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LKunze · 08-11-2003, 01:14 PM,

After seeing Jason blow out his neck seal on his drysuit yesterday I'm wondering how much mileage everyone else is getting out of their seals? Jason's suit only had maybe 55 dives on it before it tore. I've got close to 50 on mine as well and it's holding up yet. Also, is there any difference in longevity between a standard latex neck seal and the thicker heavy duty ones? Mine is the standard thinner seal and Jason's seal was considerably thicker. Do the thicker seals have less memory to them when stretched?

Inspirationdiver · 08-11-2003, 01:22 PM,

I have over 200 dives on my 2 1/2 year old DUI CLX450. I replaced the wrist seals last year but I'm still on the original neck seal. These are the standard latex seals. Proper donning and doffing of the seals has a lot to do with their lifetime. Make sure that you stretch the seals outward when you put them on, try not to stretch them lengthwise. In other words, pull the hole bigger, don't just force your hands or head through the seal.

***jasondbaker*** · 08-11-2003, 02:19 PM,

The seal could have damaged somehow prior to yesterday. I was always careful when donning the suit. Bad luck I guess.

beeger · 08-11-2003, 02:54 PM,

Jason - what do you mean by "blow out?" Did the seal itself tear, or did it tear away from the suit material?

LKunze · 08-11-2003, 04:21 PM,

His seal tore from the top all the way down to where it meets the suit material.

DanL · 08-11-2003, 04:43 PM,

I've noticed a huge difference in ease of donning when I powder the neck seal just before use. It slips right on very easily.
Jason - sorry about seal - could have been caused by just a little nick in the wrong place.
Did you find a fast repair?

***jasondbaker*** · 08-11-2003, 05:09 PM,

I'll probably take it to Going Under tomorrow. They can do the work in about a week. I checked with Mark up in Brainerd yesterday (since I was up there anyway) and he had a three week backlog.

LKunze · 08-11-2003, 05:24 PM,

That's something I've never done. I guess my seal isn't overly tight and I've never had a problem pulling the seal on without the powder. Is powder good for the seals though? Doesn't powder remove moisture with the potential for drying out the latex and causing it to crack? I've heard some people store their suits with the seals powdered but have wondered if that is a good thing and what benefits that would have.

Gramps · 08-11-2003, 06:32 PM,

Everything I've read recommends using talc religiously (pre-donning and post-dive) and occasionally washing the seals with a little warm water and soap. Pat 'em dry then talc 'em up. Body oil chemicals must react somehow with latex's composition to help break it down over time...wait, aren't condoms made of...

Anyway, I agreed with stretching the seal outward to pull over your head verses the monster tug over the face manuever. Why stress the material needlessly?

On a similar topic, does anyone else feel that the new low profile shoulder dump valves that DUI has been installing on their suits suck completely? A cat could blow more gas out it's tail end better than those things! Soon as the season grinds down, I'm taking an afternoon and swapping back to the old school style.

FMT · 08-11-2003, 09:16 PM,

You need to be careful about using "powder of some unknown origin." Talc for your body has chemicals and perfumes that may harm latex seals. A lot of suits come with a small supply of pure talc but beyond that the real thing can be hard to find. I personally prefer using pure corn starch. I find it to be a little more "slippery" than pure talc but your milage may vary. A $1 box lasts a whole season. I definitely agree about body oils and "washing" your seals on a regular basis. I don't think I personally WANT to see a contest between a cat and a DUI suit. ;D
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