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Vent: My drysuit inflator valve grenaded at 90 feet
I was on a bridge pier inspection in the Columbia River two weeks ago and my left shoulder inflator valve just let go - full freeflow into my suit. I had to dump gas like crazy while buddy breathing with my tender just to keep from rocketing to the surface. Turns out the o-ring had been chewed up by a bit of grit I must have picked up on the deck. Anyone else had a valve fail mid-dive and have to switch to manual inflation mode?
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nancy_davis1mo ago
Got a similar failure during a wreck dive off the New Jersey coast last fall! My inflator valve just started screaming air into my suit at 70 feet, and I had to dump air while finning hard against my buddy to keep from blowing up. Turned out a tiny salt crystal had jammed the valve seat. I switched to manual inflation for the rest of the dive but that old rubber hose was so stiff it was hard to get a good bite with my teeth. Really makes you appreciate a solid drysuit valve maintenance routine though!
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the_max1mo ago
Spent a whole dive last year fighting a drysuit dump valve that just WOULDN'T stop leaking air, like a slow tire puncture right at the shoulder @nancy_davis. Had to run my inflator like crazy just to stay neutral, ended up burning through half my tank before I hit the anchor line. Took the valve apart on the boat and found a tiny piece of silicone grease had gummed up the diaphragm. Now I strip and clean every valve after a saltwater trip, no exceptions. Nothing like that panicked feeling of trying to control your buoyancy with a busted valve while your buddy just stares at you like you're having a seizure.
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