A drysuit is considered a great investment and you should ensure its longevity by taking care of it properly. It has the same importance as any piece of life support, such as your regs. 

Its importance doesn’t only lie in protecting you from feeling cold and being wet wet on a dive, but it also plays an important role in providing safe, comfortable descents and ascents. By adopting some simple steps in the process of drysuit care and maintenance, you can avoid expensive repairs and parts replacement.

Any piece of equipment having rubber or silicone components can be damaged from the elements like direct sunlight and salt. However, this guide will help you make the proper drysuit care and maintenance in order to get the most out of your drysuit for years to come.

Pro Tips for Drysuit Care and maintenance

The proper drysuit care and maintenance isn’t just only for prolonging its lifespan, but also it’s about ensuring your underwater adventures remain safe and enjoyable.

From the proper techniques for washing and drying to the nitty-gritty details of caring for zippers, valves, seals, and inflators, every step counts. Proper storage and regular servicing also play pivotal roles in keeping your drysuit in top condition.

In this guide, we’ll delve into the essential practices that will help you master the art of drysuit care and maintenance, ensuring you’re always ready for scuba diving and your gear is in peak performance, as we will talk about:

• Correct washing.
• Drying.
• Zip.
• Valves and inflators.
• Seals.
• Storage.
• Servicing.

Correct washing

After ending your dive, rinse your drysuit with warm fresh water to dissolve any salt and ensure to wash any sand, grit, or salt crystals out of the valves.

Remember to close the zip in the rinsing process and -if possible- Plug the seal to stop water from getting in. You should wash the seals using a mild soapy water in order to get rid of any body oils.

It is better to wash both the inside and outside of the drysuit with a drysuit shampoo to get rid of any unpleasant odours, these shampoos like McNett Wet and Dry Suit Shampoo. It will also preserve the waterproofing properties of the suit.

Let the drysuit dry away from direct sunlight because UV rays can damage the latex, perish the rubber and also discolour silicone. Membrane drysuits tend to dry quickly than neoprene suits.

Drying

Dry your suit in an open area. Hang boots/socks upside down to drain sweat. choose a proper wide hanger to hang the suit on it such as the Waterproof Wetsuit and Drysuit Hanger in order to prevent unnecessary stress on the suit’s zip. Some hangers like the Scubapro Drysuit Hanger hold the suit by the boots for water drainage.

Zip

Most drysuit zips consist of brass teeth in addition to a rubber seal which together create a waterproof seal. Brass zips are the cheapest choice but can be stiff. They need cleaning and lubrication to work properly.

Wax the outer teeth with Beaver Aquawax Stick and for the zip, use a toothbrush or McNett Zip Care Lubricant for cleaning.

Open the zip completely open when not using the drysuit. A composite zip, which is made from lightweight synthetic materials, is easier to maintain but may cost more. It’s popular on front entry drysuits like the Fourth Element Argonaut 2.0 Flex Drysuit.

Valves and Inflators

Always ensure that the valves are tight, especially on neoprene suits, as pressure can loosen them. Do this on new suits too.

If dump valves don’t exhaust gas properly, you may have a runaway ascent. Test by connecting the regulator to a cylinder and the inflator hose to the chest valve. Plug neck and wrist seals with tennis/footballs or similar.

Press the valve and check the release speed. Test the power inflation valve (swivelling or fixed) and ensure the lpi hose isn’t sticky. We stock spare dump and inflator valves on our Drysuit Accessories page.

Seals

Neck and wrist seals keep your drysuit watertight. Neoprene drysuits have neoprene seals, while Trilaminate suits have latex seals as standard.

Although latex seals are considered stretchy, they can feel very tight when new and deteriorate by time, especially when the user doesn’t do proper maintenance. Don’t wear perfumes or face/neck creams because this can perish the latex material.

In case of purchasing a new drysuit or having new neck seals or latex wrist fitted, trim them to fit if needed to prevent them from restricting your blood flow. Make one straight cut along the guideline ring with a sharp pair of scissors. Trim one ring at a time and check each of them.

If you cut too much, you will need to replace them again. Pay more attention to silicone seals, as they need a little more care when putting on or taking off the suit. Fortunately, silicon seals do not deteriorate like latex does over time. You can use high quality talc like as McNett Protalc to preserve latex and rubber seals. This also makes donning and doffing easier and plays a role in preventing chafing.

Storage

Store your drysuit carefully in order to protect its shape. This will also play an important role in preventing distortion. Ensure the suit is completely dry before you store it to avoid mold growth. Mold and mildew can damage the suit’s material, resulting in a musty smell.

If there is a traditional brass zip, lightly lubricate it using a wax to make it move easily and prolong its life. Lightly dust latex seals with proper drysuit talc (non-perfumed) to prevent them from perishing and sticking together.

Don’t store the drysuit in a shed or garage near toxic chemicals. If you have a neoprene drysuit, roll it instead of folding, keep zips open, and store them in a secure dry bag if not kept in the house to prevent damage from rodents or moths.

Servicing

Have your drysuit pressure tested every couple of years, or more often if it’s your primary exposure suit.

You should also test the inflation and exhaust valves and examine them by an authorised service technician because o-rings may need to be replaced or greased. you may also need to replace any perished tape over stitching or add patches to worn or stretched joints.

While you may feel excited to do this yourself, An authorized technician will know the appropriate glues and greases for drysuits.