What\'s the best \'Auto Dump\'

[Mdemon]

Hobby,

Interested in your comment on getting a proper dump valve.  Managed to perfect flying my dry suit on holiday, but hated having to raise my arm to get the thing to work.  My autodump sits just to the left of my left nipple, so I have to rotate-and-raise to get the air near enough to the dump for it to work.  So, I thought it would be a better idea to move the #### thing to behind my left shoulder, above the zip, so that the air would always be in the right place a la the laws of physics.  Then I wondered about doing it properly, and getting a proper valve + bit-of-string-in-a-sleeve-with-plastic-thing-on-the-end fitted instead.

Any thoughts?  I know the cave divers like this arrangement, but would it weaken the dry suit, do they leak more, and would a manual dump be even more hassle than my Plan A auto-dump on the shoulder?

Cheers,

John

[JP]

gotta know Phil, Have you sorted it yet?

[Hobby]

Mmm,manual dumps.Ypu'd be suprised how many people will deny their existance.They can be hard to buy now,ND had some and wanted about £50 for one,there'sbeing cheeky but quite frankly that's taking the pish.Modern auto dumps,particularly low profile ones are very effective and I would'nt hesitate to use one,had I not already had my bog chains.
Most auto dumps I've seen on rec.divers are placed on the upper arm.Yes,they can catch on your harness when dressing in if you're not carefull,especially the older Dalek sized ones.Low profiles are much better and the webbing seems to slide over them.Upper arms' not a bad location,you may have to roll slightly though at times to let the air shift.I've never met anyone who's mounted it on their shoulder/upper back.There's been lots of talk re.doing so but I've never seen/used it so can't really comment,I'd have though that actually on the shoulder(where your parrot sits)would'nt be ideal,due to it snagging,fit of the suit etc.On your back seems great,you could clout it with your tanks and have problems if it plays up during a dive but otherwise..(consider:-does your suit collect air in the chest area or does it shift to the back when you're horizontal?)
I have my dumps(!)mounted(!!)on my chest,centraly,above my suit inflation.It's put here due to wearing AR vests and harnesses at work.Also when working you're vertical most of the time(even when asleep!)so it's ideal.
Cuff dumps,I hate em!Basically,everytime your arm shifts up it tries to dump,they can get blocked with your undersuit if you do need them.When you need to dump you're sat like a kid in class who needs apee with his hand in the air.
 None of that is serious though.I was always told that when I really needed to dump air,it would have to dump lots in a hurry.On a job I was caught in a bad current,got pulled off the job(!)and apparently started heading skywards too quickly.Fighting both the current and the laws of physics while spinning round's difficult,the cuff dump would have been ineffective,the bog chain worked ok once I'd got hold of it,an auto would have been great!
You can dump through your seals if needed,some people swear by this,but it can be wet and also difficult if wearing a good hood and gloves,also you can really struggle do it in a hurry.Why bother eh?
Personally,I'd get a good low profile dump (on my upper arm probably)and have done.Hope this helps,Hobby.

[Yorkie gone under]

The best Auto Dump is the one you dont have to wipe or flush.  Best performed in a pub or other time-constrained (i.e missing out on a round) environment.

sorry, couldnt resist.  its friday.

[John Gulliver]

Poseidon have always put manual dumps on their drysuits. They say it is because they sell so many suits to the military and police and fire services around the world and they don't want autodumps. I had a manual dump on my Unisuit Exclusive and it worked fine but I definitely prefer my SI-Tech autodump.

[Mdemon]

AP Valves do them for £15 - waiting for them to send fitting instructions before I buy.  My dry suit is all Si-tech, but dalek-sized, not low profile.  It's the position, not the valve that's a problem.  I'm tempted to add the manual and leave the auto where it is.  I guess I'll glue on a bit of plastic temporarily and see if it's going to get in the way or not.

This link shows the sort of thing I'm thinking of. http://www.manadero-expedition.org.uk/