leaky drysuit inlet valve

[troc]

Hi all,

I have an annoying leaky inlet valve on my drysuit. The (apeks) inside screwy bit seems loose but I can't seem to do anything with it. It rotates 20-30 degrees in either direction and then jams. i.e. I can't unscrew it either. The dump valve seems fine.

Is it possible it has been cross threaded (not by me I might add, this is how ND presented it )?

Should I just give it some elbow grease, remove it and then reinsall it? Huge gobs of aquasure? araldite? chewing gum?

It's not a huge leak but the water was only 3 degrees yesterday and it was an uncomfortably cold dribble. Plus when I take the suit off everyone thinks I've peed myself.

T.

[Dave Crampton]

I would recomend taking it to your local Dive shop for a service.

[troc]

Originally Posted by Dave Crampton

I would recomend taking it to your local Dive shop for a service.

It's 2 months old and only done a few dives!

T.

[BJ]

Apeks hs a special tool for tightening the valve. Dive shops should have one. It is quite difficult to do without the tool and without damaging the valve.

See the last item on:http://www.divernet.com/equipment/0405qanda.shtml#top

[Helen F H]

I had a similar problem with mine (rather more old though).
I would say get it serviced, as if these things go wrong the consequences can be dire to say the least!

However....

Mine had been crossthreaded but not in the way you would think. You can unscrew the "male" hose connector from the valve, and this had been cross threaded when it was put in. Also, the rotation you describe sounds about normal for an apeks valve.

If you feel confident enough you can take them apart and see about the condition of the O rings on the inside. Remove the plastic inner cover and you will see something like this.....



You need to look closely at the centre of the valve and you will see a small horseshoe shaped plastic clip. You need to ***CAREFULLY*** remove this and put it somewhere safe. To do this, depress the in-valve as if you were putting air into the suit. You should be able to remove it with your fingernail, or at worst a screwdriver simply sliding it backwards.

Your valve will then look like this:




Once this is removed, the "button" can be removed. You will find a spring in there too.



If you look at the stem coming from the back of the "button" you will see there are two O rings on it, one at the top and one near the bottom. Check these over thoroughly for any nicks or splits.

To replace it, simply put the spring back on the stem, push the button back through the valve and slide the clip back into place. Finally fit the inner plastic guard cover.

The other thing is it may have come unstuck from the suit. You should be able to unscrew the valve itself from the suit as it should technically only be the outer bit which is stuck to the rubber patch on the suit. I used black witch to re-glue mine, and it has held so far......

Beyond that, its fubar.