Leaking neoprene seals - what can be done??

[dave archer]

Annoyingly my new and first drysuit leaked a fair bit when I tried it out in Wraysbury on Sat. Wondering if any of you fine people have any advice on what can be done. It's a Northern Diver Divemaster, suit and seals are all neoprene, all seals leak. The wrist ones feel tight enough, the neck doesn't feel that tight. So...
- do they wear in after some use and start to seal better (optimist :-)?
- anything I can do to them to improve them?
- should I get tighter neoprene ones fitted?
- c/should I say sod 'em and get latex ones fitted?

Cheers very much for any help,
(a soggy) Dave.

[Lou]

If its new I would speak to ND.  After all you did buy a Dry-suit, not a damp-suit!

This might sounds rude but are you particularily scrawny or sinewy?  I have heard that neoprene seals always have difficulty moulding to very sinewy people and will leak a little then.

Again, forgive me if this is a stupid question but you did have your neck seal turned in didn't you?

Hope you get it sorted, I hate that feeling when you try out something new expecting the world and it turns out to be a nightmare.

Lou

[Adrian Kelland]

Dave

Was it made to measure or off the shelf? If made to measure, who took the sizes? Could be they are wrong and the suit needs to be corrected, this maybe your problem or theirs depending on who took the sizes.

Lou is right with respect to the scrawny bit, my wrist seals sometime let in a bit of water when I move my hands back and forwards. A small tunnel opens where the wrist tendon 'holds up' the seal. And check the turn in of the next seal, I turn mine by 1-2 inches.

I have found that my seals stretch over time, repeated on/off cycle. I recently hade my wrist seals reduced by taking a 6mm V out of the seal at the join, and then rejoining. This produces a narrower truncated cone. Thus it is tigher. Something similar can be done for the neck seal.

I have heard of divers using elastic bands to help on the wrists, but have never tried it myself.

Adrian

[Digger]

Erm, they shouldn't leak. Not at all really. I get a slight dampness through the wrists on most suits (neoprene and latex)

Is it new or second hand? If it's a new suit, send it back, if not, you're going to need to replace the wrists by the sounds of things.

I used a loop of 5mm bungee to hold the neckseal secure. This has worked even for a nec seal that literally hangs off my neck, but is not reccommended! My neweer suit is much better, has tighter seals and doesn't leak at all, or need any sort of help from the bungees of death.

Maybe this helps.

Digs.

[Adrian Kelland]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Digger @ July 14 2003,15:05)]I used a loop of 5mm bungee to hold the neckseal secure. This has worked even for a nec seal that literally hangs off my neck, but is not reccommended! My neweer suit is much better, has tighter seals and doesn't leak at all, or need any sort of help from the bungees of death.

Cor!

Can you imagine what the DIR mob would say to that  

What fun that could be.

Adrian

[daz]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Digger @ July 14 2003,15:05)]Erm, they shouldn't leak. Not at all really. I get a slight dampness through the wrists on most suits (neoprene and latex)

Is it new or second hand? If it's a new suit, send it back, if not, you're going to need to replace the wrists by the sounds of things.

I used a loop of 5mm bungee to hold the neckseal secure. This has worked even for a nec seal that literally hangs off my neck, but is not reccommended! My neweer suit is much better, has tighter seals and doesn't leak at all, or need any sort of help from the bungees of death.

Maybe this helps.

Digs.

You know that reducing the oxygenated blood to the brain can cause irreversible brain damage don't you  

Don't suppose it has affected you at all. has it ?  

Daz

[dave archer]

Thanks for the replies all.

It's a new off the peg suit. I'm guessing that makes the seals not being tight enough my problem rather than theirs, however I think the low profile apex dump is leaking too (have today heard on DNet that this one always does ) and this is their problem IMO so I'll talk with ND and we'll see.

Lou, not rude at all, both good points. I'm not particularly sinewy, but did get a sudden in rush when I grabbed a wreck railing - tensing my fist raised the sinews in my wrists I guess. Can live with a little leaking under certain conditions like that, but they leaked if I raised my hand above my head, so tighter needed methinks . As for the neck seal, yep, was turned in by about 4cm.

Digger, ta but think I might try to get the seals sorted before I go the underwater lynching route .

Anyone know if you can fit latex instead, to a neoprene suit? I'd guess so given you can buy neop suits with latex seals...?

Thanks again all - may your undies not be as wet as mine on your next dive

[dave archer]

Blimey, got to hand it to Northern Diver for their customer service on this one - they're picking the suit up, re-seating the valves and pressure testing it for free (to be expected as that's their problem) but also going to fit new MTM neop wrist and neck seals free of charge too - as it was an off the peg suit, they could well have said the wrong size is not their fault, and tried to charge me the £74, but they didn't even try, it's all free.

Cheers,
(a much happier) Dave

[Mark Chase]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Lou @ July 14 2003,14:58)]This might sounds rude but are you particularily scrawny or sinewy?  I have heard that neoprene seals always have difficulty moulding to very sinewy people and will leak a little then.

Lou

My ones dont leak but I am a fat git

My Dive instructor reckons you can cut a V out of the kneck seel and stich it back up to reduce the size and improve the seel. Wrist seals on Neopreens tend to leak on people with pronounced tendon but I am told that laytex do to. My ones are good but very hard to get on. I have to use Atrixo hand creem to slide my hands through. They are streight seals that dont fold back (03 5mm Neo Suit)

Another Oldd dive buddy had a Posiden Neo dry suit that leaked when new but got better with age.

If you have never used laytex let me asure you that a Neo kneck seel is much much more comfortable. but I might go laytex fro the wrist seals in the future for ease of getting on and off

Mark Chase

[dave archer]

Cheers Mark. Maybe I will just eat a load more pies .
I have used latex on membrane suits, and agree the neop neck is much more comfortable (until the "look up there - ahhh cold water down my back!" moments!).
Am going to give the neops another chance as the new tighter ones are going to be free, but may end up latex wrists later. As for the hand cream, the neop divers in my club use KY - not sure which is the more embarrasing

Dave.