P-valve - cutting a hole in the drysuit

[Al_Star]

At the risk of starting a huge round of sniggering I wanted to ask how easy people found it to install a p-valve in their drysuit.

I've ordered one but given my usual poor DIY skills I've always considered drysuit mods best left to someone with a clue. However looking at a few instruction guides the placement seems to be down to user (ahem) positioning?

Do people favour soldering iron? Any suggestions?

Cheers
Al

[Finless]

I'm sure you'll get good advice soon. All I can say is "be truthfull with the measurements".

[Dr Stevil]

It's a piece of cake, I had one on my old suit which I fitted myself. The only hard bit is deliberately making a hole in a perfectly good suit! I'm still building up to refitting my O3 P valve to my 6 month old Otterskin !

[daz]

Originally Posted by Al_Star

Do people favour soldering iron? Any suggestions?

Cheers
Al

Yep, make sure you are not wearing it before you stick a soldering iron through it

I got O3 to fit mine, they put it slightly on the inside of the left leg, just where I can reach it with my left hand.

Do you ahem dress to the left or right? put the suit on, mark the spot with tailors chalk or similar and then be careful when you put the soldering iron through to make sure you don't burn a hole through the other side of the leg.

Or do what I did and take the cowards way out and get someone else to do it

Daz

[DJL]

Al,

Or you could use a punch of the right size. Again make sure that you only hole one layer!!

Later - Dave.

[Ainsleyberryman]

I fitted mine in my Neoprean suit. I used a small wood chisel that was a half round shape. You need to just cut a hole in the suit then use the glue. Dont tear / rip it. Cut it. Make the hole small. It should be positioned so you can reach it without contortions and without bending / looking etc.

Also I cut my hose length long first and adjusted it shorter and shorter after a few goes. You want it to basically drain in a downward fashion. Dont have it looped up and then down, you cant pee up hill. If its too long the hose will kink the condom. Obviously choose left or right accordingly.

You have to aline the holes in your undersuit as well all in a short, stright downward unkinked fashion. My original hose length was about 15 inches, but its now a short neat four from the hole up to yourself.

I would suggest trying it out for real in the bath/shower first. Dont try it for real on a dive or you will be reluctant to unzip due to the smell.

Oh, and enjoy the art of attaching and removing the condome. PS, dont use nail varnish remover to remove the glue residue.

[nigelH]

Originally Posted by Al_Star

I wanted to ask how easy people found it to install a p-valve in their drysuit.

I've done two now.
I drew the ring in biro (it does show even on black), stuffed a piece of wood inside and cut it with a scalpel with one of those long pointed blades.

The only real trick is to fit the adaper to the consumables before you put it on you so you just click in when suiting up. Oh and make sure you go just before you get back on the boat because the pipe work is full of pee and you can leave the suit on and sort that out later if you don't need to go for a bit.

[Al_Star]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

It did raise one question - Ainsley suggested that I need to cut a hole in the undersuit as well. Or did people manage to route it out through the undersuit zip? What's the consensus?

Cheers
Al

[Ainsleyberryman]

I found that if you attach it to yourself, its routed downward, then straight out through a hole in my leg to the dry suit. Also makes removing the drysuit less of a problem as you dont need to take your undersuit off on the boat.

If not it, would go down, then up and through the zip or over the waist band if its a two piece undersuit, then down again to your drysuit hole. Too much hose will end up with you suffering a kink where it joins the condom. Just try it out first and you will see what I mean.

Is there not a PADI speciality on the subject

[Bob Cooper]

Al

You don't need to cut a hole in the undersuit. With the undergarment zipped up to the top, just unzip from the bottom about 12", then route the tubing up and then down to the catheter in a nice smooth curve and close the zip on the undergarment. That way, the curve is underneathe the undergarment and you don't need a hole in it.

Bob