Santi E-lite plus TIZIP care

[travisfull]

Hi everyone!
Im a happy new owner of a santi elite plus drysuit: I love it, including the smart gloved which work wonderfully.

However, its not clear the “maintenance routine” of the Tizip:
- in the santi website I found this: https://santidiving.com/files/98/SANTI_DIVING_PROPER_MAINTENANCE_OF_TIZIP_EN.pdf

Im asking help to the community to confirm if this is the right procedure to take care of the TIZIP:
- wash it and clean it after every dive, using a toothbrush to remove small particles in the zip
- Before diving: use the lubricant just at the ending dock? Or also at the starting point?
When they say before diving, they mean they day before or right before the dive?

Thanks a lot

 

[lexvil]

I don’t go the clean with tooth brush route unless I see something to worry about. The lube is just occasionally and very lightly at the ends. I store with the zip mostly closed but I doubt fully closed would harm anything. I have never given thought to the tape being treated, I guess it may be a good idea for the long term but I fear it would make future repairs more difficult.

the TiZip is a great producT, they make it seem to be more delicate than it is but better that than the first claims that they are indestructible.

 

[stretchthepenn]

I'll mostly echo @lexvil above and offer my own experience.

I've had a TiZip on my Seaskin drysuit for a few years now (don't recall how long I've had the suit...call it at least three years), and I've never, ever had to clean the teeth. If you see crud in the zipper, yes, get a toothbrush and give things a light swipe. Otherwise, just leave the zipper alone.

The zipper only needs lubing every few months, in my experience. And when I do lube it, I do it while setting up my gear, just before donning the suit.

The lube only needs to go in the bottom end. Unzip your suit all the way. Squirt a pea-sized glob of lube into the Y-join. Zip the suit up all the way. Repeat the zip-unzip process 3-4x. Done. If you're feeling anal-retentive, you can add a dab of lube underneath the slider once you've closed the zipper the first time, but that's overkill, IMO.

As for storage, I hang my suit upside down, by the feet, and I leave the zipper fully open. No problems.

As @lexvil wrote, the documentation makes the TiZip sound delicate, but the actual product is pretty darn tough.

 

[RVBldr]

Generally my zip has been great with about 150 dives in Seattle area, and never had clean with the toothbrush routine. Just a bit of zipper wax at the lower end every once in a while. I find the biggest impact is just take it easy with open and closing of the zip. I did have a minor leak when one of the teeth rotated, but a little dab of super glue fixed that particular tooth. It looks like each external tooth is an individual part that's bonded to it's associated tooth on the inside of the zip, so if you're not careful, they can break loose.

 

[travisfull]

Thanks everyone for your input

@lexvil @stretchthepenn , as for the lub, I understood it has to be applied only at the ending dock (the closing end of the zip) but then I have to do zip-unzip few times, thus distributing the lub all over the zip or not?
Apparently according to the tizip manifacturer (https://tizip.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/220701-WaterSeal-EN.pdf), we should not zip it and unzip it but just apply lub at the ending dock.

I know, it is small details and maybe not too relevant for the duration but I would like to avoid any damage if possible

 

[lexvil]

Thanks everyone for your input

@lexvil @stretchthepenn , as for the lub, I understood it has to be applied only at the ending dock (the closing end of the zip) but then I have to do zip-unzip few times, thus distributing the lub all over the zip or not?
Apparently according to the tizip manifacturer (https://tizip.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/220701-WaterSeal-EN.pdf), we should not zip it and unzip it but just apply lub at the ending dock.

I know, it is small details and maybe not too relevant for the duration but I would like to avoid any damage if possible

I wouldn’t worry about it, the plastic is pretty much self lubricating.

 

[Alekseolsen]

Just passed 300 dives on my TiZip'ped suit, have been told countless times I'm "ruining the zipper" as I dont treat it like Ming-era China. No issues so far. A miniscule amount of silicon grease on the end docking, no extra operation of zipper to distribute. (Never opened the "stick" that came with the suit.) The suit lives hanging by the feet, zipper open.

 

[San Diego Climber]

Another "tiny dab of silicone goo smeared around the dock every so often" here, no zipping/unzipping like a metal zipper to distribute it. Just needs to have a nice seal at the dock.

Generally my zip has been great with about 150 dives in Seattle area, and never had clean with the toothbrush routine. Just a bit of zipper wax at the lower end every once in a while. I find the biggest impact is just take it easy with open and closing of the zip. I did have a minor leak when one of the teeth rotated, but a little dab of super glue fixed that particular tooth. It looks like each external tooth is an individual part that's bonded to it's associated tooth on the inside of the zip, so if you're not careful, they can break loose.

Which zipper do you have? I think the new TiZips (grey-ish tape, and a groove running through the teeth parallel to the tape) are molded into place. IIRC the old TiZip had teeth that could rotate and/or break off? I know for a fact that YKK teeth rotate too because I have one on a new DUI that has about 20 teeth that often rotate out of place. (And I -thought- I had read that YKKs, as opposed to the TiZips, had teeth molded in place and not attached to the tape).

Knock on wood the new TiZip on my Santi has a long and adventurous life!

 

[RVBldr]

Which zipper do you have? I think the new TiZips (grey-ish tape, and a groove running through the teeth parallel to the tape) are molded into place. IIRC the old TiZip had teeth that could rotate and/or break off? I know for a fact that YKK teeth rotate too because I have one on a new DUI that has about 20 teeth that often rotate out of place. (And I -thought- I had read that YKKs, as opposed to the TiZips, had teeth molded in place and not attached to the tape).

I had the little groove, but, evidently the previous version as teeth will certainly rotate if broken loose.

 

[travisfull]

Another "tiny dab of silicone goo smeared around the dock every so often" here, no zipping/unzipping like a metal zipper to distribute it. Just needs to have a nice seal at the dock.

Which zipper do you have? I think the new TiZips (grey-ish tape, and a groove running through the teeth parallel to the tape) are molded into place. IIRC the old TiZip had teeth that could rotate and/or break off? I know for a fact that YKK teeth rotate too because I have one on a new DUI that has about 20 teeth that often rotate out of place. (And I -thought- I had read that YKKs, as opposed to the TiZips, had teeth molded in place and not attached to the tape).

Knock on wood the new TiZip on my Santi has a long and adventurous life!

As far as I know, santi no longer use the ykk zip, and only TIZIP, this is why I am confused: apparently with the ykk you had to zip and unzip with lub from time to time, but with the current TIzip is no longer needed.