in. I noticed on my suit which had the Gen 1 neck seal installed last year the zip seal flange comes out almost to the inflator valve. Are there any sizing issues installing a Gen 2 neck seal on a small TLS 350?
Also, I noticed my Gen 1 neck seal looks like the Aquaseal (or whatever DUI uses) is coming off. I need to call to figure out what to do
Latex seals can permanently stretch and also slacken with age.
Typical scenario is that someone buys a new dry suit with latex seals. Decides the neck seal is far too tight, comes on here for advice and is told to trim it. Six months down the line the seal has naturally slackened and is now too loose and leaking and they now have to get a new one fitted.
Don't trim, just stretch the seal over something slightly larger than the owner's neck for 24 hours. It should still be fairly tight (possibly uncomfortable to someone unused to drysuit seals) but it will continue to slacken and after a few dives will be perfect. Don't be afraid to repeat the stretching.
Divers are in the minority when it comes to users of latex seals. The vast majority go into immersion suits that are often worn for much longer periods than divers use them for, aren't owned by the wearer, and require a much lower standard of watertight seal. Then it is entirely reasonable to trim the seals and that's why trimming rings are moulded into the seal.
Unless you have something ludicrously mis-matched like an XS seal on a M neck then don't trim, stretch carefully instead. Your seals will remain watertight and be comfortable for much longer. Also trimmed edges are much more prone to perishing and tears.
This is still on the original trim, and is my wife's personal drysuit that nobody else has worn. Based on the comments, it sounds like the latex is getting near end of life
