Drysuit leak information needed

*Brian Allen* · April 29th, 2008, 02:00 PM

I'm currently helping design DIR drysuits that are suitable for the rigours of UK diving, and am very much interested in finding out the spread of common suit failures.

Could you please vote on what leaks you have had with your current suit, more than one answer is fine.

Many thanks,

Brian

NickB · April 29th, 2008, 02:34 PM

I have a DUI CLX450.

Currently it's dry, aside from the occasional ingress of water at the neck as I run the seal quite loose.

I've had the following leaks:

socks (replaced by DUI and again by Hydrotech as DUI fitted the wrong size)
zip (replaced by DUI)
valves (both replaced by DUI and the inflation valve replaced again by Hydrotech)
wrist (due to not realising I'd put a hole in the ZipSeal whilst kitting up)
neck (due to wearing the seal fairly loose)

I've also holed my ZipGloves a few times, only one occasion lead to aborting a dive.

alexmzz · April 29th, 2008, 02:48 PM

DUI CLX450
Leaks/seeps quite regularly on the wrist seals - ziplocks. The seals are quite tight. I have thin sinewy wrists and other divers with same have similar problems. It's more annoying than a big problem - the forearm section of my undergarment becomes rather soggy.
I've also shaved my wrists which helped somewhat!!

tom · April 29th, 2008, 03:00 PM

Protec Explorer had leaky boots - very weird one with lots of pinhole leaks that oozed water in both boots. Boots changed and no problems since (about 2 years).

Dave Wallace · April 29th, 2008, 03:01 PM

DUI Explorer Max Mobility - great suit, great fit and no leaks

Why design another copy?

Cyrille · April 29th, 2008, 03:08 PM

DUI CLX450 SP (with neck & wrist ZipSeals) - no leaks so far, a real body armor.

vid · April 29th, 2008, 03:21 PM

otter britannic telescopic - no leaks at all

vid

ogobara2000 · April 29th, 2008, 06:33 PM

I have two DUI suits.

One with low dump valve never had a leak whatsoever despite all the bad press.
One with high dump valve always leaks if i don't close my valve during deco.

On previous suit (Polar bears Explorer) i had a leak in my crotch but TBH i think this was due to me using a stiff piece of webbing for the strap and since there was no protection layer it did wear out.

*Brian Allen* · April 29th, 2008, 06:40 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Dave Wallace)

Why design another copy?

Nope not looking at a copy, more a different way of seam sealing, paterns and material choice over certain areas of a suit and methods of attaching valves.

First of all though i wanted to see if there are common problem areas that people have and if there is infact anything worth changing, on the DUI or other Explorer suits. Although this my poll was aimed at all drysuits used in DIR type diving, and not specifically the telescoping torso design. This is part of an exercise to look at whether or not we do infact have the best solution already.

I question everything about my equipment, and I think it's good to do so. For example how many of us are keeping an eye on LED technology as a possible better solution to HID if they ever became more focusable.

Brian

IanDennis · April 29th, 2008, 06:41 PM

Protec explorer- boots leak and dump valve (high profile if not closed two clicks).

Question now is whether to replace the boots with soft socks or try another make of boot as Hunters no longer available

View Poll Results: Where does your drysuit leak?
Boots/Turbo Sole	31	16.67%
Leg	26	13.98%
Crotch	43	23.12%
Torso	14	7.53%
Zip	22	11.83%
Valves	45	24.19%
Arm	21	11.29%
Wrist Seal/Dry Glove Ring	35	18.82%
Neck Seal	19	10.22%
No Leaks	59	31.72%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 186. You may not vote on this poll

April 29th, 2008, 02:00 PM	#1 (permalink)
Brian Allen(Offline) GUE Instructor Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: London & Plymouth Posts: 593	Drysuit leak information needed I'm currently helping design DIR drysuits that are suitable for the rigours of UK diving, and am very much interested in finding out the spread of common suit failures. Could you please vote on what leaks you have had with your current suit, more than one answer is fine. Many thanks, Brian __________________ ...dive planning again ... GUE fundamentals and Halcyon Equipment Online www.ocean-explorers.co.uk

April 29th, 2008, 02:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
NickB(Offline) Always lowering the tone Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cardiff, UK Posts: 340	I have a DUI CLX450. Currently it's dry, aside from the occasional ingress of water at the neck as I run the seal quite loose. I've had the following leaks: socks (replaced by DUI and again by Hydrotech as DUI fitted the wrong size) zip (replaced by DUI) valves (both replaced by DUI and the inflation valve replaced again by Hydrotech) wrist (due to not realising I'd put a hole in the ZipSeal whilst kitting up) neck (due to wearing the seal fairly loose) I've also holed my ZipGloves a few times, only one occasion lead to aborting a dive. __________________ SnowHeads / BreastFriends / Free Money!

April 29th, 2008, 03:01 PM	#5 (permalink)
Dave Wallace(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Portland Posts: 85	DUI Explorer Max Mobility - great suit, great fit and no leaks Why design another copy? __________________ Kind regards David Wallace Dorset Diving With Scimitar Diving Book 4 Dives - On line, real time Dive Charter booking Dive kit and training at Underwater Explorers Silent Planet Ltd. Halcyon, Euro Cylinders and Turtle Fin Importer and distributor Hotel Aqua - the place to stay when in Portland and Weymouth

April 29th, 2008, 03:08 PM	#6 (permalink)
Cyrille(Offline) New Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Ijsselstein, The Netherlands Posts: 112	DUI CLX450 SP (with neck & wrist ZipSeals) - no leaks so far, a real body armor. __________________ "Scuba diversdescend to look around themselves, freedivers descend to look within themselves."

April 29th, 2008, 02:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
alexmzz(Offline) New Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: South Australia Posts: 66	DUI CLX450 Leaks/seeps quite regularly on the wrist seals - ziplocks. The seals are quite tight. I have thin sinewy wrists and other divers with same have similar problems. It's more annoying than a big problem - the forearm section of my undergarment becomes rather soggy. I've also shaved my wrists which helped somewhat!!

April 29th, 2008, 03:00 PM	#4 (permalink)
tom(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: London/Surrey Posts: 59	Protec Explorer had leaky boots - very weird one with lots of pinhole leaks that oozed water in both boots. Boots changed and no problems since (about 2 years).

April 29th, 2008, 03:21 PM	#7 (permalink)
vid(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: london/surrey border, UK Posts: 353	otter britannic telescopic - no leaks at all vid

April 29th, 2008, 06:33 PM	#8 (permalink)
ogobara2000(Offline) New Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Plymouth UK :) Posts: 99	I have two DUI suits. One with low dump valve never had a leak whatsoever despite all the bad press. One with high dump valve always leaks if i don't close my valve during deco. On previous suit (Polar bears Explorer) i had a leak in my crotch but TBH i think this was due to me using a stiff piece of webbing for the strap and since there was no protection layer it did wear out. __________________ You are free....to do as you are told

April 29th, 2008, 06:40 PM	#9 (permalink)
Brian Allen(Offline) GUE Instructor Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: London & Plymouth Posts: 593	Quote: (Originally Posted by Dave Wallace) Why design another copy? Nope not looking at a copy, more a different way of seam sealing, paterns and material choice over certain areas of a suit and methods of attaching valves. First of all though i wanted to see if there are common problem areas that people have and if there is infact anything worth changing, on the DUI or other Explorer suits. Although this my poll was aimed at all drysuits used in DIR type diving, and not specifically the telescoping torso design. This is part of an exercise to look at whether or not we do infact have the best solution already. I question everything about my equipment, and I think it's good to do so. For example how many of us are keeping an eye on LED technology as a possible better solution to HID if they ever became more focusable. Brian __________________ ...dive planning again ... GUE fundamentals and Halcyon Equipment Online www.ocean-explorers.co.uk Last edited by Brian Allen; April 29th, 2008 at 06:48 PM.

April 29th, 2008, 06:41 PM	#10 (permalink)
IanDennis(Offline) New Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Chalfont St Peter Posts: 81	Protec explorer- boots leak and dump valve (high profile if not closed two clicks). Question now is whether to replace the boots with soft socks or try another make of boot as Hunters no longer available