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OR drysuit leaky seam
Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2018 6:14 pm
by knot_moving
Small leak in outer leg seam of my 4 yr old Heat drysuit. Thinking of using aqua seal. Anyone have good howvto experience with this sort of fix?
Re: OR drysuit leaky seam
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 1:57 pm
by Foil
I have used Aqua seal for this sort of repair, works great but ensure you use the sealing gel only on the inside of the suit as it not only looks naf on the outside bat the edges of the gel can lift slightly and get sand grains underneath, also cleaning the area with alcohol wipes to thoroughly remove any contaminates will help.
the repair should last the life of the suit.
works great on wet suits and winter gloves as well.
Re: OR drysuit leaky seam
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 9:25 pm
by deniska
if you need to locate the leaks, just turn the suit inside out, plug the leg/arm gaskets with polandspring (or any plastic) water bottles, put in the bathtub and fill with water. Mark the wet spots with permanent marker. Dry the suit. Apply aquaseal.. And you are done.
Re: OR drysuit leaky seam
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 9:40 pm
by ORSales
knot_moving wrote: ↑Sun Apr 22, 2018 6:14 pm
Small leak in outer leg seam of my 4 yr old Heat drysuit. Thinking of using aqua seal. Anyone have good howvto experience with this sort of fix?
Aqua Seal is great. Use sparingly (and re-test) as it hardens when dry and so you want to use a min amount needed.
If you're looking to also spiff the suit up a bit as you're at it, consider re-DWR coating the suit. McNett makes a great spray on product. DWR coating will improve breathability and cut down on "damp" spots where water is clogging the suit's pores.
JZ
Re: OR drysuit leaky seam
Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:11 am
by nothing2seehere
ORSales wrote: ↑Tue Apr 24, 2018 9:40 pm
knot_moving wrote: ↑Sun Apr 22, 2018 6:14 pm
Small leak in outer leg seam of my 4 yr old Heat drysuit. Thinking of using aqua seal. Anyone have good howvto experience with this sort of fix?
Aqua Seal is great. Use sparingly (and re-test) as it hardens when dry and so you want to use a min amount needed.
If you're looking to also spiff the suit up a bit as you're at it, consider re-DWR coating the suit. McNett makes a great spray on product. DWR coating will improve breathability and cut down on "damp" spots where water is clogging the suit's pores.
JZ
Any tips for re applying DWR. The Ocean Rodeo website (used to?) recommend Nikwax DWR but I haven't rated it as a product as it seems to barely last a session. Have you noticed McNetts to be longer lasting? My only concern about trying it is that they talk about 'Heat setting' the DWR with a tumble dryer which I'm less happy to try due to the latex seals a drysuit has that a waterproof jacket doesn't have.
Any other tips?
Re: OR drysuit leaky seam
Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2018 5:04 pm
by ORSales
nothing2seehere wrote: ↑Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:11 am
ORSales wrote: ↑Tue Apr 24, 2018 9:40 pm
knot_moving wrote: ↑Sun Apr 22, 2018 6:14 pm
Small leak in outer leg seam of my 4 yr old Heat drysuit. Thinking of using aqua seal. Anyone have good howvto experience with this sort of fix?
Aqua Seal is great. Use sparingly (and re-test) as it hardens when dry and so you want to use a min amount needed.
If you're looking to also spiff the suit up a bit as you're at it, consider re-DWR coating the suit. McNett makes a great spray on product. DWR coating will improve breathability and cut down on "damp" spots where water is clogging the suit's pores.
JZ
Any tips for re applying DWR. The Ocean Rodeo website (used to?) recommend Nikwax DWR but I haven't rated it as a product as it seems to barely last a session. Have you noticed McNetts to be longer lasting? My only concern about trying it is that they talk about 'Heat setting' the DWR with a tumble dryer which I'm less happy to try due to the latex seals a drysuit has that a waterproof jacket doesn't have.
Any other tips?
We've always simply recommended that people use the spray on DWR coating (McNett or Nikwax) and then hang to dry. I
would not suggest putting your suit in the dryer! (Also, we still have a "maintenance" section at the bottom of each of our suit pages
)
Re: OR drysuit leaky seam
Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2018 11:09 am
by nothing2seehere
Thanks. I'll give the McNett coating a try.
A slightly damp base layer is still better and warmer when you get changed at the end of the day than peeling off a wetsuit.