DIY drysuit repair tips

Oceandry Drysuits have been part of dry diving in New Zealand (NZ) for 21 years. During this time we have learnt a thing or two about repairing, maintaining and caring for drysuits so that they continue to provide you with warm, comfortable diving over many years.

Following are some points for you to consider when buying a suit and how to care for it correctly.

• Where is the suit made? Can valves and zips be serviced and repaired in NZ? Some imported suits require the suit to be sent back to the manufacturer. This can be costly and time consuming. This can occur with suits with heat sealed tape on the inside seams.
  
• Curved and horse shoe shaped zips are also difficult to have replaced in NZ. Plastic zips are not widely available and tend not to last as long as other zips.
  
• Quality of the fabric, whether you choose a neoprene or bag suit you want the exterior shell of your suit to be good quality, hard wearing and long lasting. Cheaper neoprene may collapse within 2 years and bag suits can delaminate. With bag suits you will require an expensive undergarment to keep you warm during winter months.
  
• Latex or neoprene socks will not last as long as good quality boots.
  

Caring for your drysuit and packing it for travel

• Lay your suit flat, with zip closed and inflation valve at 3 or 9 o’clock and cap on.
  
• Roll up starting at the feet to the neck then fold arms over forwards only. This practice is the best way to protect your zip from damage as the zip is strongest closed especially when travelling or on the boat when it can’t be hung up.
  
• Don’t pack your suit with your weight belt!
  

Cleaning and lubing your drysuit zip

• First: if there is a build-up of old wax, close the zip and use a small toothbrush (or similar) with warm soapy water to remove the wax.
  
• Any green oxide can be wiped with white vinegar and a cloth, ensure you use fresh water to rinse the vinegar off and avoid vinegar getting on other parts of the suit.
  
• When the zip is dry, open and apply oil formulated for zips (such as BDM zip oil) to the inner teeth. Do not use zip wax on the inside teeth of your zip. These small teeth are the main seal of your zip. Close your zip and apply zip wax to the outer teeth.
  
• OceanDry wax is specially formulated with lanolin and natural bees wax. The lanolin provides lubrication and the bees wax holds the lanolin on the zip for multiple dives. After 10-15 minutes open, close then open then store on a drysuit hanger (zip open). It is good to do this once a month if using your suit regularly or storing for a long period of time.
  
• Only use products designed for zips and do not use silicone or CRC.
  

Drysuit seals

• Is upside down by its feet. Any moisture inside the suit (and it doesn’t take much) is trapped, evaporating up into the boots then condensing back down and around it goes causing rot mostly confined to the lower legs. Instead invest in a good quality wide shoulder drysuit hanger.  
  
• Store with the zip open, the wide shoulders of the hanger will help keep the suit open to allow good airflow.  
  
• The other advantage of a wide shoulder hanger is that it stops shoulders compressing on neoprene suits.
  
• Tin sheds and fridges/freezers create ozone, so avoid storing your suit in these types of areas.
  

All drysuits require occasional maintenance and repair. By doing some homework and choosing a suit of good quality, maintaining it well you should expect a 10-15 year life span.

All products to care for your suit are available from professional dive shops and Oceandry.